If Akaisha focused really hard, she could imagine the device in her hand. Feel its weight and shape of it. Her eyes closed, blocking out the cries of pain. The whirling of machines. The beating of her heart. After a few minutes, a slight weight settled in her palm. She opened her eyes and exhaled in relief. There in her hand was the tracking device. The very one the professor held in his hands just minutes prior. Giving Misty a small smile, she threw it down to the floor and stomped on it. Misty had run to the assistant to help Blue out, and with one swipe of its paw, the man was down on the ground, unconscious. His wrist mangled beyond normal repair. The hand flopped to the side, held together by a few ligaments and skin. Akaisha hurried towards the two of them. Cuddling Blue into her chest, she wrapped her arms around Misty to teleport them all outside. “You two are ok?” Blue panted happily, her soft, wet tongue lying outside her mouth. “I fine. Stranger down. Who this? Smell funny
She had gotten the car up to 55 miles per hour when she saw it. A faint yellow glow in the distance. There was a green outline to it. An unnatural color. It was near where they had escaped from. The closer she got, the more she could see it was a fire. Did that man actually start a fire in his lab to draw attention to himself? No, he wouldn’t allow anyone to know of his evil deeds. He started the fire to lure her out into the opening. She was going to turn the car around to head away from the burgeoning commotion and thought about it quickly, but it was too late. Fire copters were there on the scene. She could see in the distance blue and red lights approaching them fast. It was the police. Accompanying the fire copters. Akaisha knew they needed to get off of the road and fast before they were stopped. It didn’t seem as if they had closed off the roads, so she worked her brain harder to speed through the area. They couldn’t be stopped not here or now. Soon as she passed by the area, s
Misty only looked at her, not quite understanding what she meant. His head inclined to the side. It reminded her of how Blue would look at her questioningly. They made it into her apartment, where it appeared as if everything was normal. Blue seemed happy to be back home. Running and pouncing on the furniture. Their short-lived adventure made her happy. Akaisha looked around the apartment. It was familiar. It had been home, her, their sanctuary. She had lived here for five years, but now with this special creature, it was for the best that she moved. The apartment seemed small. Felt smaller. Setting out food for Blue, she then went to the fridge to get out a mixture of things for Misty. Since he had DNA from several different animals, she made sure to give as much variety as possible. Whether they fed him a carnivorous diet meant nothing to her. Blue waited to eat her food until she saw Misty eating. It took some time. Misty gazed at the food before him. Vegetables and fish steamed w
He looked around the diner to see a few familiar faces and some not-familiar faces. He knew exactly which restaurant the woman meant when she asked for the meeting. This was a diner he frequented regularly. He looked over at the booths to see someone he was indeed looking for, Akaisha Morningstar. Everyone else that was in Kara-Mae was regulars. They waved at him as he came in. Akaisha, she wasn’t what he was expecting. Her long locks rested against her shoulders. Her eyes were a vibrant violet, they weren’t normal eyes. It was a sign of being genetically altered. They had come across several humans with different colored eyes, all have been enhanced, but none could tell what happened to them. He sauntered over to her table, stopping inches away from the table. “So, you’re the person who I am looking for. The one who saved those patrons in the restaurant? And extremely dangerous.” He took a seat opposite her. “You certainly don’t look like it. Dangerous, that is. Sergeant Acheki.” He h
A slight weight was lifted off her shoulders. Whether he believed her rested with him. She wondered about how Professor Mozart had built a lab in the desert with no one knowing. Several other thoughts occurred to her. What if he has other hidden facilities? Does he have a tracking device implanted in her somewhere? Would he find her at her place? Will he know what she was up to? Shaking her hands on the side of her body, she rid her mind of those thoughts. It was time she went to check out those listings she had saved. Akaisha ran her fingers through her locks. The soft wool coiled around her fingers. She exhaled as she closed her eyes. Her footsteps carried her a short distance before she teleported herself to the first location. The wind whooshed around her before going still. It appeared as if it was in livable condition, with no holes in the walls or flooring. The roof is stable enough. There were no leaks she could see. It was doable, but she would need permits to remodel it. If
Akaisha had been checking out places when she felt it had been long enough for the Sergeant to have gotten some information. For a man of his caliber, he should be able to get whatever he wanted. Her memory flitted back to the way his hands seemed to flare with warmth. Digging her nails into her skin, she came back to the present. She had just gotten to the last listing when it seemed it was perfect. perfectly run down, that is. The outside was dreary. There was a hole on top of the roof. They had bashed the windows out and boarded them up. Wind whistle inside through the cracks. Mice scattered across the floor. Their tiny pitter-patter came as a symphony to her ears. She looked at it and smiled. This was perfect. There would be no reason for the council to veto any remodeling plans. She bought the building before they demolished it. Lucky for her, it was everything she wanted and more. Pulling up the listing, she contacted the realtor. “Hello, what a day to live in real estate. Wher
Akaisha had gone back and forth debating on calling him. She paced the room until her link rang. The bracelet glowed red. It was the sergeant calling her. She stared at her bracelet until the last second. Pressing the button, there was a click in her head connecting the call. “Yes?” A heavy silence filled her brain at first, but then a cough echoed from the other end. She was about to speak again. Acheki cleared his throat. “Ahem. I couldn’t find anything out about you. It's as if you don't exist. He created our system.” There was a brief pause. “How do I know you are telling the truth? I mean, you could just be trying to get the galaxy's humanitarian into a scandal.” That response was one that she was expecting. She didn’t want to give him a glimpse into her past, but there was only one way she knew he would understand. The thought of anyone thinking of her as a liar when she was finally comfortable coming out made her feel an unusual way. She sighed. “I can show you the truth.”
