Nova's POV

"We're almost there, maybe half an hour left," the pilot announced to us as we flew by vigorous mountains and darkened forests.

I swallowed nervously, glancing out the window. There was nothing familiar about these lands. Not that there would be, but I had hoped that maybe some inner part of me, the part of me that came before my time at the laboratory, remembered this. Remembered something.

But the hopeless, horrible truth was that I must have been so young when I was taken that it's impossible for me to recall anything. Likely I was too young to even be able to retain the world that I barely got a chance to know.

Sickened by that thought, I decided to stop thinking about it. It didn't matter anyway, there was no getting around the fact that I was an orphaned freak with no future that involved happily ever after. Neither would my life resemble anything other than a cruel existence.

To my surprise, I noticed white flakes of pieces of the sky falling down around us as the helicopter flew on. I pushed my face against the window, feeling the chill of the cold air outside. I realized these little puffs must have been snowflakes. This is what snow looked like.

A sort of smile crossed my face. It was kind of beautiful, icy and carefully crafted, each flake appeared so innocent.

But snow could kill.

Chills ran down my spine at that thought. I shivered and glanced away.

"Hey Blue, it's snowing!" I heard Storm exclaim excitedly.

I drifted my attention back to my friends. Blue was grinning wildly, I could just imagine she was thinking about how she could manipulate her powers with this natural resource.

Blue had the most experience with the outside world compared to the rest of us. Sometimes, for good behavior, she told us the scientists would take her out for timed periods in the courtyard. She was free to tamper with her abilities and breathe fresh air. To be fair the courtyard had a single tree and was surrounded by thirty feet walls, so escape was never a thought that occurred to her, especially since everyone else was still inside. That didn't make us any less envious, however.

"You know, we could have a snowball fight..." Blue suggested, wiggling her eyebrows playfully.

I gave a fake smile while they all joked about who would win. Secretly, I wasn't amused. I wanted to be, oh how I wanted to be. But how could I?

They all began to chatter amongst themselves in wonder about this new place we were going to. The hope in their eyes was too precious for me to destroy that right then and there. I couldn't tell them that I wasn't sure we were saved. I wasn't even sure that where we were going to was going to be better.

I felt Blaze's warm hand clasp mine tightly. When I turned to gaze at him he seemed concerned. His light grey eyes were worn, showing just how much sleep he had been getting for the past ten years.

"Are you okay?" He asked me quietly, careful not to cause too much attention.

I sighed. Blaze was worried enough about me as it was. I didn't need him to throw himself in front of a train for me, and essentially that's what he would do. I couldn't ask him of that, and I never would. So telling him about how Kane Undergrove was immune to my powers would be like confiding him that I was weak and would need the cover of someone else to shield me.

I couldn't let that happen. I planned on shielding them no matter what, even if I had to find a different way to protect them.

The only thing I knew to tell Blaze was a white lie of the truth.

"I'm just trying to be realistic about this. I want to have hope, and a part of me does but—"

"But you don't think Kane is our savior?" He whispered knowingly.

Biting my lip, I shook my head slowly. "No, and I don't trust him. Not one bit."

He smirked and squeezed my hand. "Good. Me either. We'll have each other's backs though, okay?"

I smiled, feeling a little less uneasy. Blaze had that effect, his protective side was one of my favorite parts of him. He had a way of calming me when there was absolutely no reason I should be calm. Just like his supernatural ability, Blaze was warm inside. Despite the torture he had endured over the years, his precious soul was still intact.

"So uh, how long have you two been a thing?"

Both of us turn to see Runt with an arched eyebrow and a smirk. This made my cheeks grow hot and pink. Sheepish, I offered a small smile but did not know how to answer.

Blaze and I had been best friends for years. We got each other in a way unique only to us. And the truth was we had probably been in love with each other for years. It was almost a necessary love. Without Blaze, I would have most certainly given up.

Luckily, Blaze spoke up. "Oh don't act like it wasn't obvious."

They all laughed in unison. It was true. We had been so close over the years it shouldn't come to a surprise that we were now an item.

No more questions were asked about Blaze and I so luckily the blush on my face disappeared. It didn't remove the smile though, that never left. That's when I realized that no matter what happened we would be okay. Because I had Blaze. It didn't matter that Kane was immune to my powers, and it didn't matter where we were going, because I had Blaze. And I had my family. And we could take down anyone who got in our way now.

Sighing, I lied my head back against the seat and closed my eyes. Still unsure of the future, but ready for whatever faced us, I could breathe easy. The exhaustion I had been fighting for more than ten years subsided. Slowly but surely I could feel my eyelids get heavier and the darkness closed around me gingerly, like a blanket.

Finally.

I could rest.

In an instant I was asleep.

—<>–<>–<>—

For the first time in years, I did not have nightmares. To be fair, I wasn't sure I was asleep long enough to have nightmares. Yet the fact remained that the small amount of sleep I did get, was more restful than any night I had been locked away in that lab.

