[May Twenty-First]

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[attr="class","lyr1"]Can you hear me

[attr="class","lyr2"]right now

[attr="class","lyr3"]?

[attr="class","lyr4"]I got your number

[attr="class","lyr5"]&

[attr="class","lyr6"]I'm calling

[attr="class","lyr2"]you out

[attr="class","skep-tag"]

[attr="class","skep-tago"]





May Twenty-First//Artemis

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Have you ever had that strange feeling like someone was watching you? Like just out of your field of vision, someone was staring. Keeping an eye on your movements. Even in the safety of your own home? For some, it’s just anxiety. For others, it’s a worrisome nature. But for the young May, it was a feeling she couldn’t quite shake. The doctors she’d spent the last few weeks with had written it off as a symptom of ‘battle trauma’. But day after day she’d laid in that hospital bed staring up at the ceiling of the room, feeling like someone was watching.



[break][break]



It had been two weeks now since the incident against the strange villain, since May had stepped into the shoes of a hero for the first real time. Along with several other heroes, May had managed to help give time for people in the area to get away. To help ‘subdue’ the villain, if you could even call it that. She’d done what she thought was right, and yet she’d found trouble for it.



[break][break]



No quirks without a license. Gods, how many times had she heard THAT line in the last two weeks?



[break][break]



What was she supposed to do in that situation? Just turn tail and run? Leave everyone to fend for themselves? She was enrolled in the hero course at UAU, it wasn’t in her blood to run away from danger. Her heart made her run towards it, for the greater good. But alas, such was the world today. Threatening to punishing those who did the right thing. It was frustrating.



[break][break]



Thoughts bubbled around in May’s head as she lay in her hospital bed. The hour was late and the only real noise was the occasional beep from her neighbors heart monitor and the occasional shuffle of a body as someone got comfortable. You’d think with high-tech hospitals these days, they’d have more comfortable beds. But no, still threadbare mattresses that were no more comfortable than sleeping on the bloody floor.



[break][break]



May’s dual-toned eyes stared up at the ceiling. She couldn’t sleep. Her hand was throbbing in pain and because of her stupid fear of needles, she refused any sort of painkillers. So she simply suffered the throbbing beneath the cast encompassing wrist and hand. She’d genuinely overdone it in that previous battle. Loosing off almost an hour of her life. It was clear to her now that her quirk’s power scaled pretty heavily. Twenty five minutes had been enough to shatter her bow and her hand. How the heck was she ever supposed to use more than that at the same time?



[break][break]



The question would remain unanswered for some time.



[break][break]



As she lay there, she felt that uncomfortable feeling wash over her. Yet again like someone was watching. Which made no sense because she was in a completely curtained off area with not a soul in sight. The only company she had was the sound of rain pounding the side of the building and the distant rumble of thunder rolling over the building every once in a while.



[break][break]



A flash of lightning lit up the room, casting eerie shadows across every surface. But still, not a soul in sight.



[break][break]



May sat up slowly and reached up with her good hand, tousling her hair. It was gross and rather unkempt. Laying in a hospital bed SO didn’t suit her. In fact, she was done laying in a hospital bed for this evening. She needed some air. Sliding from the side of the bed she’d let bare feet press into the cool floor, revelling in the sensation that ran up her legs. Standing up felt SO good when you were stuck in a bed day after day.



[break][break]



She felt the familiar wave of nausea rushing up to greet her but ignored it. Her strength was coming back, she could surely make it up an elevator and a flight of stairs without throwing up. She reached back, buttoning up the back of her gown and with a silence that would make a ninja blush she slipped out of the room into dimly lit halls. The only sign of life was a lone nurse sitting at her station watching a video stream on her phone while also watching the computer monitor keeping track of patients. She was too much in her own little world to see May head off to the elevators.



[break][break]



“Why do hospitals smell so…clean.” She said to herself with a huff, getting into the elevator and pressing the button for the top floor. As the doors closed, a strange tingle ran up her spine.



[break][break]



“Probably the blood rushing back into my upper body.” She said with a laugh as the elevator dinged. She stepped off carefully, checking down both directions of the corridor and when she was sure it was clear she made a beeline for the stairwell and the lonely set of dust-covered stairs that lead to the rooftop. For anyone else, opening the door at the top probably would have been an issue. But May was quite handy with a bobby pin and after a few minutes of fussing the lock clicked open and she was able to open the door out onto the roof.



[break][break]



Storms never failed to amaze her. Rain pounded the stone-strewn roof in sheets, wind howled across the surface and with each strike of lightning came the angry rumble in the sky.



[break][break]



May leaned on the doorframe and sighed a little bit. For once, she didn’t step out into the storm. The nurses would probably strap her to the darn bed if she showed back up soaking wet.



[break][break]



She wasn’t sure how long she stood there, watching the storm through half-lidded eyes. Long enough to doze off. Her head lolling as she breathed softly. It wasn’t until a voice rose up from behind her that she jerked back awake.



[break][break]



“Quite the sight isn’t it?”



[break][break]



May nearly jumped out of her hospital gown, spinning about to see a woman who looked rather out of place in the hospital. Dressed in form fitting athletic clothing with raven hair that was accented with shades of pink and blue. The woman wore a white hospital mask and stared at may with an intense pair of eyes that made May’s look like they were colorless. Green, yellow, pink and blue stared at her intently before flicking to the storm outside.



[break][break]



“Oh…ehm…yes. It is.” She said, cautiously. May wasn’t supposed to be up here, but then. This woman didn’t look like she should be either.



