July16 year 4033
"After them! Don't let them escape!"
As the sounds of horses galloping could be heard nearby, blending with terrified screams, a darkly toned man and woman ran frantically through back alleys. Three pursuers were hot on their trail.
The woman dreadfully looked over her shoulder as she held a bundle of red cloth closely. They had failed to lose the men chasing them even after ten minutes of sprinting. The further they ran, the more bodies and burning buildings they discovered left in the wake of the day's chaos.
The sight of their black armour was like a guillotine, slowly inching over her head with each passing second.
"There was …never a place for any of us here!" The woman screamed through shallow breaths. Over the six years of her residency in this city, she always knew this was the case, but she had hoped she was wrong.
"Huff… These men are animals sister. But we mustn't forget the ones that sacrificed for people like us!"
The man running beside her knocked over a few pallets and crates to block enemies path as they tore through a wooden fence. He did not think this could stop them, but he believed it could at least slow their pace for even a moment.
'If we can lose them and make it to the park without anymore injuries, we'll be safe…' The woman thought.
Since her abilities had gifted her better stamina she was confident in long distance running. She had already noticed one of the men beginning to slowly lag behind the other two. He would likely drop out soon!
She then heard the one who lead them shouting from behind.
"Oi! You negresse bitch! Cease this meaningless running, and we will spare that thing in your arms."
Her shoulder shook as she clenched her teeth in anger. She had never received such a direct insult before, but she could suppress how she felt for the sake of the one in her arms.
However, those words seemed to have broken the threads of patience her brother had helded tightly.
"Mind your tongue! Who are to speak to my sister that way!!" The sound of golden white sparks echoed with words. Twisted strands of his braided white hair unfurled to shoulder-length as it began to sway without wind.
"Shit! They're Forte users!"
Almost like thunder the noise rumbled in with a seconds delay as the man shot a tiny steel ball from mouth. In a golden spear of light it shot towards the armoured men who quickly created a barrier of their own light.
The instant the lightning had struck the shell's surface, their legs dug into the ground to disperse the mass of current as it ran through them.
A shockwave tore through the air around the woman ears as she almost lost of balance.
Although she possessed an ability of her own it was the first-time she had witnessed her brother's in years.
Within the depths of the human cerebral cortex, researchers had discovered a new form of matter simulated by thought and capable of interacting with the physical world.
Awhile after this knowledge shook the world and broke the balance between new era nations, a period of mass detainment began as government raced to exploit this new for energy for potential warfare and advancement in all fields of study.
However, after repeated failures to construct weapons capable of using this new power source, they were ready to abandon the research. At least that was until the lead scientist discovered her son had the ability to innately manipulate the energy and amplify its output.
The boy became known as the first Forte user in history. But his life was sadly short-lived. Overtime the use of his power wore his body out as such was fate of all those gifted enough to possess a Forte.
The woman's brother was no exception!
The golden light flickered and died, leaving a stinging scent of ozone in the air. Her brother stumbled, his chest heaving as the last of the sparks sputtered out from his hair.
As he looked back at her his eyes were glassy, and his legs trembled under exhaustion.
"Run!" he shouted, his voice barely a shadow of its former roar. "Don't look back!"
The three men moved with the synchronized cruelty of machines as they shook of the residual tingles and stepped through the dissipating smoke. As the brother tried to muster one last surge of energy, the lead pursuers blade sang through the air.
The woman didn't see the blade connect, but she heard the wet thud of a body hitting the cobblestones and the choked gasp that followed.
Her heart began to ache as instinct screamed at her to turn back. But the bundle in her arms shifted. A small, warm weight reminded her of the cost of hesitation.
She ran.
Using the last of her stamina, she channelled her remaining energy into her legs. She reached the perimeter of the central park, her muscles screaming in protest. With an explosive leap, she cleared the stone wall, tumbling into the thick shadows of the wild shrubbery.
She pressed her back against the bark of old tree and crouched to hide, trying to swallow her sobs. Outside the wall, she could hear the rhythmic clank of armour.
Those savages were still searching!
"I'm sorry little one," she whispered, her gaze falling to the bundle in the red cloth. "I had to leave uncle behind, but I won't let them take you."
Her hand trembled as it moved toward the infant's throat. She understood clearly what would happen if either she or the child were discovered. But as her fingers brushed the child's copper shaded skin, the infant's eyes fluttered open innocently.
A sharp, piercing cry broke the silence of the park.
In her stupor, the woman frantically tucked the cloth tighter to muffle the sound. "Shh, please, just a moment longer…" Her gaze softened as tears began to fill her eyes. The dam shook, yet she could not break now after making it this far away from the dying crowd. "We mustn't keep your father waiting."
The man had long left this world…
Suddenly, the air behind her grew unnaturally cold. The hair on her neck stood up as she swung her hand back in a desperate arc.
A repelling force shot from her fingertips in an instant!
whoosh! At the same time a flash of black steel cut through the air.
The woman didn't feel the pain at first, only a sudden, jarring lightness.
The top half of her skull was sheared away in a single, horizontal stroke. Her body slumped sideways, the red bundle rolling onto the grass as the child began to wail once more, oblivious to the crimson liquid soaking into the cloth.
The killer stood over them, a satisfied grin visible beneath his helmet. He lowered his guard, reaching a thick gauntlet covered hand toward the crying infant.
Then suddenly his head snapped back. His hands flew to his throat, clawing at empty air as his feet left the grass. An invisible pressure, cinched tight around his windpipe like a steel wire going taunt.
His armour creaked under the strain and with a crack his neck gave way. A mere second later his limp form was tossed aside like refuse and light footsteps approached from the nearby park gate.
A woman in black military attire entered with a slow gait.
Behinds her, she dragged two other corpses bearing the same armour however their metal plates had been slashed open, revealing a single clean cut through both their torso.
Thud!
After tossing them to the grass, she removed the hat and pressed it against her chest with reverence as kept walking. Her white hair caught the sunlight breaking through the smoke filled sky, shimmering like spun silver, while her golden eyes remained fixed on the bundle.
"If only we had arrived sooner…" As she stopped before the tree a feeling of reverie suddenly took a hold. This was her second time experiencing a sense failure and confusion this month, but she's tried her best to find the right words.
"You fought hard and did your best. Rest well knowing it was enough."
"I swear on this new path I've found that your child will be cared for."
This sentiment seems to have stirred something clinging to the mother's corpse, but the woman did not seem to notice. The thought to give the body a proper burial crossed her mind however she quickly discarded it.
'If the body remained out in the open eventually someone would identify her.'
Furthermore, while leaving her here was not the kindest thing to do, the alternative of making an unmarked grave was no better. Faced with these options the golden eyed woman simply chose the former and silently cupped the baby her arms.
She was unfamiliar with taking care of something so delicate, yet the infant quickly fell silent in her bosom.
As she turned to leave the shadows beneath the mother's corpse began to stretch.
The darkness detached itself from the dead woman, rising from the grass to follow the golden-eyed commander, a silent, spectre trailing in her wake.