kinetic

homecoming day: part one

Peter Parker sat contently under the shade tree. His laptop was beside him and a StarkPhone in his hand. The rest of the students ran about the backyard. The faculty was currently grilling hotdogs and hamburgers.

It was Homecoming Day.

Students were running around, showing off in front of their parents and nonmutant siblings. The smell of cooking food and fresh lemonade entered Peter's nostrils just as a shadow covered his feet. He looked up.

"Oh. Hey, Professor McCoy. What's up?"

The older, more bluer man smiled down at Peter, "We're starting the Mutant Olympics. Would you like to join?"

Peter glanced at his laptop and phone. Though there were no homework assignments due for another three days, Peter did still have to finish his online Bio-Engineering Mechanics course work. He smiled sadly at McCoy and shook his head.

"Nah. Thanks though, Professor McCoy."

The man shrugged, "Offer's open anytime."

Peter waved him off as the man turned. He let out a playful snarl at the fifth graders who were on his team and began to chase them.

Homecoming Day was pretty special to the kids. Even though parents were always welcomed to visit their children at anytime in the school year, most were unable to do so. Homecoming Day brought together all the willing families. It lasted all from Friday night when everyone had a lovely dinner together to Sunday morning where everyone had brunch and tearful goodbyes. In between that, there was games and pictures and more food. It was a good time for those who had families and even those that didn't. The faculty took those under their wing that didn't have someone here. A faux parent if you will. Peter's was Erik, though he wasn't the only one. One glance up and he would see Erik playing tug a war with a kid with blue hair and green skin and super strength.

It was a close match, but Erik was eventually pulled to the ground as the boy jogged victory laps around his fallen body.

Peter looked back to his laptop. He wants to get as much finished as possible before Erik forced him to join the activities. He ceakshis knuckles.

"Alright. Bio-Engineering."

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Zoya stood, blood dripping from her hairline as she countered the man's sharp punch with a kick the shin. She heard a satisfying crack as he fell and quickly shifted his weight from his injured leg to his hands. He twisted, wrapping his thighs around her waist. He threw her across the room. She landed with a silent cry. She was back up again. With a wave of her hands, he was flattened to the wall, his head smacking painfully. She watched blood ooze out of the cracked skull. She watched as it healed just a quickly.

"That all you got princess?"

Zoya didn't reply as the man charged. He threw a punch to her stomach, doubling her over, and a elbow in the center of her spine. Before he could finish her off, a loud buzzer rang through the training room. It was the end of their session.

The man made quick to pull Zoya to her feet.

"You okay, Z?"

She spit blood from her mouth and push her shoulder back into place.

"Yeah. What about you, Wade?"

The scarred, bald man smiled, "I'm always okay."

The two broke apart as guards entered. Wade gazed at Zoya once more as the men bound them. He saw her wince as the guard yanked her injured shoulder.

"Be a gentleman, boys. We gotta lady in her-"

His holding guard placed the gag in his mouth from behind. The muscles of his stomach were pulled taunt as the guard bent him back.

"Shut up," he growled. 

Zoya was pulled from the room. She followed the men quietly, compliant with anything they had to offer. Her mind was filled with milky thoughts, thoughts not unlike Wade's. Violent. Dark. Horrifying. At least Wade's weren't directed towards her. She shivered as one of the guards pulled on her elbow.

Fucking hot for a mutant. Wouldn't mind taking her for a test run and-

He released his grip on her as they turned the corner. It was now just one long corridor to her holding cell.

She hated it.

Against the training. The torture. The fighting. The blood. The tests. Zoya hated her cell the most. It was complete isolation. She couldn't hear anything outside the walls. She couldn't hear footsteps, voices. Thoughts. There was only a cot and pillow and glowing green lights. Her only guest was her own mind.

She was placed there at the discovery of her mutation. Telekinesis. She had moved the bars of her other cage. She had killed one of the guards with his own gun, never even having to touch it. It took seven men and a tranquilizer to shut her down. Since then she's been moved to maximum level security. She had not even meant to do those things. She couldn't control it.

The guard enter the six digit key code to the locked cell. She was pushed inside and the door closed. She stepped back against the door, allowing the men to open the small slot. They undid her cuffs. Zoya slowly pulled her shoulders forward and rubbed at both wrists gently. She closed her eyes to the silence. Quietly, she walked to her cot. She stared silently at the door.

There, written in a red crayon given to her as a sick joke, was 360 tally marks.

She was leaving. Today.

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Over the time spent in the Facility, Zoya recognized a pattern. Every morning, she sparred. It was always one of two people. Wade or the silver haired boy. Wade talked a lot. Always, actually. He taught her brute force and the cleverness needed to get out of grips and out from under people much larger than her. The silver haired boy didn't talk. Never, actually. He taught her agility and speed. Since that first session, the only words to come from him were grunts and scoffs.

He had a lovely smile though.

After her sparring, there was training. How to better the skills she already knew and learn skill she never wanted to know. Like how to shoot a man. Where fatal shots were. How to take apart a gun. Training to be a soldier. Then there was testing. They ran different tests on her each day. She didn't know why, but she assumed it was for her mutation. The tests left her in pain, sometimes unable to move for days. The first test was a brain scan. Then they shaved her head. She had brain surgery the next day.

In between that, she was fed nutrition supplements. After testing she was given thick, chalky protein shakes.

Once every five days though, she was drugged and taken to the General. She assumed he was who ran this shit hole. Wade whispered about him when he had her close. Wade knows his name. Zoya had never seen his face. He always wore a mask, like the other guards did. His office though, looked so... civilian. He had a desk, a book shelf, even a plant. In the corner though, was a chair. It was almost like a dental chair, only more needles and heavier, metal straps. He was a scientist and scientist always has an experiment.

Now, as she waited for her chance of escape, she stood. The red crayon was left in the corner beside the door. She made a mark.

361.

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