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“What are you doing up here?”



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The woman raised a curious eyebrow, “I could ask you the same, couldn’t I?”



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May blushed and nodded, “True. I just came to watch the storm is all. Guess you’re not here to bust me then?”



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The woman chuckled, “Bust you? No. But I am here FOR you. May.”



[break][break]



May had just looked back to the storm and froze as her name was spoken. She felt the same chill from the elevator run up her spine. She turned to face the woman, “Here for me? How do you know my na—“



[break][break]



SHe never got to finish that particular sentence as a rolling ball of neon light slammed into her, throwing her out onto the roof and sending her skidding across the loose pebbles that coated the roof.



[break][break]



“This isn’t a movie dear. I’m not here to lay out the plot for you.” The woman said, stepping out into the rain, which seemed to pass right through the strange woman. Each raindrop making little ripples of what looked like neon light as they passed right through her body.



[break][break]



May landed heavily on the roof, wincing as pain erupted across her chest. Either that had broken several ribs, or knocked the wind out of her. Her body couldn’t seem do decide as she lay there wheezing, trying to get into a sitting position. But the woman was above her, slamming a foot into her chest and pinning her to the roof.



[break][break]



“Like I said. I’m here for you. Now take a nap.” A heavy slug of a fist plunged May into darkness. The last thing she heard was the rain and the strange distant voice of the woman speaking into an earpiece.



[break][break]



“Primary target is secure. Ready for transport.”



[break][break]



The distant sound of a helicopter teased May…And then there was nothing but the dark of the void of unconsciousness.

[attr="class","boxo-notes"]TIME REMAINING: 00:00:00:00:00:00

KAY

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[May Twenty-First]

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[attr="class","lyr1"]Can you hear me

[attr="class","lyr2"]right now

[attr="class","lyr3"]?

[attr="class","lyr4"]I got your number

[attr="class","lyr5"]&

[attr="class","lyr6"]I'm calling

[attr="class","lyr2"]you out

[attr="class","skep-tag"]

[attr="class","skep-tago"]


May Twenty-First//Artemis

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How strange the world was when you were unconscious. Rolling a sea of black that also bubbled with multicolored swirling lights as your brain rebooted and tried to process the physical trauma. It was a timeless place, seconds felt like minutes, minutes like hours…a prison of your own mind. But eventually, you had to wake. Had to come face-to-face with reality and for May Twenty-First. She had no idea what awaited her on the other side of the void. It was time to wake…

[break][break]

…May slowly regained consciousness, her eyelids heavy as if weighted by the weight of a thousand dreams. As her vision gradually cleared, she found herself lying on a cold, metal table in a dimly lit, sterile room. The air was thick with the acrid scent of disinfectant and illness, and a faint, eerie hum filled her ears. Disorientation and fear coursed through her veins as she tried to make sense of her surroundings.

[break][break]

The room was large, but the walls felt oppressively close, covered in peeling paint and flickering fluorescent lights. May realized she was not alone. To her horror, she saw rows of metal tables, each occupied by a person in various states of distress. Some lay still, eyes vacant, while others thrashed and moaned, their voices reduced to anguished whispers. Her table however was tucked at the far end of the room, away from the rest.

[break][break]

The prisoners, if they could be called that, wore tattered, stained clothing, and their skin bore the marks of countless experiments. Tubes and wires snaked from their bodies, leading to ominous-looking machines that blinked with malevolent intent. May could see the despair etched into their faces, the hopelessness of their plight.

[break][break]

As she tried to sit up, May's hands met restraints, cold and unyielding. Panic surged through her, and she tugged at the restraints, desperate to escape the nightmare that surrounded her. Her own clothing was unfamiliar, her hospital gown replaced with a thin, shapeless gown that barely covered her. Her skin was pale, and she felt weak, as if every ounce of strength had been drained from her.

[break][break]

A cacophony of muffled sobs and pleas filled the air, creating a haunting symphony of suffering. May realized she needed answers, needed to escape, to find out why she was here and who was responsible for this unspeakable cruelty. But as she struggled against her restraints, she couldn't help but wonder if she had already become another nameless victim in a prison where hope was a long-forgotten memory.

[break][break]

Her head was swimming, like it was numb. Her limbs while she could tug at the restraints felt weighed down as if they were trying to move through thick molasses. The metal table beneath her was warm to her skin. She’d been here long enough to warm the steel then. Her eyes searched room desperately, looking for some sort of clue as to her location as fear bubbled up in her, clinging to her like a second skin.

[break][break]

“H…Hello?!” She called out, her voice was raspy, her throat dry.

[break][break]

No answer came initially. But then…

[break][break]

“Ah. She wakes.” Came a woman’s voice. Tinny like it was being run through a filter.

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“Who’s there!? What the hell is this?!” She asked, yanking at her wrists.

[break][break]

“Easy now. All will be made clear soon enough dear May. Rest assured, you are safe for now. Just relax. Take a nap. We need you nice and strong. Just breaaaathe…” The woman spoke in almost melodic tones and as she said the words breathe, May felt a strange taste in her mouth like someone was putting a mask over her face and making ehr breath in anaesthetic gases.

[break][break]

She coughed in confusion, “What is…th…I…s…” Her voice trailed off and for the second time she found her consciousness being stolen from her. Her head dropped onto the metal table with an audible ‘thud’ and she was out.

[break][break]

As soon as she was the voice spoke, “Bring her up to the theater Doctor.”

