June 28th

Part One

Shantae sat on a bench face beaming with excitement. What should I do? I’m a biotic now. Shantae opened and closed her hands and exhaled. The air began to condense, rime and fog covers much of her hands making small shards of ice. Compared to Jasmine and Kuniva, it isn’t much but looking at it from a different point of view. This power isn’t that much to look at but I just became a Biotic!

*******

Kuniva leans over the bathroom sink splashing water on his face, glaring at his reflection in the mirror. I can’t keep letting myself get beaten. One day I’ll beat Evelyn at her own game. For now, I’ll head out to see Jas and the bro.

*******

156 Public Safety Office

“Hey, be careful that— ouch!"

“Yeah, it’s doing to hurt a little and try not moving too much,” Marquis said as he cleans his sister’s wound on her arm. “There are more cuts on your side, the day hasn't started and you're all cut up.”

Jasmine jolts as her brother cleans the injury on her side. “Nothing I can do about it. The cases are starting to become more—”

“Rampant? Yeah, I know, the main branch issued a high alert on the stigmata enhancer case yesterday night. ”

Jasmine sighs softly. “Good, those biotic abilities aren’t registered in the database and the majority of those abilities are being used for crimes.”

Marquis nodes as he applies ointment to his sister’s cuts. “If the public finds out about the people in a coma, every user will fall into a state of shock and do something irrational.”

“The worst part is that no one has recovered after using that device. Although, considering that Learning Tree equipment connects to a person’s brain waves same as the device those.” Marquis puts away the first aid and returns to his computer.

“And out of the blue this Stigmata Enhancer gives power and improves existing ones.” Jasmine pats her brother on the shoulder and smiles, Marquis shoulders drops.

Jasmine puts her shirt on and picks the pad off her desk. “Sitting around and doing nothing isn’t going to get us far. We have three objectives: arrest, contain, and recovery of the developer of the Stigmata Enhancer.” Jasmine hands over her pad to her brother.

“I’ll uncover more information and bring them in for questioning.” Jasmine puts on her sweater and grabs her phone off the desk.

“Sis, why don’t you ask Kuniva for help? I’m sure he’ll be willing to help you,” Marquis asked his sister, handing her the pad.

Jasmine pondered the thought of asking him for help, however she knew involving a civilian in public safety operations it’ll only complicate things like the night before.

“I honestly wish I could ask him—”

Jasmine paused hearing the office door open.

“Yeo, Jaz and aye bro.”

“What a coincidence, what brings you to the office? It’s rare seeing you come here,” Jasmine said.

They gathered near Jasmine’s desk and she gave Kuniva an update on the current events.

Jasmine twists her body in her swivel chair and sighed. “That’s the thing Kuniva, you’re just a civilian.”

“I’m already involved since the mall bombing. So, that’s why I came by to see if you can use some help.”

“With an outsource like Kuniva, we’ll have enough hands to end this case.” Marquis sits up and shoots his empty bottle in the trash can.

Jasmine took a minute reconsidering what she said about letting him help with the case, then she finally came to a conclusion. "I better get ready to get my ear chewed off.”

“Speaking of the case. What’s the progress?”

Jasmine and her brother looked at each other with uncertainty and looks back at Kuniva.

“Yeah, about that…”

Kuniva leans his head back looking up at the ceiling. “Learning Tree… never heard it or seen it, I never had to use that during my development program,” he replied.

“It's like a database that can connect to brainwaves of biotics with psychokinesis and stimulate the senses for various scenarios, it’s outlandish to say the least, force feeding them information through a shared network.” Jasmine said slowly spinning in her chair.

Kuniva lifts his head. “You said shared network, I thought neural network technology was banned from practical purposes?”

"The ban still stands with the notable exception of a few. The Library of Alexandria, Learning Tree, and the Nightingale Network," Marquis iterated show them the holo-display.

The Nightingale Network was used during the Third world War, because of its effectiveness in combat situations the technology with bipartisanship across the world it was exempted from the ban.

