I stared at the girl in shock, my mind reeling at the revelation of her ability. She nodded silently, her gaze fixed on some point in the distance, avoiding my eyes. Questions swirled in my mind – why were children kept in this place? Were they here because of their abilities, or were they victims of some twisted experiment?
Summoning all the gentleness I could muster, I introduced myself. "Hello there, my name is Mister Smiles," I said, trying to soften the harshness of my surroundings. "What is your name?"
"Melony," she replied softly, her voice barely above a whisper. The sadness in her eyes spoke volumes, and I couldn't help but notice the bandages wrapped around her arms and legs. It was clear she had endured some form of abuse.
I extended my hand in a gesture of friendship, but she flinched at the movement. Suppressing a frown, I spoke reassuringly. "Nice to meet you, Melony. I hope we can be friends."
Her eyes welled up with tears, and my heart ached at the sight. Without hesitation, I pulled her into a gentle embrace, offering whatever comfort I could. It was like looking at a younger version of myself – someone who had known pain and suffering all too well.
Once her tears had subsided, I broached the subject of her ability. "Is your ability healing?" I asked gently.
She nodded, her eyes still shimmering with unshed tears. I couldn't help but smile at her innocence. "Do you want to know my ability?" I asked, hoping to lighten the mood.
Her eyes lit up with excitement as she nodded eagerly.
"I have the ability of destruction," I explained. "I can destroy anything I want."
To my surprise, she didn't recoil in fear at the revelation. Instead, her eyes sparkled with fascination. "That is so cool!" she exclaimed. "You can destroy all the bad things."
I chuckled at her enthusiasm, realizing for the first time that my ability could be seen in a different light. "Yes, I suppose I can," I replied, pondering her words.
Before we could continue our conversation, the speaker crackled to life, ordering Melony to leave the room. Panic flashed across her face, and I instinctively reached out, grasping her hand tightly.
"Can she stay with me?" I blurted out, facing the speaker with determination.
There was a moment of silence before the voice responded, tinged with annoyance. "Why would you want that?"
"She reminds me of my younger sister," I lied smoothly, my heart pounding in my chest. "I feel comfort when she is here with me."
After a brief pause, the voice relented. "Fine, she can stay with you," it conceded, with a note of begrudging acceptance.
As the speaker fell silent, Melony looked at me with gratitude shining in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, mister," she whispered.
I met her gaze with understanding. "It's okay," I reassured her, a pang of sympathy coursing through me. "That's what friends are for."
…
Heroes POV
Brian, the man known as Glasses Man, sat in his office, his brow furrowed with concern. Mister Smiles, his elusive contact, had vanished without a trace. The last time they had communicated was the day Smiles made his daring escape from Kryptarium prison. Something didn't sit right with Brian – Smiles had always been resourceful, but disappearing like this was out of character.
His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of a serious-looking woman holding a file. She placed it on his desk, and Brian wasted no time in picking it up, his expression growing more somber as he flipped through the pages.
"We've had five more ability users go missing this month," the woman informed him, her tone grave.
Brian's heart sank. For the past eight months, ability users had been disappearing without a trace, and some of them were his own students. His eyes narrowed as he spotted the photograph of an orange-haired boy among the missing.
"He's one of our students from the Advanced classes, correct?" Brian asked, his forehead creasing with worry.
"Yes, sir," the woman confirmed.
Turning away from the file, Brian gazed out of the window, his mind racing with possibilities. Down on the track field, students from the Elite classes jogged past, unaware of the danger that lurked in their midst. Brian's instincts told him that Smiles was somehow involved in these disappearances. Whether willingly or unknowingly, he couldn't be sure. But one thing was certain – Smiles was a special asset, and Brian couldn't afford to lose him.
"Tell the Bloodhounds to find out who's behind this," Brian instructed, his voice firm with determination. "I have a feeling that a very special person of mine has gotten himself involved somehow."
…
Lloyd POV
The routine for the next couple of weeks remained the same, a monotonous cycle of survival within the confines of the sterile white walls. Each day began with the piercing light of dawn, signaling the start of another grueling battle for existence. I would wake up, my body still sore from the previous day's struggles, and reluctantly consume the tasteless prison food they served us. Then, it was off to face whatever horrors awaited me in the arena, where I fought for my life against grotesque experiments bred in the darkness of this sinister facility.
Upon returning to my cell, if I was injured – which was almost always the case – Melony would be there, her gentle touch mending my wounds with an eerie proficiency. She was an enigma, a fragile creature in this harsh environment, yet possessing a remarkable ability to heal. Over time, I learned more about her; she had been born within these very walls, her mother imprisoned here and forced to give birth to her. Recognizing her usefulness, the authorities decided to keep her confined like the rest of us. It was a tragic revelation, and I couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow for the innocent child trapped in this hellish existence.
As Melony and I sat together, sharing what little moments of peace we could find, the speaker suddenly cracked to life, its voice echoing through the sterile chamber.
"Tomorrow, I want you to fight two different experiments," it announced, its tone devoid of any emotion.
I glanced at my nearly invisible stitches, a testament to the countless battles I had endured and survived. "Whatever," I muttered in response, resigned to my fate.
Later that day, Melony and I found ourselves huddled together, sketching crude drawings on the scraps of paper we had managed to scrounge up. Suddenly, an alarm pierced the air, its shrill sound cutting through the oppressive silence like a knife. The walls began to shift and contort, opening and closing in a frenzy of movement. The speaker crackled to life once more, warning of a security breach and urging us to flee while we still could.