[break][break]

From the side of the room not far from May’s desk was a man wearing a plague doctors outfit, complete with a full mask. He wore a belt full of scalpels and his response came with a voice that sounded like a dozen nails on a chalkboard, “Very well. You could have kept her awake for the trip you know…”

[break][break]

Laughter came from the tinny speaker in the corner of the room, “And let her see the entire interior of my operation? I think not Doctor. Now hurry it up.” There was a crackling buzz and the speaker went quiet.

[break][break]

The man shook his head, “Ever the cautious one.” He climbed to his feet and walked over to the table May was secured to. He kicked the locked brakes on the wheels the table stood upon and with an almost happy hum he wheeled her through the sickness filled chamber. If May had been awake she’d have been greeted by horrific sights. People in varied states of illness. Coughing and rasping. Decaying bodies still alive as they rotted. And yet the place still smelt…clean.

[break][break]

The doctor wheeled May into a rattling elevator and with a scan of a keycard on an ancient looking scanner the elevator clanked to life and began to lower down what could only be described as a mineshaft. The elevator was like one of those mine lifts making it way through a shaft hewn straight from stone. The trip down was a long one. Deep enough that you could feel your ears popping.

[break][break]

When the lift came to a stop and the doors opened, May would be pushed out. The corridor in front of them was a stark, cold and clinical place. The walls were a sickly shade of pale green, illuminated by flickering fluorescent lights overhead. The tiles on the floor were cracked with stains seeping out from between them, having bore witness to the passage of countless feet, both human and otherwise. There was a constant, unsettling hum that reverberated through the corridor like a never-ending mechanical heartbeat. The source of which was not visible.

[break][break]

The air in the place was heavy with the antiseptic scent of disinfectants, masking the underlying odors that hinted at the misery that permeated the place. The man wheeling May along, felt as detached and emotionless as the entire place did. Behind his mask, his eyes which were barely visibly showed no hint of compassion or humanity. He was cold and efficient in his movements through the labyrinthine corridors.

[break][break]

As May was wheeled deeper into the heart of the facility, her consciousness began to seep back into her. Her eyes flickered as they moved along. The sterile, green-tiled corridor led to a set of imposing double doors, which slowly swung open with a creaking noise as she was wheeled through them. To a room which sent a chill down her spine.

[break][break]

The chamber within was an unsettling amalgamation of a grotesque throne room and a clinical laboratory. The walls were adorned with strange symbols and diagrams that seemed to serve some ominous purpose, casting eerie shadows in the dimly lit space. Fluorescent lights flickered overhead, creating an unsettling strobe effect that bathed the room in an eerie, unnatural glow.

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At the center of the room, on a raised platform, sat a morbid throne-like chair, fashioned from cold metal and adorned with unsettling spikes and sharp edges. Upon the throne sat a woman who appeared to be in the grip of a terrible affliction. Her skin was deathly pale, stretched taut over her emaciated frame, and her eyes were sunken, surrounded by deep, dark circles. She looked like a figure out of a nightmare, a wretched queen presiding over her macabre domain.

[break][break]

The woman's hair, once perhaps vibrant and full, now hung in limp, greasy strands around her face. She wore a tattered gown that was stained with a dark, viscous substance. Tubes and wires emerged from her body, disappearing into the machinery that surrounded her throne. The room itself seemed to pulse with a malevolent energy, as if it were alive and complicit in the horrors unfolding within its walls.

[break][break]

May's gurney came to a stop at the edge of the platform, and she could feel the gaze of the sickly woman upon her. The woman's lips curled into a grotesque semblance of a smile, revealing a set of yellowed, decaying teeth. It was a smile devoid of warmth, a chilling acknowledgment of May's arrival in this nightmarish chamber.

[break][break]

The realization struck May that she had entered the inner sanctum of this horrifying facility, and the woman on the throne was its nightmarish ruler. With each passing moment, the sense of foreboding and dread in the room deepened, leaving May with a haunting certainty that she had stumbled into a realm of unspeakable darkness.

[break][break]

“Welcome, May. You may leave us Pelagius.”

[break][break]

The plague doctor dressed individual dipped into a bow and was off without another word.

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“I imagine that head of yours is swimming with SO many questions, isn’t it young hero? Do feel free to ask. Perhaps I’ll answer if you ask the right questions….”

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The woman’s voice was haunting, somehow weak but strong like someone fighting through an illness. May shook her head to try and clear the fog and form words on numb lips.

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“Ah. Right.” The woman snapped her fingers, a piercing noise followed by all May’s symptoms seeming to evaporate in an instant. She was no longer heavy, her head was no longer foggy and she felt alert once more.

[break][break]

“Funny how the common cold can be so disorienting when it’s dialed up to eleven, isn’t it?” Asked the specter before May, grinning through teeth that seemed to seep black.

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“Not sure that’s how I’d describe it. Now where the heck am I?” May demanded, doing her best to appear strong despite the near crippling fear threatening to overcome her.

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A grin slipped across the woman’s lips, “No need to mask that fear. It is ever so delicious. However, that is the right question. You sit in the heart of my…let’s call it, operation.”

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May closed her eyes, “And why am I here?”

[break][break]

“Because I willed it to be so. And because you’re a very important piece to my biological puzzle. You’re an an essential asset.”

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May tugged at her restraints angrily, “If I’m such an asset, why don’t you let me free of these stu…” Again she was at a loss for words as the woman snapped her fingers and the metal restraints melted away from May’s wrists and let her sit up.