She was ready to teleport to the library but wasn’t sure if she should drive. Police were looking forAkaisha was ready to teleport to the library but wasn’t sure if, instead, she should drive. Police were still looking for her vehicle, and her. So, driving her car was out of the question. It shouldn’t have been a thought in her mind, not until they revoked the warrant. There was another way to get there. Misty looked at her as if he knew. “Long as you ride close to my back, you won’t be seen.”Akaisha kissed the top of his head. If animals could blush, she was sure she had seen a tinge of pink pepper in his feathers. “You are a smart boy; we just have to be incredibly careful. I’m a wanted woman and you shouldn’t exist.” She shrugged her shoulders matter-of-factly. “This combination…” she pointed between them. “… is a recipe for disaster. If anything happens, you go invisible and come back here. I’ll leave the bedroom window open.”“I’ll try to do as you say.”She went to the back bed
Professor Mozart arrived at the hospital just in time. He walked in like a flash of lightning. Wind billowing his trench coat behind him. He blurred on the cameras. A nurse recognized him immediately. Rushing up to greet him. “Do you need anything, Professor Mozart?”He began to wave her away, but stopped in mid-action. “There was a young man that was rushed here. He has no family. I heard he was in critical condition.”The nurse snapped her finger. “Right, his name is Junior Isaacs. Are you perhaps related to him or?”He shook his head. “No, I’m not.” He lied immediately. It was a habit by now. “It reminded me of my adoptive daughter. She had no family and suffered through an unfortunate house fire she was saved from. It's a shame. And if the young man is critical, it would be a shame to die surrounded by robots, machines, and strangers. Not that I would be any better, but I would be a somewhat familiar face.”She added her own statement to his response. “Because you’re so widely kno
Once she got back to the office, Ralev was nowhere to be found. She didn’t look for him either, outside of a passing glance around the room. Akaisha went in search of Mitchum. She wanted to give her updates on the interview. As she reached Mitchum’s office, Ralev was coming out with a grim expression. When he saw her, he turned his head, effectively ignoring her. She shrugged her shoulders and went inside the office.“If it's not about a topic, come back when I’m less busy.”Akaisha spoke up hesitantly. “Um… I wanted to talk to you about the professor. But I guess Ralev already told you how the interview went?”She looked up and smiled. “No, he didn’t. So, tell me what happened? It could explain why Ralev is on one today.”She explained in as few words as she could. Mitchum laughed. “Oh, girl, that is a riot! Did you really do that?”“Well, yeah? You wanted me to g
Ralev gave a quick knock on the door before letting himself in. Akaisha thought it was strange, but let the thought pass. Ralev had been working with journalists for a long time. Who knows how many times he was there to interview that man? She followed him inside. The professor sat on the sofa looking as regal and put together as he always did. Even when she was a child, he would want no one to see him looking disheveled. He gave them all a smile. It faltered just slightly when Akaisha stepped around Ralev. “It’s a pleasure to see you again. How long has it been since you’ve been here?”Ralev answered. “A while, but we have a new journalist for you to break in. She’ll be giving the interview. This is Akaisha.”She stepped forward with a tight smile. “It’s so good to meet the man behind all the wonderful inventions and charities that we have now.” She went into reporting mode. “You said you have some news
Akaisha and Dave were able to go home at the break of dawn. Doctors couldn’t find anything wrong with them. The cuts and bruises were healed hours after they were in the hospital. Dave seemed different to her. She couldn’t put her finger on it.When the two of them were leaving the hospital, Sergeant Acheki was waiting for them. He had questions and needed them for his report. “Akaisha? Can you tell me what happened?”She looked into those pure eyes, knowing the worst horror he had ever seen was what Junior looked like going in, and refused to speak about it. “I need to get home. I have work.”He touched her arm. “We need to talk about it.”“All we need to discuss is how Amethyst will be able to go home later today.”“That’s something the doctors will have to tell you. We need to discuss what happened in that building.”“Later. I’m leaving.”
