Chapter 8 - Encounters Part 1

Bovey raised his hand and directed his hand to Allison.

"No. Don't. Stop!" she shrieked.

The veins on her face were almost visible, discolouring the natural tone of her skin.

"The process is almost complete!" he smirked.

'What are you doing? Stop!' his conscious said, 'wha-wha-what have you become?'

The voice in his head echoed. "Arghh! What's happening to me?". He clenched onto his head with both hands, fell on his knees and screamed in agony. "ARGHH!"

He looked up towards Allison. His eyes changed colour and tone. "Help me" he pleaded with sincereity.

Allison stared at him with concern. 'He's too strong,' she thought 'nobody can defeat him.' She turned to her side and glanced at the body that lay beside her. "I'm sorry, Tommy. I can't do it."

She dragged the body at ease to the side of the warehouse and reached deep into her side pocket to retrieve her cellphone. She punched in numbers and waited for the dial tone.

"Urgh... he's gone," Bovey said, "for now."

Allison turned to search for Bovey in the distance and realised his eyes had changed colour - again. It was him again. The softness and pure light in his eyes were gone. It transformed into black pupils.

"Not so fast," he said with a menacing smile. He raised his arms and pointed his finger at Allison's face and the veins were visible once again. The blood rushing upstream her head had caused a massive tension to her brain.

"Stop!" Allison screamed. She glanced at Tommy. 'I failed,' she thought.

4 hours ago ...

Allison paced in light and quick steps in her high heels to Level 3. She walked to a cell that contained Tommy and swiped her ID card on the machine.

"Let me guess. Another assignment?" asked Tommy.

She threw the file on his bed. He opened and scanned the file. Bovey. "Blood manipulation. Cool!"

"Not so cool when he's a threat to the Company," Allison said in despise.

"So I guess I better get Win," he said.

"No need. I'm afraid Win won't be your partner for this assignment." Allison said.

"Then, who's my partner?" Tommy asked.

"Me," Allison replied.

"You?"

"Me."

"But you? You-you can't do anythi-"

"I know my power's limits. Enough!" Allison spat.

'I wish I was stronger,' she thought.

At Henry's Office

Henry closed the laptop and stared at Dylan. "We're going to have to discuss a situation with Aida."

"A discussion?"

"Yes, a discussion."

"I'm afraid she's a traitor to the Company."

Dylan paused. "I-I-I know..."

"You what?!"

"I know..."

Henry ignored Dylan, got off his seat and walked to the door.

"Where are you going?" asked Dylan.

"To eliminate her, myself."

"But you... you... you can't. You can't just kill people - especially not one of your own. You-you-you have to go through me first." His hands glowed yellow. He positioned himself in a karate stance.

"Do you remember what happened when we first fought?" Henry asked.

Dylan paused and raised his hands to his mouth and blew onto his hands and the radiation disappeared. "Yeah."

"Good. So you don't mind if I do this then!" Henry shouted. He raised his hands and pushed his hands towards Dylan. Dylan flung back and he stayed upright on the wall.

"You gotta be kidding. Is that all you can do?" threatened Dylan. He closed his eyes and breathed out slowly. The radiation atoms that was released from his breath melted the force that held him back on the wall slowly disappeared. He dropped on to the ground.

"Look. Either you're with me, or you're against me," Henry said.

"Well I guess I'm going to have to be against you."

"Well then..." Henry reached for the taser on his belt, "I'm sorry, it's for the best," and aimed it at Dylan and fired.

Dylan woke up in the corner of Henry's office.

'It must have been a dream' he thought.

He raised himself off the ground and observed the dart prints on his shirt.

"I guess not," he said.

 He saw a sticky note on the ground. Thinzar Aung - 83 Leonard Street, Beaconsville. He placed the note inside his pocket.

He walked quickly to the door and started running.

At Thinzar's Home

The sun rose and the bright lights shon through the window, illuminating the room that held Janette captive.

"Help!" Janette shrieked as she struggled to undo herself from the ropes.

"Arghh. I can't take any more of your screaming. It's killing me," said Luisa taking a bite on her apple.

"Let me go!"

"Tsk tsk tsk. Don't you people ever learn? We only let you go, if we get something."

"What do you want?"

"Well... Khiem."

"You can't have him!"

"Well, honey, that's where you're wrong. We already have him. My mistake," Luisa chuckled "Thinzar has him."

Janette thrusted her body to the air towards Luisa. "Argh!" An invisible force knocked Luisa back to the wall.