[break][break]

“Free you from your bonds? Certainly.”

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May blinked and sat up slowly, cautiously and stared at the woman, “Who are you?”

[break][break]

“Another good question. I am…the Affliction.” The title was ominous, spoken with words that felt like they were dripping with illness, threatening to permeate the very air between them.

[break][break]

Where exactly had May landed herself?

[break][break]

“And what do you want with me? What’s stopping me from walking up there and pounding you into dust and then walking right out of here?” May asked as she hopped from the table, landing on her feet.

[break][break]

The woman grinned again, “What’s stopping you? Perhaps the cancer in your lungs…” She snapped her fingers and suddenly May’s lungs felt like they were full of liquid, she was coughing suddenly making blood leak from her lips.

[break][break]

“…The neuromuscular infection that is making your limbs weak.” The woman snapped her fingers again and the strength in May’s limbs seemed to melt away, her legs shook and she fell to all fours, still coughing and hacking up blood.

[break][break]

“…Or perhaps, the thunderclap headache making it hard to do anything but bear the pain.” Another snap of fingers and suddenly May’s head was exploding with pain, like someone had just hit it with a sledgehammer. She cried out in pain, a bubble of blood coming with her cry as she slumped to the ground.

[break][break]

SNAP!

[break][break]

All the symptoms dissapeared and suddenly May felt normal again, despite the lingering blood leaking from the corner of her mouth. She stared up at the woman who grinned, staring back with lifeless eyes.

[break][break]

“Any other idiotic questions, child? Or would you like to feel what it’s like to suffer through an entire course of Ebola first?”

[break][break]

May pursed her lips, wiping at the blood with her still casted left hand, but said nothing. Fear stopping her in her tracks, she didn’t even try to climb back up to her feet.

[break][break]

“Good choice. You are here, because you are required. No more, no less.”

[break][break]

May shuffled slightly, “And after I’ve met my requirements? What then?”

[break][break]

“A quick and painless death, if you cooperate. Or a long…torturous one as you watch me cleanse this society of it’s weakest links.”

[break][break]

Climbing to her feet finally, May wobbled slightly. Nauseous as she spoke, “Cleanse society how?”

[break][break]

The woman sighed dramatically, “You’re really going to make me do the whole villain thing aren’t you? How boring. How cliche.”

[break][break]

May didn’t respond, she just stared. Fear gripping her. This was not a place she wanted to be.

[break][break]

“Very well. But first…another nap.”

[break][break]

SNAP!

[break][break]

May let out a cry as her head exploded in pain again and very quickly the ground was rushing up to meet her. How many times was she going to be knocked out today…?

[attr="class","boxo-notes"]TIME REMAINING: 00:00:00:00:Ω:Ω

KAY

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[May Twenty-First]

[nospaces]

[attr="class","skep-holder"]

[attr="class","skep-tiny"]

[attr="class","skep-shape"]

[attr="class","skep-shape-cont"]

[attr="class","lyr1"]Can you hear me

[attr="class","lyr2"]right now

[attr="class","lyr3"]?

[attr="class","lyr4"]I got your number

[attr="class","lyr5"]&

[attr="class","lyr6"]I'm calling

[attr="class","lyr2"]you out

[attr="class","skep-tag"]

[attr="class","skep-tago"]


May Twenty-First//Artemis

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How many times would she be dragged into the world of the unconscious? This time at least, it didn’t seem like May was out quite as long. She felt her head clearing and let out a small pained groan as she eased her eyes open. Her head still pounded, but not as much as it had before she’d been out. Based on what she saw, they were no longer in the morbid throne room, but were instead back in the room she’d woken up in the first time.

[break][break]

Bound once again to a cold, unyielding metal table, May's heart pounded in her chest as the grotesque woman who ruled this nightmarish chamber stood nearby. Her restraints were unforgiving, securing her wrists and ankles with unbreakable bonds, rendering her helpless in the face of impending horror.

[break][break]

The room remained dimly lit, the flickering fluorescent lights casting eerie shadows that danced on the walls. The woman's sickly form seemed to blend with the macabre surroundings, as if she were a sinister part of the very fabric of this dreadful place.

[break][break]

With an air of malevolent satisfaction as may began to wake, the woman began to speak, her voice a raspy whisper that sent shivers down May's spine. "You see, my dear," she hissed, her eyes glinting with madness, "The world is plagued by the weak, the useless, those without the gifts of a quirk." She gestured towards the prisoners in the chamber, each bearing the scars of cruel experimentation. "These pitiful souls were once like you, but now they are vessels of my grand design."

[break][break]

May's heart sank as she realized the woman's twisted plan. She was intent on using her whatever her quirk was for a sinister purpose, to eliminate those without quirks from society. The woman continued, her voice filled with deranged conviction, "Quirkless individuals are nothing more than parasites, leeching off the talents of the gifted. They are the weakest links, dragging humanity down into mediocrity."

[break][break]

The machinery in the room hummed to life, and May could see vials and tubes filled with a dark, ominous substance connected to the apparatus surrounding her table, that’s when she noticed the IV line running into her hand, a sense of panic bubbling up into her stomach. The woman leaned in close, her sickly breath washing over May's face as she whispered, "But you, my dear, may be the key to my vision. Your blood may hold the power to make this all a reality. A quirk that is linked to ones lifeforce. A plague borne of this, could target all those without quirks simply because it doesn’t see the connection…"

[break][break]

May's mind raced with terror as she struggled against her restraints, her gaze darting around the chamber. She knew she had to find a way to escape this monstrous plan and save not only herself but the countless others who had become pawns in this madwoman's horrifying scheme. She was scared, but she was a hero. She had to do something.

