Thanes Story
Saytara is a much different place from Earth. I remember in my childhood a place of beauty of nature far and wide. Of bubbling rivers that sang lullabies. Of green rolling hills trees of dark bark and leaves the many hues of sunset. And then I grew older and realized that the beauty of Saytara was not meant for me. Our people when we are born are separated into two factions: The Alphas and the Omegas. The Alphas make up our military. They were supposed to be our protectors. They lied.
The omegas have always been considered lower than the Alphas even though we were the ones that were gifted. It is our blood that runs through the veins of every experiment.
We didn't notice at first when the Omega's started to disappear. We weren't prepared for it. Our government and Military had overused our natural resources.
Earth had learned generations before, that there was a limit to the amount of capitalism and growth a planet can endure before it starts to die. We weren't so lucky. The Alphas were stubborn. Too stubborn to learn. Too stubborn to change. Our planet is on the brink of extinction. So the Alphas started to look for others. Other planets that can sustain their way of life. Eventually, they found Earth and somehow, someway they struck a bargain with the leaders of Earth. They gave them the Omegas in exchange for positions of power on Earth. The alphas have slowly started to become leaders in your government. Military officials like Zane. Saytara is almost dead, I'm not entirely sure who is left. If anyone is. Or if there is anything left of Saytara to save.
"Where are the rest of your people?" Aimee asked. "Some of them are here," Thane said gesturing at the tent we were currently in. "I came across Thane by accident. Like the twins, my powers are more of the overly sensitive ones. Being a part of the Resistance never really agreed with me. But being a gun for hire for the Egypt Cartels have worked really well for me." Lucy said with a smile.
"You always did like fights," Aimee said grinning. "Anyways during one of our gang turf wars I found this man over here," Lucy said gesturing behind her to Thane who grinned widely in response. "Walking through bullets like they weren't even there and bodily throwing people."
"Subtle," Lena said smirking. Thane sniggered in response to Lena's look. "They weren't listening to me. "How did you end up in Egypt?" Westley asked crossing his arms and looking at Thane. "I defected a long time ago. I'm a rare case in Saytara. The next stage of evolution." Thane said.
"I was born from three generations of Alphas. But around my thirteenth birthday, I started exhibiting certain abilities that were more commonly found in Omega's. I've been able to hide my powers for the most part. Not too long before I started learning how to control my abilities I became one of the top generals in the military. It's how I ended up on Earth. I've always fought for the rights of Omegas. So when I discovered what was happening to them on earth. I defected. I came to Egypt; with a handful of other omegas, I was able to save on my way out. I picked Egypt because I heard rumors of a girl with incredible strength acting as muscle for hire." Thane said pointing his thumb in Lucy's direction. "I knew the human experiments would mirror the powers taken from the blood of the Omega's. I knew it was only a matter of time till I found them." Thane said.
"Why would you need to find them?" I asked my eyes narrowing. "To protect them. Eventually, the Alphas will grow tired of playing equal to the humans and they will start eradicating any humans strong enough to defy their will. The Experiments would be at the top of that list." Thane said. "You are right. It's already started. Kane tried to take me out or use me to get the humans to take me out." I said. "He created some sort of serum that made her crazy with rage," Aimee said.
Thane frowned. "That's not good. Something must've changed."
August 18, 2052
Emily
Ethan and Elise narrowed down Elliot's location to a pub in Northampton, England. Ethan and Elise elected to stay in the hotel. Not wanting to be near Elliot's bad vibes as it were. I walked into the pub ready to see carnage or at the very least the makings of a bar fight. But thankfully it was just a normal slightly packed bar. It didn't take me long to locate Elliot either. He was slouched on the barstool drinking moodily from his tankard. This is either really good that he's drinking or really bad. I'm not entirely sure which I would prefer. I quietly walked up to him, sitting on an opposite barstool. "Scotch, neat," I said to the bartender all the while watching as Elliot raised a single eyebrow as he gave me a side-eye. "Scotch is no drink for a lady." I smiled at the familiar line. Now, this was the Elliot I loathed and loved. "I never claimed to be a lady," I said, nodding at the bartender as he handed over my drink. I took a sip of the scotch letting the burn warm me, before casting a glance at Elliot.
"Better a scotch than that beer that will give you nothing but bad breath," I said. Elliot smirked looking at me properly now. "Worried about my breath?" he said. There was a pause as we both stared at each other then Elliot was kissing me, his hands on my face holding me as he sucked on my lower lip, making me open my mouth, as he pulled me closer his hands moving up to my waist as my arms went around his neck.
He sucked on my tongue kissing me deeper. I only noticed we had moved from the bar when my back hit the wall. Speed and agility Elliot now had thanks to the alien blood that now coursed through his veins. I ran my fingers through his hair slightly pulling as he kissed me deeper his hands moving down squeezing my hips, my legs moving to circle his waist his mouth leaving mine as he pulled my legs tighter around him.
