Chapter 34: Chapter 34
LONDON
2020
"Hmmm, yummy!" A tiny smile adored Ariel's face as she chewed on her Cotton Candy. Her right palm were intertwined with her father and her mother trailing by the other side. Chattering with her friend.
"Look Roberts, I can assure you that this Alien technology is perfectly in safe hands." Mr. McCoy lucidly stated through his iPods but Ariel frowned as she took another bite. Glaring at the ferry wheel where amused screams emanated from. Her eyes darted to the sky. Dark and stormy with traces of orange lightening illuminating the clouds. She wondered how people failed to notice these things but then again it struck her. They were in an amusement park after all.
"Mom, Dad, something's wrong." She gripped her Father's palm tighter but none of them bulged.
"Not now, sweetie." Father responded in distress. Obviously from his ongoing phone conversation. And mother simply giggled to the nonsense her friend sputtered.
She bellowed their names again and this time they all paid attention.
"Hold on, Roberts." Father uttered before focusing on her. "Sweetie, what's wrong?" Her parents chorused at the same time.
"Look!" She poised her hand to the dark clouds and their eyes twitched from horrific awe.
"Oh. My. God!" Father shrieked and suddenly the ground quaked violently. The happy chatter and laughter of people turned into agony and a quest of Survival. It was an explosion, a mild one picking pace towards the park.
"Run!!" Father bellowed and instantly scooped her into his arms, trotting alongside her mother. Lightening began to descended from the skies. Striking and instantly burning people alive. Heavy smokes dashed across their entirety. Dimming their visibility. Regardless, Father ran helter skelter amidst other people scampering for their lives.
Her Cotton Candy dropped as she took a glimpse backwards. Her eyes twitching in horror as the giant ferry wheel crashed to the grounds. Making the grounds quake even more. And in an unprecedented moment, lightening struck them. She felt her father's presence peel away from her body in a painful mannerism. At the same time, an unimaginable magnitude of shock and pain coursed through her body as she thudded to the stormy grounds. Hyperventilating as she watched more and more die miserably. Numbness raked her body and tears trickled across her cheek and to the sands until she finally slipped into the void. A place of quietness and darkness.
HEATHERS
2021
"Hey weirdo, pass the ball!" The agitated voice of a young girl authoritatively referenced at her. She glimpsed between the basketball that stopped by her chair side and the girls of St. Christopher orphanage. Whose hostile gazes now fixated to hers.
Ariel shrugged them off and then returned to her comic book she was reading. The girl sauntered angrily towards her.
"Snubbing now eh?!" The girl blurted but Ariel simply flipped a page. She didn't want to be bullied by these girls like usual times. So she chose to do nothing.
"Are you suddenly deaf now!, Weirdo." The girl sputtered again and aimed for a slap across her cheek.
Ariel flinched as she sealed her eyes in fear. Trying to brace herself for the hot slap about to befall her cheeks. But it never came, which forced her to open her eyes.
"Are you going to bully this innocent girl?" The overly familiar voice sounded as he held the girl's hand. He was dressed in a blazing black suit and a white lab coat to complement it all. His dark hair were short, curly and messy with hints of white amidst them. His dashing Hazel eyes were a pure resemblance to hers and his lips carried a smile. So soothing and befitting on his perfectly shaved face.
The girl grunted but his grip tightened.
"You deserve a cheek wrenching slap but I'll let you go." He huffed causing the girl to gasp.
"Now run along!" He ordered as he relieved the girl off his grasp. And then, Ariel's eyes bonded with his. It instantly struck a memory of who this man was.
"Uncle Roberts!!" She screamed in her mind as she lurched at him. Embracing him tightly like her life depended on it. A smile imprinted on her lips as she recalled past memories. At the same time, she was thankful that she still had a family. Even when she lost hope after her parents death.
"Ariel!" Doctor Roberts chuckled as he patted her back gently and in an endearing mannerism.
"I'm so sorry sweetie. I thought you were gone like everyone else. God I'm so glad I finally found you." He mumbled and in a way, she could pick the sadness blaring in his tone.
"I thought the same too, Uncle Roberts. I miss you!" She responded in her mind as she clung tighter. Even though he couldn't hear her thoughts, she dearly hoped her actions could express her feelings.
"Ariel has been unable to talk ever since the explosion." The --- of St. Christopher's orphanage interjected as she joined their little reunion. Ariel disengaged from her Uncle who now had a worried expression as he glanced at Mrs. Norway.
"Oh my God." Uncle Roberts responded in oblivion and then returned his gaze to her. Gently patting her straight black hair.
"Why haven't she undergone treatment yet?" He asked with arched eyebrow furrowed at Mrs. Norway.
"We have, Doctor Roberts." Mrs. Norway courteously replied as they trailed slowly on the basketball court. "But it's to no avail." Mrs. Norway sighed.
"Well my niece is leaving this orphanage and I promise to give her the best treatment." Her Uncle affirmed as he clutched unto her palm.
"Of course, Doctor Roberts. But there's one tiny problem." Mrs. Norway mentioned and Ariel's smile faded.
"Ariel has been exhibiting some strange traits recently."
"Traits?" Her Uncle queried as he glanced at her and then to Mrs. Norway.
"Yes." The woman's voice trailed a whispery path. "Sometimes, objects tends to move around her. And other times, she bleeds from her nose. I think this are the symptoms of mutant cases happening in Area X."
Ariel sighed. She had dearly wished Mrs. Norway hadn't mentioned her shameful secrets. Now her dear Uncle would view her as a weirdo just like her friends. But to her surprise, Uncle Roberts simply giggled, his firm touch still intertwined with hers.