[break][break]

As the woman's words continued to echo in the chamber, May's determination grew. She had to find a way to stop this madness and put an end to the suffering that had consumed this wretched place. The battle for her life and the lives of those like her had only just begun, and the outcome hung in the balance between darkness and hope.

[break][break]

May spat at the woman, “I won’t let you.”

[break][break]

The laughter that came back at her was unsettling as the sickly woman cast her gaze upon May, “I look forward to seeing you try. Of course, that will be difficult where you’re going…” The woman traced a finger along the IV line, the dark ominous substance snaking it’s way slowly towards May’s hand. The sickly woman traced her finger along, following the liquids progress.

[break][break]

May tugged at her restraints, tried to dislodge the line, “W…What is that?”

[break][break]

The woman simply grinned, “Your worst nightmare. Made real. Imagine every time you’ve ever been sick, every time you’ve ever felt under the weather. But a hundred times worse. As bacteria doesn’t only try to tear you apart, but tries to bind with your blood. Oh the symptoms you’ll experience, for science of course. You won’t die, but you’ll wish you woooould.”

[break][break]

Then the liquid reached her hand and May felt a foreign, inky feeling pushing into her hand, into her veins. Her chest heaved in panic as she struggled.

[break][break]

“Put her out doctor. Five cycles and then we can check the results.”

[break][break]

The plague doctor individual from before who was standing nearby nodded, lifting a mask attached to a tank of anesthetic gas, with a fair amount of struggling from May, he managed to affix it over her mouth of nose, straps holding it on her head as he turned the tank on.

[break][break]

“S…stop!” May begged.

[break][break]

The woman simply wiggled her fingers, “See you in five.”

[break][break]

The sickly sweet scent of the gas found May and moments later she was plunged into a world of sleep once more. She would come to learn that being put to sleep like that, was a merciful act.

[attr="class","boxo-notes"]TIME REMAINING: 00:00:00:00:00:00

KAY

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[repulsor]

The Aftershock Hero

The morning sun cast a feeble light into the hospital room, its rays filtered through rain-streaked windows. Satori, known as Repulsor for his quirk, had made it a daily routine to visit his niece May, watching over her as she recovered from her injuries. It had been a particularly stormy night, and the sound of raindrops tapping against the windowpane had filled the room for most of the evening. He knew May liked storms.


As Satori entered the room on this particular morning, he noticed something was amiss. May's hospital bed lay empty, the sheets neatly arranged, but devoid of his niece. A curious sense of anxiety surged through Satori as he scanned the room, hoping to find some clue, some sign of where she might have gone. There was no note, no indication of what had transpired. Satori's quirk flared with his anxiety, causing the air around him to tremble slightly.


Moving about the room he let his eyes scan the area. The bed was neatly made, May’s personal belongings still sat in a veritable pile along with the small bag holding the shattered remains of her bow and her notebook still sat on the bedside table, a pencil sitting atop it. Despite the items, there was no trace of May’s presence except that familiar lingering scent. Mays favorite perfume still lingering in the air.


Perhaps she was still about?


Satori moved out of the room and into the hall where he made his way towards the reception desk. He came into the hospital through the staff elevators as he was a consistent volunteer so he’d skipped right over the reception area. As he approached he came to a slow pause. The normally vibrant bouquet of flowers the nurses kept alive and tended to was wilted. It’s petals falling off in decay upon the table. At the desk sat one of the nurses, her head tilted downwards with her chin against her chest. She was still. Too still.


More panic bubbled up in his stomach as Satori approached the desk, “Akane…?” He called out cautiously. The nurse did not respond. Not even a flicker of movement. Satori moved up to the desk and felt his stomach drop. He saw the blood. Saw the grey pallor of her skin and smelt the scent of…decay. Like she’d been sitting there dead for a long time. What in the hell was going on?


That’s when he noticed it. The silence. The hospital was normally fairly quiet. But this was more than that. Like a deathly silence was permeating this entire floor. Not a single beep of a heart monitor, not a single chatter of a voice. It was just dead and concerning silence. Satori let his quirk prepare itself as he rushed to nearby rooms. The sights that greeted him were the same as that of the receptionist. Decay. Death. In every single room. But not a sign of a fight as if death had simply rolled through the floor.


Men, Women, even children lay still. Too still. Satori was a retired hero but even now he felt hat familiar prickling in the back of his neck, that urge to help. But at the same time, his role as an uncle too screamed in his head. May was still missing. Not a sign of her amongst the death and decay. He wasn’t sure if that was concerning or relieving. He hurried to the main desk, slamming a hand down on the hospital’s ‘panic’ button and then rushing back to May’s room, pausing outside the door.


It had been storming last night, was it possible that May had done the same thing she always did during storms? Had she gone up to the roof and fallen asleep? Hurrying to the stairwell he ran up the six flights of stairs to the roof exit. The sight that greeted him did nothing to put his anxiety at rest. The door was hanging wide open and the disturbed pebbled on the roof showed signs of some sort of movement. He moved to the doorframe, his fuchsia eyes studying the scene before him.


There wasn’t much here to be seen. Some scattered pebbled, a hairline crack in the roof and an area completely devoid of the loose pebbles like some sort of wind had blow them all away. Like a helicopter landing. Satori leaned down, a finger pressing against a small streak of blood on the ground and noting a small soaked scrap of paper bearing a strange circular symbol and the letters ‘ERI’. He noted this before turning his gaze back to his surroundings.