His mouth, tongue, and teeth scorched a hot trail down my throat, my eyes rolling back at the sensation. My legs squeezing at his hips making him groan against my neck. My shirt raised up with the movement and I felt the crisp denim of his shirt and then scorching skin as he took it off moving away from my neck to pull of my shirt pausing briefly to watch my shirtless self in my olive green bra that left little to the imagination.
He smiled briefly before he started to run his tongue down my chest sucking on the breast that was half raised by my bra. He sucked deeply while pulling down my bra releasing one rosy nipple moving down and pulling at the rosy bud making me gasp at the sensation. We'd been here before, the two of us together. Just like this. The first time had been sudden. It hadn't been planned. Just like this time. Elliot pulled back putting my bra back in place and kissing my neck before moving back to my lips. He leaned back looking at me carefully. "Emily what are you doing here?" he said his voice a rasp. "Looking for you," I said watching as Elliot's eyes darkened. Before he closed them and leaned forward putting his head on my shoulder. "Why?" he groaned, making me shiver at his lips on my shoulder.
"You know why. Where are you, father?"
August 20, 2052
Mikhael
The city of Newport was quiet, so quiet that people always assumed that no gang activity could possibly take place in a small quiet city like this. But that's where they would be wrong. Mercenaries like Dalton McGee had long called Newport home. I was port side waiting for him when I had the sense that someone was watching me. I stiffened in my jacket ready to pull out my weapon when The Scientist suddenly appeared around the corner. He had moved so silently that it was almost like he had materialized out of thin air. I narrowed my eyes at him. The whole reason I was meeting McGee was to question him about the Scientist's whereabouts and now I was face to face with the man. "Hello, Professor," I said smiling at the scowl the Scientist gave at my greeting.
"I have told you a million times not to call me that." He said with grave annoyance. "What are you doing here?" I asked. "Where is my son? Where is Lena?" he asked making me raise my eyebrows with surprise. "I have no idea where your wayward boy has gone. But Lena I met a couple of days back and she had so many things to tell me." I said pointedly.
The Scientist stiffened at my words. "What things?" he asked in a guarded way that made me narrow my eyes at the man I had once trusted. "Impossible things. Things that I can tell are true by the way you are acting." I said. The scientist smiled cruelly. "I doubt Lena knows what is really going on." The Scientist said. "You mean that we aren't under attack by an Alien invasion?" I said smiling triumphantly as the Scientist paled.
"Your friend Director Kane was extremely talkative," I said. "That I highly doubt." The Scientist said. "Well I'm pretty sure he was under duress," I said. "Aimee." The Scientist said. "You taught your experiments well. But now it seems the Aliens have no need for them. They are trying to eradicate the experiments. According to Lena, Kane came pretty close to ending her, and eventually, he will recoup and begin again to destroy the other experiments. Including your son." I said.
I hadn't really expected to find The Scientist. Much less have him track me down. I seriously needed to re-evaluate the way I lived. This was the second time in a month someone who had been tracking me had found me. The Scientist looked surprised that the experiments were being hunted. Which I found odd.
The Scientist looked at me exasperated. "I was well aware that all the experiments were temporary. That one day they would be killed. But knowing and hearing about it are two different things. Most of the experiments were children. They might be older now, but I know that they would all stand and fight. They were trained to never give up. To never surrender." The Scientist said. "And they are all stubborn and arrogant. Specifically, your son and his old team." I said looking at the Scientist. "Aimee and Lena have never given up any job or mission they've undertaken." The Scientist mused his gaze turning hard and steely as he looked at me. "What do you want from me? What is the reason you came all the way here to find me?" The Scientist asked narrowing his eyes at me. "You created these experiments. Only you know where they are located, what powers they have, and where the origin of the blood you took to make them is located. Kane can't be the only alien you know about. You must know where the others are. You can help save us all." I said. The scientist narrowed his eyes. "Since when do you care about anyone?" he said darkly. "I have always cared about my own survival. Even if that means playing nice with the militia and saving the common good. Including your good for nothing son." I said. The Scientist screwed up his face. "My son. Is one of them. He's practically lost already." The Scientist said. "He doesn't have to be," I said. "Maybe he should."
"That is of course up to you. Up to you to decide what and who you are willing to save."