She breathed out, knowing they were close by, but there was no time to wait. They needed to get free. They needed to get them inside. Dave stood there awkwardly in his furry form. There wasn’t anything she could do to get him to fight Junior. It was up to her. “Í don’t know what to do. Junior can open portals. I don’t have that ability.”“I see. If you could steal that ability, then we could come in.”She shook her head. There were only a few ways she would be able to do that, and she didn’t want to use Amethyst blood to do it. “Where’s Amethyst? Is she out there?”“Yes, she’s in the back of Jalefel’s car. There’s bruising on her arms and puncture holes, but she’s fine.”She nodded, knowing Misty couldn’t see her. Akaisha had to act fast. Junior was dragging her over to the table with the beaker. A million
It was only a nanosecond, but that was just the time he needed to get away. When Akaisha looked back down to end Junior, he was gone. She screamed in frustration. “AHHH! Do you have any idea what you’ve done? He’ll come back. He’ll do this again and again until he gets what he wants. He needs to die. No thanks to you, we’re going to be looking over our shoulders until he’s caught.”Dave sighed. “We shouldn’t kill him. He’s still our brother! He’s the professor’s only son. His lineage needs to live on.”She went to the tube with Amethyst inside. She pressed several buttons and pulled a lever. A drain opened at the bottom of the tube. It sucked out the water. “He’s not my brother. I never claimed him or that man. If you’re still so hard on wanting to be recognized by that idiot, then you shouldn’t have asked me to help you. To protect you. That shitty bloodline needs to
She wiped her mouth and came away with blood. Akaisha spit it out on the stone floor. “Well, aren't you a big man? Smacking a defenseless woman.”Junior laughed. “Defenseless? The hell you are. I know what you can do. I’ve studied you. I'm just like you, but only better.”She stood up. “If you're so much better than me. Why don't you let Amethyst go and we can settle who's the favored child? That's all this is. You throwing a tantrum over Daddy.”Junior ran at her in a blur of motion, knocking her into a wall. She hit a box, causing sparks to fly. He yelled at her. “I'M BETTER THAN YOU! STRONGER AND FASTER! TAUNTING ME, won't do you any good.”She crumpled to the floor, catching her breath. “Whether I taunt you or fight you. You're still just throwing a tantrum.” She staggered to stand. “Admit it. You’re doing all of this just so that psychotic man will look at you. It's patheti
She knew that. She knew he wouldn’t let her be. She would never be free of him or his sociopathic son. “You haven’t bothered me since I ran away. Why do you care what I do now? Just tell me where Junior is?”“Will you kill him?”“Why does it matter? It’s not like you ever paid any attention to him.”“That’s where you’re wrong. Junior is my son. He is my mini me. Another version of myself. I wouldn’t dare give his whereabouts to someone that wanted to kill him.”She didn’t know what else to do or say to him. In his twisted way, he was trying to be a good father, despite the fact that one of those people that Junior took was Dave. “And will you forsake two of your children for one?”He tilted his head. “What do you mean?”“Junior abducted Dave. He wants my life and Dave’s abilities in exchange for having my coworker rel
She was angry. Her whole life junior refused to acknowledge her existence, but the moment she actively used her abilities and became comfortable having them, he wanted to come out. He wanted to take them from her. Akaisha looked into Jalefel’s beautiful hues. “I need to rescue them.”He stammered. “H-how are you planning on doing that? This is a matter for the police. For my unit.”“No, I can't let you or your team search for him. You don’t know what he’s capable of.”“Neither do you. This isn’t something you should do alone.”She gave him a weary smile. “I won’t be alone. Did you forget, I have my trusty pit bull, Blue, and genetically modified creature, Misty?”He sighed. “You can’t go to wherever he is with those animals. Blue is registered as an endangered breed. If something were to happen to her and you survive, you could go to jail for animal endangerment. Do you want that? And what about Misty? Did it ever occur to you that Junior could capture him? He could be working with hi