Learning Tree existence was unheard of until five years after the Lunar Calamity. With the rising number of biotics and very little understanding of the sudden outbreak, with combined government efforts, Learning Tree was born, spearheading various projects closing the gaps the Laws of Biotics.

Jasmine takes a closer look at the data before her and whispered under her breath. “Marquis call Professor Wingate tell her our prediction on its construction is off."

"How far off?"

"By seven decades."

*******

"Its production is much older than we had previously thought, older than Learning Tree and Nightingale but younger than Alexandria? I'll have to revise the data soon,” Venessa said.

“I’ve sent you a updated file for the Stigmata Enhancer. Everything has been sorted into different files. Can you have a look at the data?” Marquis asked.

“Yes, I’ll have to get clearance to use the Library of Alexandria deeper analysis,” Venessa replied.

Maquis glances up at the clear sky shielding his eyes from the blinding sun. “Using the first autonomous AI that exists in the world. We can find the answer shiftly. I’m on my way to you,” Marquis said as he gets on the bus.

“Alright, I’ll be waiting for you. In the meantime, I'll go over the updated file,” Ms.Wingate replied.

Marquis hangs up and sits. A few seconds later his phone rings again. He looked at his screen and saw it was Shantae calling. He quickly answered and whispered, “Shantae, Where have you been? I haven’t seen you in three days.”

“…”

Marquis looks at his small holo-display when Shantae didn’t answer back. “Hey you—”

“Someone from my class suddenly fell into a coma,” Shantae said.

“What are you talking about?” Marquis jumped up from his seat walking to the rear exit of the bus, pressing the red button on the handrail.

“Anyone caught with it will be arrested. I was too scared to do it alone. So, I convinced some of our classmates to try it too.” Shantae sat in the corner of her room with a hoodie over her head.

“I knew the warnings and still used it anyway. What should I do?”

Marquis looks around the bus as if he was looking for something and replies, “Ok, where are you?” At the next bus stop Marquis bolts out the back door and runs down the street.

“Is the same thing going to happen to me?” Shantae asked, holding a picture frame.

“I’ve always hated myself for not having an ability. When the Stigmata Enhancer turned out to be real, I couldn’t help myself. My long dream became reality, but it came with a heavy price.”

Marquis squeezed his fist as he picks up the pace. “Hey, listen to me. We can fix this—”

“What if you can’t? My parents always told me that karma is real. This is my punishment for being selfish.”

Marquis came to a stop at the street corner. “Nothing is going to happen to you. If you fall asleep, I’ll wake you and everyone else up. Just leave it to me.”

Shantae was laying on the floor next to her picture frame. “Why are you going through all this trouble to help me what if you get kicked—”

“Me getting in trouble with my branch leader shouldn’t be your concern. I’m doing this because you’re my friend. You always stuck up for me without the need of an ability, you didn't need it then and you don’t need it now.”

Shantae’s eyes beamed with radiance, just those words alone gave her hope. She wipes her face with the sleeve of her sweater and places her hand up to her ear and giggles. “You’re saying as if you’re doing it all by yourself?”

“Oh be quiet, you know exactly what I mean.”

Shantae laughed. “I know, thanks Marquis. Sorry for making you worry. I’m counting on you.”

The call went silent, he repeated Shantae’s name like a broken record, but he got no response. He sprints down the street. He only had one focus.

It wasn’t long until Marquis arrived at Shantae’s home. He stood in the doorway sweat beading his face and his heavy panting filling the room.

Marquis slowly enters the room and kneels next to his unconscious friend.

“We’ll fix this, just hang on.”

*******

Part two, South Hall Hospital

“Jaz, tell me it ain’t so?”

Jasmine needed not to say a single word just handing the clipboard back to the nurse at the desk. “Marquis called me after she was admitted to the hospital and filled me in on what happened.”

“The enhancer?” Kuniva asked.

Jasmine replies with silence.

