Predator | Bruce Banner

Prologue: Pyra

Edited: October 18, 2018
Prologue.
Pyra

The concrete was hard beneath her feet, the black converse she was wearing slapped against the ground as she ran. Naturally, Nicole Moore was not a very good sprinter, but overall panic and adrenaline can make a person do things they're not normally capable of doing.

She supposed being chased by the cops was not in any way a normal occurrence for her. She tended to steer clear of those in power, frankly, because they made her nervous. Everyone had an end game and she certainly wanted no part of it.

The air was thick and humid — the air between the high-rise buildings was unnaturally stuffy. The drips from air conditioners up in the windows of the towering buildings fell down like a sticky rain as she ran down the sidewalk.

Her breathing came unevenly, harshly even; she was in no way an athletic individual.

Nicole searched for an escape, finding her heart beginning to pump faster, blood boiling hotter. City alley ways were no safe haven — they would only have her cornered and then arrested.

Cops, much like everyone else, were not at all fond of mutants, and most of the enhanced. Unfortunately, she had been one of them — ever since her "little" incident back in '04.

Nicole had been trying to save people from a street thug, but the cops' attention immediately turned to her after her use of fire. Perhaps it had not been the best course of action, but no one had been shot.

However, now Nicole was racing down busy city streets, dodging cars and pedestrians to be able to get away.

There was a push in the back of her mind, followed by a sting of pain in the center of her head. Like claws scratching at a steel door, but the marks quickly faded away and the pain dissipated. It made her heart jolt in panic — fear of losing control.

A monster could only be contained for so long before they ripped away at the bars that held them captive. Two years of pushing and pushing it away; of double checking to make sure the door was locked; of double checking to see if the cage in her mind would continue to contain such a beast.

To confess that she was terrified would put a dent in the door — and she could not afford to give Predator the advantage. She had named her years ago, after the escape, because calling her "it" had become exhausting. She fed upon the weak, her mind merciless and her rage unyielding.

Making a quick turn down a side street, seeing no one around, Nicole slid behind a dumpster to keep herself hidden. She desperately tried to keep her breathing calm and quiet, but it came harsh, loud and uneven. She had to use her hand to try to silence some of the noise.

Nicole would have to wait them out, and although they hadn't seen much of her features besides her blonde hair and her height, she decided not to risk it. It was moments like these that she understood why mutants, and the enhanced, usually did nothing when it came to crimes, they simply decided to become bystanders, normal citizens. If there was even a hint that someone had some type of power, they were looked at more closely than a criminal.

And Nicole found that unnerving.

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Waiting through that dreadful hour behind a dumpster felt like a tiny forever to Nicole. She looked through her phone to check the news, see if any mutants were being followed by the police.

Only one. Pyra, they had coined her. A mutant with a certain affliction with fire. She rolled her eyes but continued through the article.

Police had given up their pursuit, and began to focus on more "pressing matters", like the protests that were happening all over Manhattan for mutant (and enhanced) rights.

Nicole decided to go up the fire escape and wait until it got darker. She hated waiting, each minute feeling like an hour.

Her thoughts raced back to the article, where they were calling her a "no good hero" because mutants weren't necessarily wanted. But she did not want to be a hero. That would open the door to too much risk involving the monster in her head.