"That's the best you got?" teased Luisa.

Janette sniggered. "Nope... this is."

She squinted her eyes at Luisa and lifted her up towards the operating fan using her mind.

"Ahhhh... I'm so scared." said Luisa dully, "you just don't know who I am, do you?"

"I don't need to."

"Are you sure about that?"

Luisa sent a command to Janette via thought connection.

'You will do everything I say.'

"N-n-no! I can't! I won't!"

'You will do everything I say,' repeated Luisa.

Janette closed her eyes and pictured her brain and generated a forcefield around it.

"As I said, I don't need to."

Luisa cried out in frustration knowing that Janette was now invulnerable to her powers.

Thinzar grabbed a box of matches, opened it and swiped a match making it alight. She walked to the other side of the room and lit the candles. It released an aroma that was irresistable -  sensastional. She raised the match to her lips and blew it out.

Thinzar stared at Khiem who was tied up at four corners of the bed. "Are you ready, now?" asked Thinzar as she started to unbutton a single button of her cardigan.

"Never!" screamed Khiem.

"What about a little persuasion aye?"

"Are you ready, now?" she said slowly. Thinzar's voice echoed in Khiem's head causing multiple vibrations and soundwaves towards his brain.

Khiem's eyes lowered and he eyed Thinzar. "Yes."

At the Warehouse

"I'm sorry for what I said before Allison. I didn't mean it," apologised Tommy.

"It's alright. Doesn't matter. You were right anyways. I'm just a tag-a-long," said Allison.

Tommy paused and pondered off.

"I'd do anything to have you power," said Allison.

"My power?" laughed Tommy, "you gotta be kidding."

"Nup. I'm serious." Allison grinned.

Allison steered the wheel to the corner of an abandoned warehouse. "We're here."

They both exited the vehicle and walked to the rusty building.

"Should we knock?" asked Tommy.

Allison stared blankly at Tommy.

"I guess not," answered Tommy at his own question.

Allison placed her hand on the handle and turned it slowly. The door started creaking and Allison knew that Bovey was well aware that they were there.

"Who's there?" a voice asked.

"It's Bovey," Allison assumed.

"Are you sure?" Tommy asked.

Allison didn't answer. She scurried to a pole and blended herself behind the thickness of the large segment of the warehouse and Tommy followed.

"Why don't I handle this one?" asked Tommy.

Tommy stepped out from behind the pole and revealed himself to everything and everyone in the building. "Come and get me," teased Tommy.

"Tommy! No! Come back here this instant!" commanded Allison.

"Why, hello. Glad to see you here. Come to try and kill me, I see," a voice said.

Allison followed the voice while Tommy created a distraction.

"Come on. I'm right here for your taking," said Tommy.

Allison saw a dark, shadowy figure and crept up to it. With one large hand movement, she turned the figure so that she could see who she was dealing with.

'It's not Bovey,' thought Allison.

The figure was one of Bovey's victims. The insects crawled up the face and released it's hunger and started feeding on the blood. The blood vessels hung from the face and rats started to nibble on the victim's eyes.

"I see that you've met my sister," the voice said, "she was getting a little bit... how do I put it? Boring."

Allison turned around and she was facing the murderer. The murderer that had killed one of her best agents.

"Boo!"

Allison didn't flinch.

At Central Park

Dylan dashed to the park and observed a cloaked figure on the seat. He relaxed on the seat. "Zeodust, I assume?"

"Why did you call me, Nova?"

"I need help."

"What kind of help?"

"I..." Dylan paused, "We need to bring down the Company," he continued.

"I see you've come to your senses," Zeodust said "but two men aren't capable to destroy the Company."

"What do you suggest?" Dylan asked.

"My men."

"What men?"

People - short, tall, fat, skinny, young, old - started walking towards Dylan and Zeodust.

"These men," answered Zeodust.

Zeodust introduced the tubby woman. "This is Darcy. She can create toxic acids."

Dylan shook hands with Darcy.

He introduced the tall man. "This is Derek. He can clone himself."

Dylan shook hands with Derek.

He introduced the young boy. "This is Ben. He can possess other people."

Dylan shook hands with Ben and suddenly Ben entered Dylan's body and stepped out.

"Nice trick you got there, kid," said Dylan as he rubbed the boy's hair.

"I'm not a kid!" Ben cried.

"Now, now. We got a mission do, and we gotta do it right? You hear me?" Zeodust stared at Ben.

"Yes, sir," Ben replied with sorrow.