“Where is your brother?”

“Right now, he’s in a cab to see Ms. Wingate. He relapsed after shaking off a bad allergy attack and the flu, evidently that halted their investigation. I hope he doesn’t wear himself out.”

“Excuse me, you two, but may I speak to you too for a minute?” a man in a white coat and eyepatch covering his left eye approached them with a smile.

Kuniva and Jasmine glanced at each other with the puzzling look and back at the man.

“Uh, sure,” Jasmine said, she linked her arm around Kunvia’s arm walking down the hall.

"What could he possibly want with us?"

"No clue but he may know something that we need," Jasmine said.

*******

Part three, North Harlem, Saint Helena Research Institute for Neuro Technology

“It’s unfortunate hearing that your friend fell victim to the enhancer.”

“A solution to this epidemic must be found now.”

Venessa nodded and said, “Now that you've bought me the enhancer we can get to work. This came form the tech department a few minutes ago, with the updated file you sent we're able to find more details about the device's origins."

Marquis collects himself reading the updated file.

The first 100 prototypes were manufactured by a company in the US exclusively for the military. In practice, the device was original purpose was to serve as a new form of battle communications network with the first generation neural interface technology at the center of its creation.

As with all products the risk outweighed its use. The project didn’t reach its final phase after 90 of the volunteers parished from neural damage, fearing immediate public scrutiny the government canceled the project and hid it from the public for a year.

As Marquis reads the data, a sudden queeziest grips him.

"I don't feel so good." He muttered sitting back on the couch.

"Rest for a minute, I’ll bring you something to help your dehydration.”

“That’s ok, Professor Wingate. I’m fine—”

She pats Marquis' shoulder and smiles.

“It wouldn’t be good if you get hurt and that’ll certainly upset friends and your sister. Just rest.” Venessa grabs her white coat and leaves the room.

Marquis leans his head back and places a compress on his forehead. Looking up at the air vent a piece of paper hanging out its folder catches his eye.

*******

“Stigmata Nodules are genetic abnormalities within the central nervous system giving the host mainly psychokinesis related abilities. When influenced by electricity the nodules are active sending information back to the brain about the object in their control. Now, if you were to change the information in those pulses it can influence human activity in unimaginable ways, as well with their abilities potency,” the doctor sitting in front of the computer screen said.

Jasmine and Kuniva looked at each other not knowing how to respond to the doctor, it was as if they were lost.

“My job is to create a new kind of national security system. One of my previous research was to create a digital key using brainwaves. After spending weeks trying to fix this problem a strange phenomenon occured. All of the registered brain wave patterns are identical to one another and isn’t registered in the database. I ran a cross match test with other registered brainwave records across various organizations.”

"Hold on, 10,000 individual brainwaves being identical? not possible. And if it is so, who's the root of origin?" Kuniva asked.

The doctor moves to the side showing Jasmine and Kuniva the holo-display. Jasmine and Kuniva moved closer to the screen, as they read their eyes widened.

“Venessa Wingate. She was a middle school teacher but was unceremoniously removed five years later after an incident involving a few students during a test trial for developing a Hyper Neural Link System. How is she involved?,” Jasmine said.

*******

Marquis stands, pulling the file from the shelf and begins flipping through the file. "A report on shared neurology, by Venessa Wingate." He flips a few pages stopping on a page with a diagram of the human neural system he flips to the next page. "Matching brain waves with another person and thus increasing mental capacity to solve complex problems. Using em fields to influence brain wave activity? What is this? And there’s a ton papers on synesthesia and EM fields—”

Marquis pulls a thin pad from behind the report and slides his finger up on the screen. “Artificial intelligence and neural conduits? This is—” on each corner of the document were three seals that any person can easily recognize. This is stolen property from her intuition, the US Military, and Council of Science and Technology! What's her involvement—

“Cats and curiosity aren’t the best of friends, don't you agree, Little kitten?” Venessa spoke softly into Marquis ear.

