insomnia [✔]

scene. iv

Madeleine and Gar were sitting side by side on a bench. They were eating ice cream while chatting happily. It was obvious that they were carefree. A few passers-by smiled at the sight of this innocent little couple. The picture was idyllic. But a shadow was gradually taking shape. Classical music crept in. The boy's irises turned green, and the young woman's turned purple. They turned towards each other, but no longer seemed to see each other. Everyone went in an opposite direction.

The green-haired boy turned a corner and changed into a roaring tiger. Madeleine, meanwhile, walked into a record store. A salesman approached her to inquire if she needed any information, but she remained unmoved. There were other customers in the shop, quietly shopping. They crumbled one by one like a row of dominoes. The young woman saved the seller for the end. He stared at her with a horrified look, pleading with her and assuring her that she could leave with all the money in the till, if that's what she wanted.

He couldn't guess that Madeleine was out of control. She was a puppet in the hands of Mercy Graves. Then he fell, like the others, and his breath died out. Madeleine headed for the exit, and turned the sign over so as to show the back on which was inscribed the word "closed". Then she walked to a van, where Graves greeted her with a smile. She touched his face congratulating him on his work. In one corner of the vehicle Gar was sitting, wrapped in a blanket. He seemed in shock. Blood was trickling down his chin along with tears.

Like her boss, Graves, Head of Security had no regard for those who had been sacrificed. What happened was nothing more than an experiment, a way of testing and comparing the effectiveness of two weapons. "One was more discreet than the other, and allowed to kill without dirtying". This was the observation that had been made. And that was without counting on the potential that future buyers saw.

The auctions were launched. In a dark room arranged so as to make several simultaneous video-conferences, stood Conner, Madeleine and Gar, lined up. In the foreground stood Graves, chatting with the buyers. Most of them were people with some economic or political power. They were actively discussing the capabilities of these three prototypes, wondering which one was stronger. Graves knew unparalleled how to stir up their disagreement.

The head of security ends up proposing a solution: a mortal battle between the three. It would be a way to observe those weapons in full action and to confront their respective potential. The buyers appreciated this "initiative", and to remain in the sporting spirit, they launched bets. Many bet on Conner, the super soldier, but also on Madeleine the sleepwalking killer. Opinions were less assertive when it came to Gar, the tiger boy.

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The fairground lights are colorful. The effervescence is positive, people come there to change their minds, or just to break away from my everyday life for a moment. This father trying to win a stuffed animal for his daughter by playing a game of skill; this grandmother and her grandson, hand in hand; these two sisters arm-in-arm. Person. No one must have imagined that in this precise place a merciless battle would take place. The fairground was going to change into an arena where gladiators from modern times would engage in confrontations, to the delight of people who had improvised themselves as sponsors.

A dark-haired girl stood near a stand where soft, fluffy cotton candy was prepared. Her gaze was dull. Her cheeks were sunken, there were dark circles under her eyes. The lady who made the cotton candy had even teased her about it.

"Young people are obsessed with everyday life, always stressed, they forget to live, to take the time to breathe. Enjoy this evening, young lady!"

Madeleine nodded and the lady handed her her cotton candy. The booth lady continued to chat saying she reminded her of her daughter. This one lived in New York and never found the time to come and see her on the West Side. But to end on a positive note, she said that her daughter would still make the effort to take a few days off during the Christmas holidays, and that they would meet in New York.

Madeleine nodded again, and a melody gradually crept in. It was classical music, and it subjugated her little by little. Graves took control. Madeleine became like those puppets, moved by strings. The ropes were pulling hard, so she had no choice but to accept the movement that was imposed on her.

"Miss? Are you okay?"

Madeleine remained silent. And his interlocutor felt bad. A strange sleep was numbing her: "I... I feel bad..." she whispered, then lost consciousness. In the same perimeter, people also faint.

"Well..." Graves said through the earpiece Madeleine was wearing.

From the van where she supervised, the buyers who had the possibility of following live thanks to a private connection network, were euphoric. On one side, the mighty green tiger sowed terror, on the other Mrs. sandman put people to sleep with all her might. All that remained was to bring in the Kryptonian to begin the second act.

"You join the dance" declared Graves and then she ordered Conner to hunt down and neutralize his friends.

Madeleine being close, it was towards her that the dark-haired boy went. He jumped and landed two meters from her. She didn't even flinch, and slowly spun around to face him. Naturally, she tried to get inside his head, but unexpectedly failed. Conner blinked the distance between them and grabbed her by the collar. As she was about to receive a punch equivalent to 3 tons she closed her eyes and passed in force in the thoughts of Conner. It was like forcing a door open using a ram. The young man let go of her in surprise and growled: "Get out of my head!"

Inside, the influence obtained thanks to conditioning, opposed to the softer – but no less effective – influence of Madeleine. The black-haired and blue-eyed boy was sitting near dusty booths in what looked like an old laboratory. Madeleine approached him and called him by his name in a calm voice.

"Madeleine, please... Run... I can't resist..." Conner slurred.