Subject 001

Strangers

4 years earlier...

It was night and Em was walking back to her apartment with a bag of groceries full of ingredients for a late dinner.

"Shit." someone whimpered from the dark alley just before her building.

Someone was hurt, she could sense it so she entered the alley searching for the poor soul, she found him sitting on the floor hidden behind a dumpster, he'd been shot and was bleeding profusely from his side.

"Oh my God," she exclaimed in surprise, catching the man by surprise. "I'm sorry. I can help." she quickly added.

"It's ok, I just need a hospital and a few stitches," he grumbled.

"My apartment is closer, it's in the building you're scored against actually," Em said calmly and the man gave her a strange look. "I know it sounds weird, but I can really help you."

The man's eyebrows tightly knit together as he weighed his options.

"Please let me help, we don't have all that much time." Em urged pleadingly.

"Yeah, ok," he said nodding.

"Great, can you walk?" she asked and he nodded.

Em helped him up, draping one of his arms over her shoulders and lightly hugging his side to make sure he leaned on her, while she carefully held her groceries with her other hand.

"My building has an elevator, so you won't have to go up any stairs," Em said cheerily as they walked to the building.

"Good, good," he said dismissively.

The rest of the way was quiet as they concentrated on getting into the apartment.

"Here, lay down," Em said, helping him onto the couch. "I'll go get what I need to get the bullet out and I'll be right back. Just stay awake and on your unhurt side," she said, putting her groceries on the coffee table and running to her bathroom.

She came back with surgical tweezers, scalpel, basin, and she was wearing gloves.

"Ok. Let's take a look." Em said kneeling on the floor in front of him, she put the things on the couch beside him. "Excuse me," she added lifting his shirt, if it wasn't for the giant bleeding bullet hole she'd be more inclined to stare at his abs. She carefully prodded his wound and he hissed in pain. "Sorry. The wound is not big enough to remove the bullet, I'll have to open it a little bit more," she explained calmly.

"Yeah, fine," he said nodding.

"Grab my arm. Trust me." Em said positioning herself so that he could hold her arm while she worked, he furrowed his brows again but complied, she grabbed the scalpel carefully. "I'm starting the incision now," she warned.

The man expected more pain, he felt the scalpel cutting his skin, but if anything he felt his pain slowly relieving.

Em carefully made the hole larger, when it was enough she stopped and got the tweezers. "I'm removing the bullet now," she said before inserting the tweezers into the wound.

Again, he could feel the weirdness that was her rummaging inside for the bullet, but no pain.

"Got it," Em exclaimed, removing the tweezers and the bullet from the wound and putting them into the bowl. "Now that that's done..." she said removing her gloves and throwing them into the bowl with the rest.

"Aren't you going to close me up?" The man asked worriedly.

"I am. Don't worry, it's just kinda weird..." Em said agitated and the man raised an eyebrow at her. "I have powers, so I'm gonna put my hands on you and you're going to feel kinda warm and weird, my hands might emit a blue glow from them, but it's ok. Please don't freak out and let me heal you."