*******

“A network between other people? Its not a new talking point in the world,” Kunvia said.

“You’re right, lad but its has been in practice for quite some time. I want to talk to you, since you have the strongest connection with the em spectrum, suppose a person can change their brainwave frequency to mimic that of radio waves?” the doctor with the eyepatch points at his own head. “Say it’s possible to create a network using brainwaves linking thousands of brains together?”

“I can see it being possible since I can randomly alter my brainwaves on the fly to receive radio waves or jam communications, but for it to be made into a fully functional network, the brainwaves must be amplified and remain consistent for the network to be stable. Is it true Professor Wingate did that?” Kuniva asked the doctor.

“My brother he won’t answer his phone,” Jasmine said abruptly from around the corner.

“Uh I should go for now doc. Jaz, come on.” Kuniva grabbed hold of her shoulder and vanished into thin air.

*******

When Marquis finally awakened he was sitting in the back seat of a car traveling on the highway towards Staten Island.

"What—"

“Normally people don’t go snooping around in others' belongings. I got careless,” Venessa said looking at Marquis in the rearview mirror.

When Marquis didn’t respond back to Venessa, turning away from the woman’s eyes. “That scar on the back of your head, you underwent a brain augmentation. Did you get into an acc—"

“That’s none of your concern. But now that we're together, now tell me what the Synapse Network is and how that device is connected to this whole mess that you orchestrated.” he demanded of Venessa.

The car pulls over to the side on the highway. “What are you doing?” Marquise said, nervously looking around.

“Relax, I’m not some monster that would do what you're thinking,” Venessa said, reaching into her purse and handing Marquise a data pad. He hesitates to take the device from her.

“You want answers? I’m giving you a cheat sheet. If you don’t take it I'll keep it to myself.”

Marquise snatched the pad from her hands. “Right…”

“I didn't create this mess, it happened to fall onto my lap and it happened to be what I needed to complete my project. Stigmata Enhancer. It shares the same deep throught technology as Learning Tree. Connecting the brains of ten thousand biotics in order to create the necessary concentrated processing power mimicking that of a supercomputer. With the use of multiple connected brains complex calculations can be achieved,” Venessa said, reaching into her glove compartment taking out a handgun, she checked the magazine and put it in her holster.

"It's computing power is underwhelming compared to the Library of Alexandria, however it's still efficient enough to get around most complex calculations."

“To save your students? I read your bio,” Marquise replies.

Venessa drives off speeding past the close road signs. “I wouldn’t have gotten far if it wasnt for you and company. I requested the use of the Library of Alexandria several times, but I was denied on the spot by the Borad of Administrators. So, I had to improvise. I stole the institute's Learning Tree software and US Military AI blueprints a week into the outbreak. The Stigmata Enhancer was the last piece that I needed acting as a base for the network. I developed an AI from the brains of the ten thousand biotics—”

“You what!?”

“I needed something to sort the data and maintain the Synapse Network, the task of the AI… stop looking at me like that,” Venessa said, taking the device away from him. “Once the simulation is over, I’ll disconnect the server releasing the children from their comas.”

Marquis didn’t respond to Venessa, the look of suspicion poured from his eyes. She sighed, reaching into her lab coat, taking out a thumb drive and handing it to him.

“It’s a backup program that will disable the Synapse Network, the program is a fail-safe protocol. Everyone will awaken as if nothing happened.”

“But that does not excuse you from doing this. You used a dangerous weapon on people without enough data—” Marquise stopped mid-sentence when he noticed her tossing her phone on the passenger seat.

“Looks like the higher ups sent in the containment team. This is the fastest I’ve seen them take action. The program will auto-activate if the main branch can’t complete the steps to deactivate the equipment on their own.” Venessa unbuckles the seatbelt and steps out of the car.

“With that, all data on Stigmata Enhancer along with the reports on the Synapse Network will be lost. That which is in your hand is the key to awakening those sleeping.”