"Nova..." Zeodust paused, "Dylan..."

"How did you know my name?!" asked Dylan.

"We know everybody in the Company," replied Zeodust, "I was once in the Company. I was a mere agent in the Company until they took my sister. They killed her."

Zeodust pulled down his hooded cloak. His face was revealed and the complexion of his face was brighter than usual. It was tan-brown. "My name's Praful," he confessed.

Back at the Warehouse

"What do you want?" Allison asked.

"Your misery, your pain and most of all... your blood," Bovey replied. He dipped his finger on his sister's blood, raised it to his lips and licked it. "Mmmm..."

Tommy shivered. "Use your power!" Tommy screamed.

Allison shook her head vigorously. Allison's face was filled with horror. She was petrified.

Bovey turned his back to Allison and faced Tommy. "So, you must be One of Them - so that would make you powerless. You're gonna be easy." Bovey grabbed Allison's taser, aimed at Tommy and fired. The darts rapidly flew to the direction of Tommy and it missed. Bovey laughed. "That was just a test on how good you are."

He stood there helpless and before Tommy was going to use his ability, Allison screamed. "Don't."

"Don't wha-?" Bovey asked mid-way cluelessly. "Doesn't matter anymore. You won't live to see the light of day anymore." He snapped his fingers and Tommy fell to the ground - knocking himself unconcious. "I wouldn't worry about him. He's just out cold. But for you, not so much."

Bovey faced Allison. "You're scared aren't you?" Bovey sniffed Allison, "I can feel it. I can smell it. I can sense it."

"I'm not scared!" Allison shouted. Before thinking to raise her hand to control Bovey's ability, Bovey raised his arm first to control her.

"I control you now," Bovey sniggered.

Back to the present...

"Stop!" Allison screamed. She glanced at Tommy. 'I failed,' she thought.

Tommy woke up from his deep sleep and saw the scene - Bovey was torturing Allison. He grabbed a chair and pressed his hands hard upon the object. The wood had turned into ice. He raised the cold object and smashed it onto Bovey.

Allison was free and gasped for air as the veins travelled deeper through her skin returning to its original location. "Thanks, Tommy."

"Al-Allison..." Tommy stammered "look at your hands."

She eyed her hands. Her hands were glowing blue - like Tommy when he freezes an object. "What's happening to me?" she asked.

Tommy placed his glowing-blue hands onto the floor and the ground started turning into ice. "My power still works, so that means you're not controlling it. I think you're powers are... growing."

She raised her hand and attempted to release a cloud of ice.

"I can't make ice. I can only convert objects into ice... or heat."

She paced to the frozen ground and placed her hand onto the ground. Her hand glowed red, heating the ground. She focused her attention on Bovey.

"Urghh," he moaned, "what the hell?" He stood up and faced Tommy. "YOU! You have POWERS?!"

"Uh-huh," he assured Bovey, "two against one. Think you can handle the heat?"

"Speaking of heat..." Allison said, "why don't we flame things up?" Allison raised her arm to control Bovey's ability. She walked up to him and stared directly at his pupils. The transformation occurred again - Bovey's eyes was filled with innocence. Allison lowered her arm.

"Help me!" the voice pleaded.

Bovey's eyes turned black. "You shouldn't have done that."

Outside the Company

"Here we are," Dylan said.

Dylan was staring at the place - the Company. He's been conned, tricked and fooled.

"Why can't we just burn the whole place down?" Darcy asked Praful.

"Yeah!" Ben agreed.

"Because... I need revenge."

"On who, exactly?" asked Dylan.

"Henry."

"That makes two of us," muttered Dylan under his breath. "Oh no! I must have hit my head really hard. I just remembered! We need to save Aida!"

"Whose Aida? Your girlfriend?" teased Ben.

"No! She's like a sister to me!" Dylan said.

"Where is this Aida?" asked Derek.

Dylan tried to keep track on his mind - he gathered his thoughts and tried to remember where Aida was. He remembered and dug deep inside his pocket and reached for a note.

"Beaconsville," replied Dylan.

At Beaconsville

Henry exited his car and entered the abandoned house without any hesitation.

"I know you're here," Henry said.

He walked around the home and searched for Aida.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are."

"You must be looking for me," said a voice.

Henry grabbed for his gun and raised it.

"Marco," Henry said.

"Polo."

"Marco."

"Polo."

"Marco."

The voice said nothing. Henry turned around and saw a woman - fit and young - Thinzar.

"Polo."

By: Tommy