This was not good. Already he could feel the anxiety bubbling in his gut. May was missing. Dozens were dead and other than the scene and the small slip of paper he had no clue to what had happened here. He tugged out his phone, snapping a quick photo of decaying piece of paper, which he sent off to a PI friend of his. He could hear alarms blaring from inside the hospital, by now the pro’s would be arriving to the scene. He may as well speak with them before he figured out what he was going to do.


Someone had killed all these people and taken his niece. Clearly they didn’t know who they’d picked a fight with.

Notes

Tags

Whatevs

OWL

Pl

[repulsor]

The Aftershock Hero

[Kaya: That picture you sent me. It looks like the logo for the Eclipse Research Institute. They occasionally work pretty closely with the hospital so it’s not unusual for something with their information on it to pop up at that hospital.]

Satori stared at his phone, reading through the message. He can’t say he was happy with the response telling him it was likely fairly common to see something bearing those initials at the hospital. It was the only clue he had at this point on who had hurt all these people and potentially having taken his niece. He narrowed his eyes at his phone, staring at it like doing so would make the text change to something more promising.

As he did so, a head of blonde hair with the kind of smile that could light up a room poked into his line of sight, blocking his phone. Bright crystalline green eyes looked up at him as horse-like ears flicked gently atop the woman’s head, “Proooooblem Satori-San? You look like you’re having a staredown with your phone.”

Satori growled and gave the girl a gently push out of his line of sight, stowing his phone in his pocket, “Just a text response I didn’t want to get.” He mumbled.

The girl stepped back. Dressed like what you could describe as a typical southern cowgirl. She leaned against the nearby wall, a horse tail flicking behind her lazily, “Fine fine. So why don’t y’all walk me through what happened here then? Fer the record an’ all that.”

Satori rubbed his temples a little bit, pushing fingers through his red hair, “I told you. I don’t know. I came to visit my niece and found the place like this. And now she’s missing. I don’t have time to explain things to you a hundred times!” He said, perhaps a bit more sharply than he intended. He turned and walked towards the exit, only stopping as the girl put a hand across the doorframe, halting his momentum.

“Satori-San. I know y’ve got personal stake in this. But don’ go doing anything reckless…ok? Y’ve been outta the game a long time.”

Satori turned his gaze on her, rather intensely, “Heroics aren’t a game, Midori. You know that.”

She tugged her arm out of his way and reached into a pocket, taking out a business card, licking it and sticking it to his forehead, “My number. In case y’find any info.”

“Gross.” Satori mumbled, tugging the card from his forehead and despite the frown, the hidden smile behind his lips could be seen as he tucked the card carefully into his pocket, “As if I didn’t already have it.”

Midori blushed.

Satori winked and then slipped out of the door, heading out of the hospital proper and tugging out his phone. A quick internet search told him that ERI was on the opposite side of the city. A huge privately funded lab.

“Publicly funded. Of course. That’s always promising in stories like these.” He sighed and after a moments consideration he headed to his car and sped off towards the other side of the city, though he did take five minutes to change into his reinforced hero outfit that he kept in his trunk, trying to ignore the fact that it seemed a bit tighter around the midsection than it used to be. Maybe he’d been out of the game TOO long.

Ignoring his self conscious thoughts he tore off down the highway, his mind wandering as he drove.

Twice in less than a month May was being dragged into some sort of danger. First the battle with the purple haired man, and now some sort of strange kidnapping following a string of murders. She was either the unluckiest girl in the world, or she was being specifically targeted for some reason or other. Regardless, he intended to make sure she was safe and sound.

As he drove, he considered sending a text to May’s mother. Letting her know what was going on. But he hesitated. The woman already had enough to worry about at this point and something like this would only make the pressure on the young woman even worse. Even after the big battle two weeks ago the girls parents had already doubled down on their efforts to pull her out of UAU. Even asking Satori to find a reason to expel her. Sometimes it was hard being both in the girls corner, and loyal to his family at the same time. He was after all a big part of the reason May had chosen to enroll in the first place.

Satori sighed as he got off the highway at the right exit, his GPS yelling at him to make the turn. Five minutes later and he was pulling into the nearly deserted parking lot of the Eclipse Research Institute. You’d think for some publicly funded lab, it would be a bit busier. But there was only about ten cars in the parking lot. The lab itself, looked like nature had long since reclaimed it. Every surface covered in climbing vines, the main path flanked by overgrown flora. It was kind of a pretty in a way, but Satori didn’t have time to admire the sights. He made a beeline for the front door.

Moving up, the lonely security guard in her booth looked up. A bit surprised by someone dressed like a hero approaching, “E…Excuse me Miss, how can I help you?”

Satori couldn’t help but chuckle internally. Some things never changed, “It’s sir, actually. I’m just here on business. Is there a receptionist inside?”

The security guard blinked but nodded, “Reception is inside but generally you have to have an appointment.”

“They’ll make an exception for a hero.” Satori said, moving in through the main door. The inside of the building was a strange smell. Somehow dirty and clean at the same time. An antiseptic smell permeated the air. Satori wrinkled his nose and headed up to the main desk where a young man with chocolate brown hair typed away on a computer, they didn’t even look up as Satori approached.

“Name? Appointment time?” He mumbled.