Marquise looks Venessa in the eyes then at the datadrive. When he turns to ask her a question, Venessa was already walking down the empty highway with a public safety blockade at the other end of the road.

A public safety servant demanded Venessa to surrender but she didn’t yield to their command.

Marquise digs through Venessa's purse hoping to find the keys to the handcuffs, cleaning out her purse there was no sign of the keys. Marquise searched every compartment with no key found. “Damn!”

Marquis sticks his head out the window. “What do you plan to do Ms. Wingate? you’re not thinking about retaliating against the main branch? You should give up!”

“I have nothing against the servants of Public Safety but the ones who are pulling the strings. Also, what I failed to mention in the report, the stigmata enhancer has an unusual byproduct, an interesting side-effect.” Venessa begins approaching the blockade with her hands behind her head.

Public Safety moves in to arrest Venessa with their weapons drawn and trained on her from every direction.

The officer handcuffing Venessa suddenly stops and points his weapon at another officer and discharges his weapon at his partner. The other public safety servant points their weapons at him.

Marquis squinted his eyes, noticing the man’s change in behavior; it was almost like the man was possessed fighting against something. That field around Ms. Wingate, it’s bending light… is that psy—

Marquis ducks his head when the sound of gunfire echoed. The car vibrates the sound of creaking metal, the roof of the car being caving in and windows shattering. Her pressure field is above average!

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Wha-what’s going on?” the officer said, looking behind him. He drops to his knees taking off his helmet gasping for air. “I- I can’t breathe…” the man implodes, it was instant when the officer imploded. Nothing remained of him.

“She’s a biotic!”

Damn it! Marquise ducks his head again.

Tapping her foot on the ground, setting off a chain explosion. “If the higher ups want me dead, they’re going to have to do it in person,” she muttered.

A dense fog drops from Venessa’s body, ice crystals accumulate, shaping into an ice shard the size of a bus.

*******

Sometime earlier after leaving the hospital, Jasmine and Kuniva parted ways in search of Venessa and Marquise.

On the upper west side of Manhattan, Kuniva searched the city from the city skyline watching people carry on their day undisturbed. “From what we know the device does not only amplify the ability, with a network this extensive the ability capacity and range increases,” Kuniva said.

Jasmine went straight for her desk putting her earpiece on. “So the people connected to the network are lending a hand to each other.”

“Furthermore, the connection between biotics with the same ability types, their memories are shared and with the shared experience the users become more efficient with their abilities. The biotics in a coma… is it possible that they lost control of the network?” Kuniva asked.

“Why would anyone permit the use of such dangerous hard wear? Uh? Hey, I just got word from the main branch, they have Professor Wingate, southbound on the Freeman Highway,” Jasmine replied.

Kuniva changes direction into a back alley then slings himself up to the rooftop and moves to the next. “I'm heading there now, are you coming?” he asked.

“I'll be behind you after I finish up here… hey you have to hurry, the main branch just ordered lethal action against Professor Wingate!” Jasmine replies, hanging up.

Kuniva puts more power to his leaps clearing a vast distance but even at his current pace, he won't make it in time. “That tram will take me there.” He leaps off the rooftop hitch hiking a ride on the tram.

*******

Pressurized jets of water slices through a public safety armored van with no effort, needles of ice rain from above striking down a public safety servant, loose objects racing through the air ripping through shield droids.

A silhouette waved as thick black smoke and swirling flames rose into the air. She looks ahead with a tired look in her eyes. “To think I’ll be face to face with you, what a rare opportunity.”

She waves her hand in the air, a dense white layer of supercooled air sunk to the ground inside the dense air were shards of ice. “Currently the Synapse Network doesn’t have a Category 5 ability circling around to combat a hyper lethal threat like yourself. I can easily be brought down but can you defeat ten thousand accumulated minds? Kuniva Eurodyne?”

*******

“I’ve read about biotics having unique sets of stigmata nodules that give them two abilities but you have more than two!” Steel girders rockets through the screen of smoke intercepting incoming frozen projectiles.

