[Time: Noon]
[Weather Conditions: High Temperatures.]
"We've been walking for hours, Ace." Sky complained. "How long until we get there?"
"We've been walking for not more than ten minutes, Sky." He replied. "You've been walking with your head down while dragging your feet. Look up."
Sky did as Ace said and smiled while saying, "Oh, we're almost there." Sky started to run to the settlement but then, Ace quickly grabbed her by her hair and yanked her back to his side.
They both fell on the hot, orange sand while they felt heavy thuds moving past them, followed by large clouds of dust. The thuds went on for a few long minutes and they both wondered if they were in the middle of a stampede.
"Hyah, hyah." They heard voices shouting out loud. "Hey watch out. They're people down there."
Ace peeped and saw about ten men in buggies wearing dust masks. Nine more kept following whatever made those thuds while one guy jumped out of his buggy and stood over Ace and Sky.
"Hey you two. What are you doing here at this time?" He asked while pulling both of them by their hair. They screamed and struggled to set themselves free but he had a mysteriously strong grip. "What are you two doing…." The man stopped in the middle of his question after noticing the uniforms the two teens were wearing.
"Oi, you two are from the military." He said while pulling them to his buggy and tying their hands together. "Are you two lost? Are you insane? Were you sent here to spy on us?" He asked rudely while uncontrollably shouting in their faces. "Well answer me."
"Please, Sir," Sky cried. "We're not spies. We were just…"
"We!!" Ace quickly interrupted. "We were left behind from a little exhibition the school had. They left us since we were the weakest." He lied, knowing damn well what would happen to both of them if the stranger found out the truth about them.
"Lies. YOU TWO ARE SPIES!!" He shouted while tying both of them to the back of his buggy. Ace and Sky stood at the back with their hands tied to the buggy. The stranger looked back and said, "Hope you came with your running shoes."
He revved up the engine and drove as fast as he could, therefore dragging Ace and Sky in the sand. He laughed wildly while Sky pleaded for him to let them go or at least drive slower. However, the loud noise of the engine and the sand pouring on their faces blurred out her words, making her waste her precious voice and energy.
"Sky!!" Ace called out. "Try transforming into a beast. You did it last time. Do it again."
"I…I…"
"You what!!"
"I can't do it on command." She replied. Them being dragged eventually tore their boots, causing their feet to get cut. "I already tried many times but I can't do it on command."
Ace rolled his eyes and tried activating his system powers, but then, something unexpected happened.
[Ding]
[Due to the current situation you're in, your powers cannot be used now. You'll give yourself out.]
"WHAT!!" He yelled. "System explain this."
[You and your damsel have bounties on your heads. Using your powers will expose you. Refrain from using them for now.]
"WHAT!!"
"What?" Sky shouted back but Ace kept his head down with his eyes and mouth to keep the sand away. After over twenty minutes of being dragged in the soil, Ace and Sky were untied and quickly tried to escape. However, the stranger already tied their necks, having known they'd attempt to escape.
"Not so fast, spies." He said while pressing their necks. Ace and Sky stood still as they took notice of their surroundings. The 'human settlement, was more like an apocalyptic base due to its savage designs. The base was inside a deep, round crater with buildings dug into the hard, black ground. Its inhabitants were dressed in black, dark brown, gray and somewhat red cloaks, fingerless gloves, robes and boots.
A few had face paint on while majority wore hoodies, even though it was terribly hot. The man parked his buggy in a space that had cars specifically redesigned as if the Earth was in some sort of zombie apocalyptic season.
There were over one hundred cars, each one equipped with a machine gun on top.
'Where did they even get those.' Sky wondered.
"KEEP WALKING YOU TWO!!"
"Must you keep shouting?" Ace asked angrily and got a punch to his face, sending him rolling down with a blood wound. Sky tried to rush and help Ace out but the loud man pulled her back by her rope and said, "You're not helping your boyfriend just yet, missy."
Tears rolled down Sky's eyes as the man pushed her on the ground too, sending her rolling just as Ace did.
Her heart began beating very fast as she felt a sharp fiery pain growing inside her body. She eventually stopped rolling as her body crashed into Ace's but the boy almost shook in fear while he glared into Sky's eyes.
Her eyes, once beautiful and delicate, were glowing a fierce yellow color as her body began to mutate. The mutation began with her arms which bulged intensely while her flesh fell of like it was dried up glue. Fur replaced her fallen skin as large claws grew on her now monstrous fingertips. Her body grew five times larger while her jaws stretched forward with a deadly set of teeth growing in. Her front incisors were now six inches longer while pure rage took over her human nature.
*ROOAARR*
Sky, who transformed into her groundhog form, tore the ropes on her arms and hit the loud man's body, sending him crashing into a car. His body slammed against the vehicle's hard, metallic structure, fracturing many bones in his body.
"WE'VE GOT A GIFTED. EVERYONE TAKE YOUR STATIONS!!" Other men surrounded Sky with bear zappers and slings in their hands. The girl growled furiously and slammed down on the closest man, ripping his arms off of his body. He screamed in pain and terror while the girl went for his neck and soon, the screams were no more.
The others quickly pounced on Sky and zapped her body with high vaults of electricity. She roared in pain and tried swatting them all away, but they were too fast for her and her body begun to ache, terribly. "EVERYONE, STEP BACK!!"
All of a sudden, the men who were once zapping Sky stood back while a large, half rhino half leopard hybrid rammed into Sky's body. Its rider made sure not to kill her but he sure did use enough force to immobilize her. Sky's large body rolled in the ground and bashed a couple of private property, but she wasn't done yet.
She steadily got back on all fours and run for the leopard. With her large claws out, she slashed at the beast's head but her claws broke into pieces since its flesh was as hard as steel. "Time for you to die, little girl."
The rider of the beast rammed into Sky, this time making sure to dig the beast's horn deep into Sky's sides. Sky wailed in excruciating pain as blood seeped from her body. She fell to the ground and breathed slowly. Thankfully, her wounds healed quickly but she slowly deformed back into her normal form.
"GET AWAY FROM HER!!" Ace shouted as he stood in front of her body, which was currently naked since this third transformation ripped them apart. The man who was swatted earlier by Sky walked towards them with his hands on his ribs and he cussed saying, "Get these little sh*ts out of my sight. Separate them. We've got ourselves a little gifted bastard."
With those orders given, Sky's unconscious, naked body was rolled away by two female guards while Ace was forcefully dragged to another cell. Sky was clothed and thrown in a cage that was then hanged a few feet high, incase she tried anything funny. Ace, on the other hand, was thrown into a cell far from her but was still able to see her.
He called out her name many times but she failed to respond, making him grow worried. "HEY!! LET ME OUT OF HERE." He rammed into the cage but its steel bars were too tough for him, at the moment.
"SHUT UP, SPY." The loud man from earlier yelled as he hit Ace, again. "You and your silly little girlfriend are worth a fortune to me. Just you wait until I find a buyer for you. Hehehe." He laughed while starring at Sky and licking his dry, chapped lips.
"Don't look at her that way you pervert." Ace shouted. The man sneered as he limped away.
"Oh you just wait until my powers are back online." He muttered under his breath. "Your blood will be in my hands."
[13:00 hours remaining.]
[Be patient. This is all for your good.]