August 21, 2052
James
I couldn't decide what was worst. The scorching heat of the Egyptian sun, that made my clothes stick to my skin, or the blazing hot winds that lifted the sands of Egypt to hit my face and make me immediately glad for the glasses I never left home without. I'm pretty sure Westley despised the winds as I watching him wipe his face once again. "Did you ever imagine we would leave the lab for this?" I asked him. Westley glanced at me a smile lighting up his face. "Traveling has never been an issue with me. I was born and bred a soldier. It's you that's questionable. Scientist." Westley said. "A scientist in our camp. Now I've seen everything." I turned surprised to see that we've been joined by several other people. I felt Westley stiffen beside me, I knew without glancing at him that his hands were mostly at the pistol at his belt. "My name is Rion. This is my sister Zia." The boy with burly shoulders, who had first spoken said. He stepped forward with a long-legged brunette. They both looked barely in their early twenties. But I knew looks could be deceiving.
"Are the two of you more experiments?" Zia asked delicately. She spoke carefully as if she had picked each word carefully before she used them. "We aren't experiments. We're part of the militia working to save the experiments and the ones used to make the experiments." Westley said. "And why would you care about those that were used. We aren't people. Not your people anyways." Zia said. "I know that you haven't had the best luck with humans. Most of the ones you've met have probably tried to use you for their own purpose. We aren't all the same. We and many people will stand and fight." Westley said.
"For us?" Rion asked. "For you, and for everyone who has no one else protecting them. We didn't start this, but we will end it." Westley said. "We have a history of people being used because they were different. This whole enterprise is no different than things we've faced before. We won then. And we will win now." I said looking at all of the people who stood before me, my eyes landing on Zia and Rion, who were both smiling at my words. My eyes narrowed. "You knew we were going to say all of that, didn't you?" I said. Zia grinned. "I have the gift of foresight. You might say I saw the two of you coming the moment your girl was kidnapped from the University." Zia's eyes softened as she glanced at the two of us. "Lena was never meant to become an experiment. It was an accident that made way for the other experiments to live. What happened to her was terrible but it wouldn't have happened if not for her compassion for others." Zia continued looking at me in the eyes. "Lena's story isn't yet finished. But I can tell you that the two of you will be at her side for the rest of it. Where you were both were always meant to be." She said with a smile.
I looked at Westley who was smiling warmly at Zia's words. He looked at me with a smirk. "How do we keep getting into these situations?" he asked. "Ten years of friendship and I still don't know," I said.
"What's going on here?" Lena said as she walked towards us. I glanced at her, not surprised to see her eyes assessing all of us for any signs of danger. I had noticed in our last month that she always checked wherever she was for threats before she relaxed. "Apparently meeting more of Thane's people," I said. Lena nodded distractedly looking at Westley. "We received a transmission. You guys should see this." She said walking back to the tent, nodding at Zia and Rion as she went. Zia smiled in response to the sign of respect. Before both, she and Rion led her people away. "Till the next time, Scientist." She said.
When we entered the tent, we saw that it had been transformed into a makeshift control center. Monitors filled with code made up most of the space, wires littered the floor like a bed of snakes. I picked myself carefully around making my way to the center console where Lena and Aimee stood, on the monitor was a collage of different faces on the screen. "What's all of this?" Westley asked. "At first we thought it was just code, but then we realized."
"It's us," Lena said quietly.
"It's a database of the experiments. Locations, specifics on their powers, their current profiles, those that are on missions, and most importantly, the location of some of Kane's places. Labs, offices, residences. And most interestedly the main lab that is connected to a rather large hangar that is definitely large enough to house a spaceship." A kid that was barely seventeen said, looking extremely proud of himself.
"Who the hell are you?" Westley asked. "And how on Earth did you figure out this code? This looks—"
"Next level? It is. I'm Carson of Saytara. And I figured it out because this might be next level on earth but from where we come from this basically our second language." He said cheekily. "Don't show off," Thane said as he walked in, making Carson sigh. "Emily could probably figure out this code," Lena said. "Who could've sent it?" Aimee asked. Lena looked at the screen at the photos. "Only one person had all this information. Mikhael must've found the Scientist." Lena said. "You think Emily found Elliot then?" Aimee asked. "We don't have time to wait for her to come back. We need to check out this hangar." Lena said. "We also need to have eyes on Kane," Westley said.
"I suggest this man," Carson said pulling up a picture. "Wait isn't that?" Lena said holding back a smile as she glanced at Aimee who scowled. "Balthazar." She growled.
"Balthazar Ren. He's an assistant to Kane. Also located in D.C." Carson said. "Washington," Westley said scratching his goatee. "Oh no. I know that look." I said with a smile. Aimee frowned at me. "What look?" she asked. "He's got an idea. That's never a good sign."