Satori leaned on the desk, “Repulsor, and I have no appointment. But I’m on official business and need to speak with your superior.”

The man chuckled, “Lady Amandine does not see anyone without an appointment.” The man looked up at Satori, “Hero or not.”

Satori wasn’t smiling.

“Well then, you won’t mind if I just poke around a bit then?”

The man shook his head, “I’m afraid I can’t allow it. This is a private lab Sir.”

Satori sighed and nodded, “Very well, how do I make an appointment?”

“Lady Amandine isn’t currently taking appointments.”

Satori narrowed his eyes and then shrugged, “So be it.” He then turned and left without another word. He couldn’t look around inside, but nothing was stopping him from looking around the outside of the building. He moved outside, flipping his hair at the security guard and walking around towards the parking lot, except as he did he didn’t stop at his car. He continued along the side of the building.

He paused to send a text.

[R: Midori, can you see if you can get me any info on the Eclipse Research Institute and the woman who runs it, Lady Amandine?]

He sent it along and looked up at the building. Time to do some sniffing about. If he were a vigilante, he’d have simple smashed his way right through the lobby. But he was a hero, there was a proper way to do things first.

Notes

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Whatevs

OWL

Pl

[May Twenty-First]

[nospaces]

[attr="class","skep-holder"]

[attr="class","skep-tiny"]

[attr="class","skep-shape"]

[attr="class","skep-shape-cont"]

[attr="class","lyr1"]Can you hear me

[attr="class","lyr2"]right now

[attr="class","lyr3"]?

[attr="class","lyr4"]I got your number

[attr="class","lyr5"]&

[attr="class","lyr6"]I'm calling

[attr="class","lyr2"]you out

[attr="class","skep-tag"]

[attr="class","skep-tago"]


May Twenty-First//Artemis

[attr="class","skep-img"]

[attr="class","skep-content"]

[attr="class","ray-img"]

In the depths of unconsciousness, May found herself trapped in a nightmarish dreamworld, a surreal and horrifying landscape that seemed to defy all logic and reason. This dreamworld was a twisted reflection of her own fears and anxieties, a place where reality itself had warped into a grotesque and surreal nightmare.

[break][break]

The sky above was a sickly shade of purple, and the landscape stretched out endlessly in all directions, an eerie, shifting terrain of jagged, blackened rocks and grotesque, contorted trees. The air was heavy with an oppressive silence, broken only by the distant, haunting cries of unseen creatures.

[break][break]

May's surroundings seemed to pulse with a malevolent energy, as if the very fabric of this dreamworld was alive and malevolent. Strange, otherworldly shapes moved in the shadows, their forms elusive and nightmarish. Twisted, faceless figures lurked in the periphery of her vision, their presence sending shivers down her spine.

[break][break]

As she tried to move, May realized that her body was heavy and unresponsive, as if it were made of lead. It was as though the dreamworld itself was conspiring to keep her trapped within its nightmarish grasp. She struggled to make sense of her surroundings, but the rules of this dreamworld were ever-shifting and incomprehensible.

[break][break]

The sky above suddenly darkened, and a torrential downpour of blood-red rain began to fall, drenching May and staining her skin with an eerie, crimson hue. The rain seemed to burn, and every drop that touched her felt like an agonizing torment.

[break][break]

In the distance, May could hear a chorus of eerie, whispered voices, their words indecipherable but filled with a palpable sense of dread. They seemed to be drawing closer, their presence closing in on her like a tightening noose.

[break][break]

Amid the nightmarish landscape, there was a sense of being watched, of unseen eyes that bore into her soul. Every shadow seemed to hide some lurking horror, and every step she took led her deeper into the heart of this surreal nightmare.

[break][break]

May's sense of time and space became distorted, and she felt as though she were falling through a never-ending abyss of terror and despair. The dreamworld seemed to feed on her fear, amplifying it with each passing moment, trapping her in a never-ending cycle of torment.

[break][break]

But then there was a shaft of light. A solitary figure that was a stark contrast to the dreamy, crimson stained landscape. It was a figure that looked very similar to her own, except ribbons of shadow and light swirled around it as it walked up to her. It’s warm light pushing away the nightmare and giving way to an almost oasis in the middle of it. A cube of lush grass and sunshine.

[break][break]

May let out a small sigh of relief. The line between consciousness and unconsciousness was becoming extremely thin. This was so familiar, and yet so foreign at the same time. She sat down on a fallen log that had literally blossomed out of the ground behind her. The figure in front of her melted away giving way to a man in rusted platemail, his short hair shock white and a wide smile on his face as he reclined against an unseen wall.

[break][break]

“Gods May. You’ve really let yourself go huh?” He said in a chipper voice, looking around at the nightmare-scape outside their little bubble.

[break][break]

“Roary…?” She asked cautiously as she felt the strange weight lift off of her.

[break][break]

“The ONE and only! I knew you couldn’t forget a heroic and brave knight like me!” He flexed his arms to accentuate the point, “So where’ve you been anyways? The town misses you!”

[break][break]

“I…” May paused and stared at him for a long time. Roary was part of the simulation she’d spent three decades in. He was nothing but a figment borne of comlex machines and computers. But, he was a solace from the world around her.

[break][break]

“…I woke up.”

[break][break]

Roary raised a surprisingly well-plucked eyebrow, “Woke up huh? Bet that felt good. Did you get a good stretch in when you did? You always were a bit sleepy…”

[break][break]

May stifled a small giggle, masking the breaking of her voice, “Yeah. A good stretch. How’s Mira?”