Venessa wasn’t bothered as if she knew that was going to happen. “A normal person would have trouble hitting a target with great accuracy with something obscuring their sight but eyes like yours... You are indeed an amazing piece of human engineering.”

She snaps her fingers creating a gale blowing away the heavy smoke.

Several girders surround Kuniva like an electric fence. “That ability is a rare one. To think you can use a dangerous ability and to top it all off, you have Skill Tree.”

Venessa shoots a cold glare at the boy. “Skill Tree was declared an impossible feat because it didn’t follow the laws of biotics. However, I had formulated a new method to achieve this power.”

Venessa’s left eye turns bloodshot red from the stress on her neural implants, without resting an eye, Kuniva evades the sudden beam of energy missing his head by a few inches.

Kuniva hurls the girders but the girders bounce off her barrier, his eyes widened. A psychic barrier, Skadi, and Particle Waveform at the same time?

“Shocking to see a person using multiple abilities? I would be afraid as well.” The ground beneath them shatters like a mirror from an unknown force.

“Shi..” Kuniva plunges to the ground below the highway but he stops his plunge using a platform made of metals held together by magnetism. She’s using those abilities without caring for her own safety, as if she has nothing to lose. The stress on her implants will kill her!

Venessa slowly descends to the ground. Her short hair neatly groomed, was now a frizzy mess hanging over her dreaded face. Her artificial right eye hone in on Kuniva.

A black liquid rose through the crack in the debris pile beneath her feet with a single gesture the black spheres of liquid homed in on their target.

Kuniva reconfigures the girders into a wall blocking the incoming projectiles. Even Hydro Hand? This is going to be a challenge, I don’t know what she’ll use next. Utilizing different abilities for various situations.

Venessa lifts her index finger making a horizontal line in the air. The shield of girders were cut in two from Venessa’s gesture, when the girders fell Kuniva had already transitioned.

Just when Venessa turns to the right her eyes meet Kuniva’s.

Kuniva cocks his arm back and clenched his fist and thrusts towards Venessa, however, his punch is impeded by a forcefield, pushing him back. Very adaptive to his surroundings and situations. The human physiology isn't designed to be used in extreme conditions even with years of training.

“!?”

Kuniva points his finger at Venessa and shoots a stream of lightning.

Venessa remains rooted to her spot looking at her target with killing intent. The stream of electricity dissipates around her instead of striking her barrier directly.

Crescents of wind hailed from above gouging at the ground, Kuniva clicked his tongue as he was slightly grazed forcing him to retreat.

Gale Stream too? Using the wind as an insulator. She’s mixing and matching different abilities and using the environment around her. He peeks his head out, nearly receiving a fatal hit to the head.

“What a disappointment. Is this all you're capable of doing? I have high hopes for you,” Venessa said, cutting the column down.

Kuniva stood up, sparks of electricity leaping from his fingers. Not at all, like Jasmine said. You're unpredictable, using those abilities, playing defense is all I can do for now. Rubble begins to levitate behind him. “It would be out of character for going all out against the weak!”

Kuniva leaps up to a pillar using the surface as a platform, he capped his hand together propelling the debeir at Venessa.

"I beg to differ." Venessa shifts her left leg forward, she brings her hands together and quickly pulls them apart a flash of light cuts clean through the concrete pillar. Her left-hand hums as a purple hue of hard light buzzing like a chainsaw.

“I’m not even going to act surprised at all,” Kuniva said quietly.

Venessa points her finger at the ground making one singular horizontal motion.

The sound of creaking catches Kuniva’s attention. “What the—" a section of the support pillar rotates and slides out of place, plummeting to the ground with Kuniva still holding on to the surface. In mid fall he pushes the falling cyclical piece of concrete to the side falling onto a girder.

“Why are you getting in my way? The only thing I want is to investigate the situation and once it’s over I’ll let everyone go home,” Venessa said as her body began to loosen up.