When my eyes opened again, we were landing. My friends were excitedly watching through the window. The snow had blanketed nearby trees, and the roof we were landing on was absolutely covered in it. Nervous, almost dreadful flutters wandered about in my stomach as the helicopter planted on the roof, the propellers slowing.

Blaze caught eyes with me, his expression firm and assuring. Nodding my head at him, I slipped my fingers into his grasp and squeezed. He nodded back in agreement at our silent promise to have each other's backs.

Always and forever.

Abruptly, the overhead speaker started speaking. "Please exit the helicopter single file."

Taking a deep breath we all started out. One by one each of them stepped off and onto the roof. I watched them get off, secretly in fear that perhaps we were going to be shot once leaving this helicopter. Maybe they brought us here to have us terminated, that maybe they were disturbed by their own creations and it was time they put an end to their horrible mistake...

Except nothing happened when my feet mushed into snowy ground. No bullets came piercing through my skull or my heart, and they didn't make us line up with our backs turned. So I had to assume that horrible fate was a figment of my imagination.

"Welcome."

We all turned together, watching as Kane strutted forward, his soldiers in line on either side of him. The white sky and snow behind him made him seem darker somehow, his all black suit  and alluring facial features hard to look away from.

I could sense a certain level of intimidation from my friends and I as he stood in front of us, our current savior.

But my personal nemesis.

Shivering in my thin clothing and worn out white hospital shoes, I wished desperately that we could go inside, or at least get something warmer to wear... Maybe both.

"This is your new home, and my compound. Before we go inside I would like to let you know now what's ahead of you." Kane said, watching each of us carefully.

For what, I wasn't sure. Perhaps... weakness?

"My father had a vision of a perfect army. An army of supernatural weapons that would finally end the war as we know it. This idea, though criticized, became a reality with all of you." Kane seemed proud of this, of our creation.

But he had no clue how painful that process was. Gritting my teeth, I pinched my fingers into my palms as to hold my biting words back.

"Tomorrow marks the first day of your real training. You will be pushed to your breaking points, thrown in life or death situations. But you will survive, the worst is behind you. Today, today you become warriors." He sounded jovial.

Shivering further, I felt Blaze's warm hand sneak along my frail back, using his heat to warm me in the chilling air of winter. I tried to hide it, but a small smile slipped on my face. Kane's expression changed, his eyes flicking quickly to the two of us. He barely glanced at me before continuing with his speech.

The icy cold look on his face was enough to wipe the smile from my face.

"Some of you will rise further, others may fall. Mercy is a fantasy, so expect cruelty. And use it to fuel your abilities. Most importantly, try not to fail. Success in this environment will be your best friend, as it was mine." He paused briefly, staring at me.

As chilling as his words were, some darker part of me was thrilled. I could not place the reason, nor where the thoughts intruded from. I just knew that inside was a shade of me that felt excited by the idea of a challenge, of fighting to the top.

Shaking my head, I glanced away from Kane, not wanting to see into his deceptive vision.

"When we head inside, you will be taken to your quarters, each of you will have your own room. A welcome home dinner is in preparation for you," he lifted his arms, "follow me."

He started walking, but abruptly turned around just as we had started following him. "Oh, and don't get any ideas about using your powers against me, or my soldiers. They're highly trained, and will not hesitate to send a voltage of electromagnetism into your spine that will take away your abilities for at least 24 hours."

Terror surged through me. I gulped, gazing upon the large black weapons that sparked in the hands of the soldiers. Emotionless, it was clear they would do exactly as he said. Kane was a cocky bastard, but at least it was justified arrogance. The man was immune to my powers, and even had the ability to take them away.

We entered his facility, going down a flight of metal stairs until we got to an elevator. Immediately I was met with warmer air, relief settling on my thin bones. The aching cool weather was miserable, something I doubted I was going to like very much here. Hopefully they planned to cloth us better than the lab.

This compound I assumed was huge, there were 8 floors according to the elevator panel, and three sub levels with red outlining. Perhaps this place was likely larger than the lab we had grown up in...

Silence filled the tight air around us in the elevator, everyone alone with their own thoughts. Part of me couldn't help but be slightly excited to have my own room. A "room". Not a cell, a room. Never in my entire life had I ever had my own room.

I swallowed, willing myself to realize that such a luxury came with a price. That's how life was. There was always a price. I didn't know what yet, but it was likely going to be a hefty one.

This place was crawling with big bulky, scary looking soldiers with those same dreaded deadly weapons. Everywhere we walked I saw them. They all wore heavy black military armor  and carried large violent guns. If we couldn't have escaped the lab by ourselves, this would be impossible.

Eventually we stopped down a long barely lit corridor with several metal prison like door frames spread out along the hall. Suddenly I wondered if maybe I was just trading my cell for a new one...

"Each one of you will be locked in once entering your room. Let me be clear, you are not prisoners, however, I'm not a man of trust, or ignorance—"

I snorted quietly, but did not say a word.