August 21, 2052
Lucy
"That's a terrible, horrible, incredibly foolish idea. Let's do it and see what happens." I said rubbing my hands together. "Of course you agree with this plan," Lena said scowling at me. "I'm going with Westley to D.C.," Aimee said. "Naturally," Lena said snidely. "Revenge isn't always the answer." She said. "Balthazar will be fine. It's not like I'm going to kill him." Aimee said ignoring the pointed looks Lena and I were giving her. Balthazar otherwise known as Zar to the experiments had once been in charge of recruitment in the experiment program but Aimee knew him better as the person who had kidnapped her from her home. She had once been the spoiled daughter of a senator. "Balthazar probably knows more than we do about Kane and the experiments," I said. "We hope," Lena said crossing her arms. She was watching Aimee gather her supplies with a frown. I knew what Lena worried about. This would be the first time she and Aimee would be separated. Lena's team had officially disbanded with Aimee leaving her side.
"Regardless of what he knows, I have contacts in DC. That can help us get a base of operations. Something tells me we're going to need one in DC. Not to mention reinforcements." Westley said walking in and dropping down a green canvas bag. "You ready?" he asked looking at Aimee. "I'm always ready," Aimee said slinging a bag over her shoulder. "Caleb volunteered to come with us so you guys get Emma," Westley said. "Great," Lena said crossing her arms and giving Westley a droll look. "I'm afraid to ask, but who is Emma?" I asked Lena who scowled deeply in response.
"Another blast from my past. Remember that old boyfriend I used to talk about back when we were in training?" Lena said. I frowned, remembering the days me, Lena and Aimee spent training and getting strong together. I know Lena had been kidnapped from her University much the same way Aimee had been taken. Both girls were daughters of high government officials. Their kidnappings and consequent turns into experiments had been done to spite those government officials.
"Vaguely," I said. Lena closed her eyes and I delved into her mind and saw the other soldier, the one that was the Scientist watch as Lena got taken by Elliot of all people. I flinched at the visceral emotions that were attached to the memory. "James. The Scientist that discovered a way to reengineer the serum is my ex-boyfriend. Emma was my best friend in the University." Lena said in explanation. "This must be odd for you, to be working with them," I said.
"How about you? How's it been working with Thane?" Lena asked. I heard what she wasn't saying. How was it working with aliens? "Thane is pretty easy to work with," I said. "Better than the drug dealers?" Lena asked curiously. "I would always prefer drug dealers and their petty territorial issues than the resistance red tape. It's like working with the military." I said. "How would you know? You've never worked with the military." Lena said smirking at me. I grinned at Lena who grinned back at me. "Please don't get yourselves killed without me," Aimee said with a sigh. Thane chose that moment to walk in. "So," he said clapping his hands together. "Who's ready to possibly steal a spaceship?"
August 25, 2052
Westley
Washington DC
It turned out finding a base of operations was the easy part. My former team in the FBI had absolutely no problem joining forces with me, to take down a couple of government officials. Which should've probably worried me but they had always been loose cannons. The best part of teaming up with the Agency instead of the military was borrowing a former millionaire's townhouse in the heart of DC. "So what's the plan to get Balthazar?" Aimee asked crossing her arms and glaring at me. She'd been doing that a lot lately. I could tell I was getting on her last nerve. "Aimee I know this hasn't exactly been easy letting me take the reins here. I know you're used to calling the shots." I said. "That's not what has me on edge. I've always been more comfortable following than leading." Aimee said uncrossing her arms.
I frowned. "Oh," I said lamely. "Why would FBI personnel be so willing to help us possibly take out government officials," Aimee asked. "Boredom? A natural distrust of the system? Anyways about Balthazar—" I said trailing off as Victoria Robson walked in. "I got the dress. You told her, right?" she asked looking at me sharply. Aimee glared at me, "Told me what?" she said darkly. She stepped to Victoria unzipping the garment bag and looking at the navy blue dress. "Why?" she asked looking at me. "We are in DC. What is the one thing DC is good for?" I asked crossing my arms.
"Congress parties. I despise congress. And parties. Especially parties." Aimee said glowering at the dress. "But it is a good way to get to Balthazar and Kane," I said. Aimee sighed. "We should probably see what Balthazar knows before we tip our hand and alert Kane to our presence." She said.
"Or your father," Victoria added, pulling out a pair of dangerously looking blue heels that matched the dress. It took me a minute to realize Victoria wasn't talking to me. "What do you mean her father?" I asked darkly. Victoria turned to look at me in surprise, but I was looking at Aimee who was studiously avoiding my gaze. "Wait, you don't know? You haven't figured out who she is?" Victoria asked her eyes wide.
"Tori, a minute please," I said sharply. She immediately put draped the dress over one of the chairs and left the heels on the long conference table and left closing the sturdy grey doors behind her.
"You know most of the experiments were taken from their homes," Aimee said running her fingers gently against the bodice of the dress that was decorated with blue rhinestones. "My father chose to use me being taken by the resistance to his advantage. My father was the governor when I got taken. Before I was Aimee, a resistance fighter of the Crimson Faction. I was known as Amaranthe Ashdowne." My eyes widened at her words. At hearing an extremely familiar name.
"As in my father is the President of the United States."