“It’s a bit too late for that don’t you think? You’ve already broken that word all because of your selfish agenda. Any research involving such lengths can’t be igno—”

Venessa sighs loudly interrupting him, she vigorously rubs her head nearly tearing her hair out. “Even though you’re an Unranked, you're still a child who doesn’t understand how the real world operates!” she said, wiping blood from her nose.

Kuniva slowly stands holding his side, his stomach twists and turns as he witnesses Venessa's unstable state.

“The same programs you biotics undergo on a day to day basis is no different from the institution's projects. Is it still considered humane?”

Kuniva breaks eye contact with Venessa looking down at the rubble. His face was twisted with pain, he didn’t realize he was bleeding. He reaches under his arm where the pain came from. Kuniva knew she was right, the programs were no different from the institutions projects.

“This city is hiding something from us regarding the Laws of Biotics. Because the law is sophisticated, teachers and researchers spend every day studying and developing the human physiology to comprehend how biotics are born but its more than just a theory. As I said before, you know nothing.” She points her finger at Kuniva and scowls.

He steps back clenching his right rib and baring his fangs at Venessa's sudden action. “I’ll investigate myself after I bring you in!” a spear of lightning ejects from his body homing in on Venessa striking her barrier with a thunderous boom.

“Investigate?” Venessa mumbled to herself redirecting the lightning spear. She looks at Kuniva’s pale face repeating what he said.

That’s good, seeing her priceless weapon that she tried hard to protect from the Council hands, after all it's only right that I drag him along since this project is related to him after all. Venessa reaches into her pocket taking out a small block of cut aluminum.

A metal block? Kuniva drops to one knee as he looks at his sprained ankle. He slowly takes a deep exhale keeping his eye on Vanessa.

Venessa knew he was injured and could have finished him off but she knew it wouldn't be easy taking on an Unranked with his level of skill. Distance and defense is my only plan to countering this boy, getting too close to him isn't an option. I can't match his physical aptitudes, I just have to wear him out then strike.

Her nose begins to bleed again. “That all depends on whether or not you leave from here alive.” She tossed the metal cube into the air and in an instant it vanished.

A second after the cube reappears, electricity zaps and buzz around Kunvia’s body then his eyes widen. Shi— The cube appears behind him and expands following an explosion.

Black sand hissed loudly as the smoke was blown away.

Kuniva snarls, holding his fingers in his ears. Fortunately for me, I already encountered this ability.

Venessa's expression grew fiercer. An Iron sand debris barrier, he’s using magnetism to hold it together. If that’s the case. At the snap of Venessa fingers scraps of metal and girders rain down around Kuniva however, he was untouched from the hail of junk metal.

He looks around at the upright girders and rebar, scanning his environment he knew he wasn’t the intended target. For any other person would have called it luck, but he knew what Venessa was going for.

Venessa taps the ground with her foot.

Cubes of aluminum scattered around the area. Not good! First she changes the environment to trap me in one place, now this!

“Nowhere to run, boy,” Venessa said, snapping her fingers lighting the fuse to the metal cubes.

The explosions continue for a few seconds tuning into a complete silence. The area was no longer recognizable from the devastating damage.

Venessa sniffs the air. That smell. Sweet and pungent… concentrated ozone? She looks behind her and smiles. Incredible, his mental chronometry scores are far greater than recorded and so is his awareness of the changing environment. However…

Another cube of aluminum appears out of thin air a few inches from Kuniva’s face. He tries to get out of the way of the bomb explosion, however, Kuniva doesn't budge because of his sprained ankle.

Venessa looks down at the pile of rubble and kicks Kuniva’s bleeding arm hanging out the rubble. “You’re like an injured animal fleeing from danger. Trap it and kill it.”

Venessa stumbles holding her head, blood leaks from her nose like a loose faucet. Unexpectedly, you didn’t fully live up to your rep, 03. A waste of resources, another one of her failures.

*******