"So until you have earned my trust, cells will be locked and there you will stay until summoned and or escorted by yours truly or authorized personnel." Kane told us, explaining clearly that we were not to be trusted.

Understandable.

That made two of us.

"Diabla? You're in this room." Kane stood beside the nearest cell to us, scanning an ID, and letting the door open.

High security.

Stepping away from the closest people I had to a family, and again separated, I ventured into the room. Not before giving Kane a long bitter scowl.

"You're just like them, treating us like animals." I snapped, watching his expression shift in the light. Almost like a glimpse of guilt. His jaw grew rigid, but he gave no response, and nodded his head to the room.

Once inside, the steel door slid shut again. When I turned my attention to the new cell, I realized it was far from one. The room was painted in a shade of light grey, cool and calming. Front and center was a queen bed with actual sheets and a heavy top quilt of sorts.

Not a cot with a single blanket, a bed with sheets.

The room even had a window. Of course we were on the a high floor so there was no worry of escape. But the window was more than modest. It was large, a little wide, and let in all the natural light.

Tears filled my eyes.

I had a window.

Bracing the window, I placed my fingers along the glass, looking out upon the endless woodlands and snow. High mountains peaked at me in the distance. The world was at my fingertips.

"Beautiful." I murmured.

Suddenly the door opened again and in walked a team of people. The familiar lab coat and fake smiles made me feel sick to my stomach. A woman with white long hair and black eyes stepped forward. She smelled strongly of a metal. Then I recognized it, blood.

"Hello Diabla, my name is Dr. Reed. I am here to implant your chip. I need you have a seat please." She stood by a chair across from the bed.

The team of monsters behind her were armed with weapons. They, unlike the soldiers though, did not have heavy armor on. Still, the threat of those weapons was enough for me to at least use caution.

I glared at the woman, disgust invading my insides. "What chip?"

She forced a long smile. "Have a seat, or we will make you."

I eyed the man next to her, who fired his weapon up. He raised an eyebrow at me. Almost begging me to challenge them. And oh how it was so tempting.

Maybe Kane was lying.

Was I willing to call a bluff?

"And I asked a question, bitch." I spat, making sure to aim it on her pearly white heals.

She took a long look at her shoes, and then shook her head. "Lance, restrain her."

Instead of the man with the gun, who I had been intently watching, waiting to strike, another man snuck to my backside, and before I could think, or react he was jamming a needle into my spine. I let out a scream as a burning, fiery liquid surged through my veins. Suddenly I had no control over my body and my legs caved on me.

In an instant I was on my back, unable to move my entire body. I groaned at the pain the fall had caused me. Panicked, I looked around at the faces staring back at me. Dr. Reed's heels clicked across the floor  until she was also staring at me, satisfied.

"Get her in the chair." She ordered, smirking.

Horrified, and paralyzed, I wasn't able to stop them as they lifted me into the chair. Glaring at her in contempt, I watched her take out what looked like a gun with a long metallic syringe attached the end of it.

"The injection was a temporary paralysis agent. It only lasts for five to ten minutes. But that works perfectly for us, because the chip installation is easy and quick." Dr. Reed explained to me coldly.

Though her face remained smug. "For us anyway. For you it might be a little painful."

Without another moment to think, she nodded at a man behind me, and abruptly he grabbed my neck, mercilessly bending it forward. Somehow even with the paralysis, I could still feel his rough hold. I swallowed, knowing that likely meant I was about to feel whatever they were about to do next with the chip.

"This chip will be directly inserted into your cerebral cortex. This isn't just a tracking chip either, if you are going  to be a problem to Kane, he will be able to use this chip to control you. You will obey him, no matter if it's your voluntary choice or not." She spoke these words right beside my neck, her menacing breath a wretched stench.

I begged my breathing to slow down but it wouldn't. I felt so out of control. They couldn't do this, if my powers were ever to be in the hands of that monster the world would burn. And my friends... they would burn with it.

I willed my body to do anything, to move, to regain my powers. But nothing happened. Absolutely nothing. Tears of desperation welled in my eyes.

"You will pay for this—"

"Prepare yourself, this is going to sting. And you may lose consciousness briefly." Dr. Reed interrupted me.

And then I felt a small sensation of pressure on my skull, following a sting so strong, my eyes closed at the wave of pain that came with it. I let out a long cry of anguish, feeling nauseous. The pain was a sharp single point close to the top of my head. It was followed by several waves of superficial agony through my head.

I screamed, unable to to close my hands into fists. The pain was so unbearable, tears fell from my eyes without my consent.

Sobbing I silently begged for her to finish with the chip. My heartbeat was pounding so hard it felt like I could hear it in my ears.

"Retracting the implantation device." Dr. Reed announced.

Then the whole world turned black and I was gone.

—<>–<>–<>—

Author's Note

Anddddddd that's a wrap folks. I was thinking about updating the book again this week just to keep the flow going, so look for another chapter this week! Thank you for reading! ❤️