NANO

Chapter sixteen: Flashback

Angel sat om the ground, his head in his hands, tears accumulating in his eyes, his eye lids acting like a dam about to burst. He couldn't stop thinking about the night he got taken from his little sister.

Five years ago

Angels house was burning, his parents were still inside. Not knowing what he was thinking, he rushed in to the fire. The firefighters hadn't arrived yet, and some neibghors were watching as the sixteen year old ran in. He checked every room for his parents, and it would get hotter every second. He ran in and out of the kitchen, the living room, the bathrooms, and all three bedrooms, their was no sign of any of them.

" Mom!! Dad!! Pricila!!" He cried out in tears, pulling on a curtain as he fell to the ground. The curtain fell over him and blinded him, it too was set on fire. He yanked it off, but it burnt his left forearm, which would leave a mark for life.

Angel stood up again, exhausted, unable to breathe from the heat. If he stayed in there any longer, he would die, if his parents were in this house, they too would have expired by now. Angels tears multiplied at the thought of losing his parents, of losing his sister, he thought that if he cried any more, the fire would be extinguished. Angel sat back down, hope drained completly out of him. If he loses the only things that motivate him, the things that give him a reason to live, then whats the point of living? He just sat against a wall, and waited until the flames got to him, waited for the touch of death to reunite him with his family.

The sirens were finally heard, as firetrucks parked outside the house, question the people of their was anyone inside, when they heard about a teenager that ran in, he became their top priority.

" I don't want to go with them," Angel coughed, " I want to go with Mom, Dad, and Pricila." Angel started chocking on the ashes falling on him, the glowing flames crawling their way towards him, but he didn't care, he slouched and let the flame get to him, it seemd that the fire had taken Angels motivation for itself.

The fire almost burnt Angels legs before a tall figure ran in and saved Angel from the flames, Angel figured that he was a fireman, but once Angel got a good look, he knew that wasn't the case. The man was wearing no protection from the fire, and when they passed through an area woth thick flames, the man seemed to steam!

Once they finally reached the backyard, Angel was put om the ground, and finally took a good look at his rescuer. He was tall, jet black hair, had mostly asian characteristics, but you couldn't tell by one look, half of the mans face was deformed, but it didn't seem to be by flames.

" Thank you." The coughing, teen Angel said, but the man just stood there, cold stare that could make demons shiver. The man looked up, and instantly stood straight and stiff.

" Good work, we finally have the next four subjects, seems like project Tai-Fu is off to a great start." Another man came from behind, at that point in time, Angel didm't know who he was, but im the future he would know the man  as Derek.

" What are you talking about," Angel almost couldn't stand, he was about to continue when in less then a second he face was on the ground and his so called, 'rescuer', was over him, tiyng Angels hand down. " The hell are you doin', let me go!" Angel demanded, but no one listened, " I said let me the hell go!!" Angel started shakinh around trying to escape, but it was of no use.

" What should I do with the others, sir?" The man over Angel asked, still stiff.

" The adults are of no use to us, their brains are already fully developed, we can't change their neuro-patterns. The girl on the pther hand, take her to our facility, we could use her." The other man demaded, and seconds later, a scream was heard, the stiff man was dragging Pricila by the hair, as he neared a van with blacked out windows, he completly picked her up, and threw her in. The scream couldn't be heard by the people in the front of the house because of the sirens.

After the stiff man had taken Pricila, he neared Angel, the man squezed hos burn arm, and dragged him over as well, he was too thrpwn into the van. Just before the doors closed, Angel saw his parents baing dragged out, a gun in point blank range. One shot was fired, Angels dad fell over, his mom started squirming, another shot, and she stopped. The man that shot was also the one that gave the orders, as he ran to the van, a group of police officers had run over, they heard the shots even over the sirens.

The officers lifted their guns, but hesitated when they saw Angel and Pricila in the van. The man that had shot was next to them and started screaming at the other, " Kill them already!", the stiff one walked away from the van, omce he drew closer, shots were fored, but the bullets stopped in whag seemed a bubble of water. The man lifted both his arms, and water burst from under the ground, making its way to the officers, wrapping itself around them, and eventually sufficating them.

The shooter closed the doors to the van and jumped into the drivers seat, followed by the stiff who jumped in the passangers seat, without hesitation, the van turned on and flew away. Within minutes they were gone, lost to the world.

They drove for hours and took no stops, not even to use the bathroom! Once they finally arrived to the middle of no where, they were dragged out once again. He was being taken towards the biulding, but Pricila was being taken somewhere else, away from him.

" Where are you taking her?!" Angel started, " Answer me!" He screamed, again and again demanding to know where Pricila was going, he tried to fight, but was quickly overpowered. With one hit to the head, he was out, and when he woke up in a hanging cage, not lnowing where Pricila was, he gave up. He first lost his motivation, his reason to love, and now he finally lost all hope. He knew that he would never see Pricila again.

Present day

" I was too weak, if I was just stronger, I could have saved them, I could have saves Pricila." Angel cried, Olivia watching him akwardly.

" It's fine. We don't have to keep traini..." She was cut off by a powerful scream.

" No!!" Angel grinded his teeth, " You don't understand! I do have to keep going, if not I will be useless my entire life! First I let my family down! Then, I was useless in the fight with the guards in the woods, I let you all down too! If my power can't help, then maybe I myself can!" Angel sobbed loudly, his thoughts had a hold on him which could not be taken off.

" I understand, you feel like you're useless, but you're not. You will have a time in which only you can help us out, a time in which only you can help the world, and physical strength has nothing to do with it. It jas to do with wether or not you will rise upno matter how badly beatedn you are." Olivia encouraged, she gave Angel a hug, and left him to think on his own.

I have a reason to live, maybe it's not my parents or Pricila, maybe it's something else, maybe, I was born to save the world.