"You're mistaken, Mrs. Norway."
"No I'm not."
"Do you have any proof?"
"Not directly, but the girls can testify." Mrs. Norway proposed.
"Mrs. Norway. Don't let my respect for you and your orphanage tarnish." Her Uncle sounded on an overly stern note and a knowing glance at the woman. "Ariel is perfectly okay, do you understand that?" His words established itself more as a statement than an approval. But Ariel understood her Uncle's antics. He was simply protecting her from being tagged a mutant. Like those sent to Ariel X for "testing" or sometimes something more sinister.
"Yes, Doctor Roberts." The woman stuttered as she bowed her head slightly. And her Uncle's face morphed back into it's bright countenance.
"Ariel," he called softly as he lowered to her with a smile of admiration. "We're going home."
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RIVERNEA
2023
As she threaded the silent street in darkness alongside Theodore who grumbled in silence. At intervals. She deliberated on speaking to him through the Tele-Talkie but she soon decided against it. She wasn't ready to talk to any of them yet. In fact, she found her team members somehow incapable of the future tasks Doctor Roberts planned for them.
By now, they were supposed to be in Timeron's building successfully working on their plan to get the Hexagon. But Collins had once again, brought his drama. And as usual, the team fell prey to his antics. She expected Lola being the leader, to have exercised some leadership control but she failed that aspect.
The only reason she followed after Theodore was to ensure he didn't do anything rash.
"Where the hell is the van?!" Theodore's growl tousled her thoughts as they paced. But then another thing caught her attention. There was something in the shadows, someone was trailing behind them. She signalled to Theodore, who took a brief glimpse too.
"Oh you've got to be kidding me." He mumbled but she tried to decipher who this anonymous person was and his motives.
"Let's take this route." Theodore ascertained as they entered into a tiny road by their right. Both of them started to pick fast pace.
"Why's this person following us?!" Theodore growled but as she opted to glance backwards again, a massive explosion blew behind them. Tossing them midair before they crashed into dumps.
Ariel grunted underneath her breaths whilst she felt a ringing tone blaring in her ears. Her eyes darted for Theodore who was also struggling to rise. Wriggling his head and grunting in pain. She gasped and almost sped towards him but then the enemy caught her attention.
Her eyes exclaimed in horror as she watched fire flame up across the woman's arms as she sauntered towards them. Ariel exhaled.
"Alexa!!" She screamed in her mind. One of Timeron's special mutant who exhibited the powers of Pyrokinesis. Fire manipulation. Without doubts, Ariel knew things were bound to get rough.
"Well well well," The blonde lady acclaimed with a devilish smile. "So Doctor Roberts has finally released his minions."
Ariel frowned as she took a fierce stance beside Theodore who still struggled. She wondered what Alexa was doing here or how she had even found them in the first place.
"Where am I?" Theodore suddenly voiced but it wasn't the usual icy tone. He sounded girlish as he glared at her in confusion.
Ariel's frown deepened.
"Who are you?" Theodore sounded again. Which dosed Ariel's confusion. "And what am I doing in this military clothes, ewww!"
Ariel's eyes widened, her heart started beating profusely as she trembled. She dearly hoped it wasn't what she was thinking.
**Theodore! Get yourself back!** She inadvertently pitched through her Tele-Talkie. But the blonde stared aimlessly like he was being haunted by ghosts.
**Theodore!** She pitched again as she lowered to him, slapping his cheeks profusely.
"I can hear voices in my head!. Get out of my mind, my name's Tara!" Theodore asserted and Ariel's jaw dropped. Her fear had become a reality. One of Theodore's dissociative identity had taken over. And that too, a girlish one!
"Oh I'm so gonna burn you two alive." Alexa's devilish voice arose again and this time, her palms produced a glowing ball of fire.
Ariel gulped down her saliva as she arose. She looked around the dumps and other loose metallic objects around the wall. She raised her hands gently in midair, focusing her mind concentration on these objects. And instantly they all arose gently in the air. Alexa grinned crazily. And in haste, she launched her fire ball at them.
Ariel briskly collided those objects with her Telekinesis so it shielded her and Theodore. But the impact alone almost tossed both of them to the ground. She quickly grabbed Theodore's scared status and jetted to the right. A tiny road between walls. She kept on pacing without turning back but then her eyes exclaimed in horror. The road was a dead end. It was blocked.
Alexa laughed devilishly as she hotly launched towards them with her body engulfed in flames.
"Oh my God! I'm gonna die!!" Tara cried as she leaned against the wall, shielding his face from the flames about to engulf them.
Ariel took steady breaths as Alexa launched towards them like a bazooka. She knew given the circumstances, her powers were not enough to save both of them but she had to try something, regardless.
As the enormous flames progressed towards them, she activated her powers. Holding the fire back from reaching them. But Alexa kept on pressurizing. Increasing the flame's intensity with her arms. Ariel raised her hand midair, towards her front, intensifying her Telekinesis too. As if she was pushing a tanker loaded with petrol.
Soon blood started to tour out her right nostrils, her hands started to relapse and the flames were only inches away from them. Sweats started to trickle down her face.
But her determination remained unwavering. She wasn't going to die like this!
And so, with the last strength looming within her. She opted for a final move. She exchanged heated breaths and suddenly flung her arms apart. Letting her full powers toss every single object in the air.
The flames flowed upwards and diminished while Alexa as well as the walls collapsed to the ground.
She knew it wasn't enough to put Alexa down. She needed to stay conscious, to protect Theodore. But in the end, her vision turned hazy, numbness replenished her entirety and she thudded to the ground. Blood still touring out slowly until she relapsed into unconsciousness.