Without hesitation, I seized Melony's hand and bolted from the cell, determination fueling our desperate escape. Red emergency lights bathed the hallway in an ominous glow as chaos erupted around us. I spotted a map of the building layout plastered on the wall and quickly committed its contents to memory before pressing onward. Guards scrambled to contain the chaos, their shouts drowned out by the cacophony of alarms and the frenzied screams of inmates.
Suddenly, a monstrous centipede-like creature emerged from the walls, its many legs skittering menacingly as it advanced toward us. With adrenaline coursing through my veins, I veered off in a different direction, dragging Melony along with me. Bullets whizzed past my head as we ran, the urgency of our escape driving us forward. Miraculously, we stumbled upon an open door, our ticket to freedom beckoning us from beyond its threshold. Without a moment's hesitation, we plunged into the unknown, leaving the horrors of Project 666 behind us as we ventured into the uncertain darkness of the lab.
The room was dimly lit, the glow of the large screen casting eerie shadows across the figure of the old man seated before it. As I approached him, a surge of recognition coursed through me – this was the elusive Speaker, the enigmatic voice that had haunted my days within the confines of Project 666. Without hesitation, I seized him by the collar and hoisted him up effortlessly, his frail form trembling in my grasp.
"Not so tough now, Mister Speaker," I growled, ripping the bunch of keys from his waist and tossing him to the ground. With deft fingers, I quickly located the keys to my neck cuffs, my heart pounding with exhilaration. Glancing back at the fallen figure of the old man, I felt a surge of satisfaction – the tables had finally turned.
But he wasn't finished yet. With a desperate attempt to flee, the Speaker scrambled to his feet, only to be met with my wrath once again. I lifted him once more, his struggles futile against my iron grip.
"Where do you think you're going?" I sneered, a cruel smile playing at the corners of my lips. "I'm just getting started."
Activating my ability, tendrils of red ice began to spread across his hand, encasing him in a deadly embrace. Despite his frantic efforts to free himself, the parasitic ice continued its relentless advance, consuming him inch by inch. Panic flickered in his eyes as he realized the inevitable – there was no escaping the icy grip of death.
In a last-ditch effort to save himself, the Speaker drew a gun, the metallic glint of its barrel reflecting the dim light of the room. But my reflexes were faster, effortlessly dodging the bullet as it sailed past me. With a final, agonized scream, the Speaker fell to the ground, the ice completing its merciless conquest.
I turned to Melony, her small form trembling with fear and uncertainty. There was warmth spreading across my chest, and as I looked down, horror washed over me – blood stained my shirt, a vivid reminder of the danger that surrounded us.
"I don't feel so good," Melony murmured weakly, her voice barely above a whisper.
Frantically, I rushed to her side, using my shirt to apply pressure to her wound. My mind raced as I searched for a solution, but Melony's words shattered my hopes – she could only heal others, not herself. With a sinking feeling in my chest, I realized that time was running out.
Desperation fueled my actions as I worked to stem the flow of blood, but it was already too late. Melony's fragile form grew still in my arms, her life slipping away with each passing moment. Tears stung my eyes as I cradled her, a sense of helplessness washing over me.
With a heavy heart, I made a decision – we couldn't stay here any longer. Ignoring the threat of the armed men standing in our way, I summoned every ounce of power within me, my eyes blazing with a fiery determination. I would destroy anyone who dared to stand between us and freedom.
…
Heroes POV
The Bloodhounds approached the laboratory cautiously, their senses alert to any signs of danger lurking within. As they drew nearer, an explosion rocked the ground beneath them, sending shockwaves rippling through the earth. They scrambled for cover behind nearby rocks, their hearts racing with anticipation and uncertainty.
Emerging from the chaos, a colossal centipede-like creature burst forth from the ground, its massive form looming ominously before it defied gravity, hovering effortlessly in the air. And there, amidst the chaos, a masked figure could be seen, cradling a young girl in his arms as he floated above the ground, manipulating the monstrous creature as if it were mere putty in his hands. The boy, it seemed, was using the centipede to wreak havoc upon the laboratory, reducing it to smoldering ruins with each calculated movement.
The Bloodhounds watched in awe and disbelief, their minds struggling to comprehend the sheer magnitude of power displayed before them. This masked individual possessed abilities far beyond anything they had ever encountered, rivaling even the infamous Big Three in terms of raw strength and prowess.
Approaching the scene, Brian, addressed the enigmatic figure known as Mister Smiles with a mixture of reverence and caution.
"You are truly amazing, Mister Smiles," Brian remarked, his voice tinged with a sense of awe. "You would truly be a formidable opponent."
The Bloodhounds exchanged incredulous glances amongst themselves, unable to comprehend the gravity of the situation unfolding before them. Meanwhile, the masked figure turned his attention to Brian, his gaze penetrating and intense.
"You could make me your slave, I don't care," the masked figure spoke, his words tinged with a hint of resignation. "But can you at least do me a favor and save her?"
Brian's eyes flickered towards the young girl cradled in the masked figure's arms, his heart clenching at the sight of her pale and fragile form. Whatever had transpired here had taken a toll on her, igniting a spark of compassion within him.
"Okay," Brian responded, his voice firm with resolve as he stepped forward to take the girl into his care. "Become a student at my school."
The masked figure hesitated, his pride warring with his desire to ensure the girl's safety. In the end, he relented, accepting Brian's offer with a begrudging nod.
"Fine," he conceded. "But she is staying with me when she recovers."
Brian smiled, extending his hand in agreement. "You've got yourself a deal."
As the masked figure shook Brian's hand and removed his mask, revealing the weary face of a young boy with eyes like emeralds, Brian couldn't help but feel a surge of optimism. Despite the trials and tribulations he had endured, this boy possessed a resilience and strength of spirit that could not be denied. In him, Brian saw the potential for greatness, a diamond in the rough waiting to be polished and refined.