[break][break]

Roary grinned, “She’s great! She just had our first kid! A girl, we named her after a friend…” He stared at May and winked.

[break][break]

May blushed and then sniffed slightly, “You…You know this isn’t real right? This is all just in my head.”

[break][break]

Roary snorted softly and climbed to his feet, his rusted plate armor squeaking audible as she walked over, leaning down to look May in the eyes with his own bright blue hues, “Just because it’s in your head, doesn’t make it any less real my friend. You’d be surprised just how strong a few memories can be.” The sound of a child crying echoed through the small space and Roary sighed.

[break][break]

“Mm. That’d be the little one. You should come meet her some day. When you’re done being the hero you were always meant to be.”

[break][break]

May tilted her head, “The hero I was meant to be?”

[break][break]

Roary walked towards the edge of the safe space and looked over his shoulder, “You doubt yourself a lot kiddo. But we see past that. We see that pure heart of yours, that fiery spark that drives you. Keep at it. We’re proud of you…And you can make it through this. Be strong kid.” He wiggled his fingers, put on a goofy grin and stepped into the nightmare, disappearing like he’d never been there. Slowly the safe space began to shrink until all that was left was a singular blue and white flower growing from the ground in front of May as she sunk to her knee’s.

[break][break]

She felt the crimson rain washing down, stinging her skin again and giving her a stark reminder of her situation. Her head slumped forwards slightly. Funny how a simulated person could offer her some form of comfort in this place. She felt the stinging pain in her hand, looking down to see the end of an IV extending from her skin, she let out a small whimper.

[break][break]

Be strong. But how?

[attr="class","boxo-notes"]TIME REMAINING: 00:00:00:00:00:00

KAY

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[repulsor]

The Aftershock Hero

Satori walked along the side of the building. The lab itself had very few windows. Which for a research building seemed an odd choice and to Satori’s observant eyes, the inside of the lab had been significantly deeper than the outside seemed to give credit to. Which was strange as it was built into the side of a sort of ‘hillock’ with the mass of dirt rising up behind the building. The hill itself seemed inconspicuous enough save for the lone utility encompassed by a fence. It looked like one of those backup generators with a little shed next to it for maintenance and wire housings to be maintained.

“Except the wires don’t run back towards the lab…” Satori’s eyes followed the metal encased wiring which ran opposite of the lab and dove into the ground towards the hill. Unless it went down and back under the backup generator, they were powering something else.

Walking across the open lawn, Satori cast a glance up to the main lab building, camera’s were clearly following his progress, but that didn’t stop him. He moved up to the fence surrounding the generator, running a finger along the fence. He could feel the hum from the machine in his chest as it pumped out energy.

“If it’s a backup. Why is it running?”

————————————————————

Back inside, a security guard watched the screens as Satori approached the backup generators. Behind him stood the frail woman, cloaked in thick black robes, “Your orders Ma’am?”

The woman didn’t answer immediately, hollow eyes watching the screen for a moment before she leaned down and pressed a button, “Let him in. I will deal with him inside. Can’t have him calling the other pro’s in.”

The security guard nodded.

———————————————————

Satori heard a click and turned his gaze immediately to the little shed door which popped open suddenly. He expected a maintenance panel, maybe some tools. But what he saw or better yet, smelled. Was not what you’d expect. The scent of decay, and a set of stone stairs that looked like they’d been painted in blood. Satori felt an unnatural chill run up his spine.

“This doesn’t bode well.”

He felt his phone buzz in his pocket.

[Midori: I’ll do what I can. Don’t do anything reckless sugar-cube.]

Satori chuckled. He needed to remember to take Midori out on a date again one of these days. But for now, he had bigger fish to fry. He used a small shockwave from the tip of his finger to blast apart the lock on the fence and without any hesitation stepped into the shed, the staircase was narrow and seemed like it went down forever, again, in the opposite direction of the lab.

And the smell. The smell was awful. A mix of decay and antiseptic. But Satori wasn’t a hero because he was a coward, he stepped into the stairwell without fear and walked down into it’s depths. The lower he went, the stronger the smell. The stairway lit with the same decaying, flickering fluorescent lights as the rest of the place.

The staircase seemed to stretch on forever but eventually Satori reached the bottom. He stood in the doorway leading into a circular room, with a reception desk very much reminiscent of the one in the lab on the surface. Except at this desk sat what looked like the ghost of a woman. Sickly and weak in her chair. Sunken eyes looked up at Satori.

“Welcome, hero.” She said in a raspy voice.

He felt the flutter in his stomach, he could feel his senses firing on all cylinders, trying to warn him of the dangers around him. He stopped halfway to the desk and stared at the woman for a long moment, “I hardly feel this is a welcoming place. Now, where is the young woman who was taken from the hospital?” He asked sharply, his voice giving no room for argument.

The woman tilted her head to the side, it gave off audible cracks as if the bones were broken, “Young woman taken from a hospital? I’d have to check our records. We take in many from such places.”

Satori ground his teeth gently, “Don’t jerk me around you…whatever you are. She’s either here, or someone from your lab has laid hands upon her. A young woman with pink hair, kind of hard to miss.”

The woman stood up suddenly, an evil grin spreading across her lips and showing decaying teeth, “Oh. You mean the young student. May Twenty-First as she likes to call herself? Uses her quirk to kill herself and save others?”

There it was. This was the right place. She was here. Satori narrowed his eyes, “Yes. That one. My niece, you’ve taken the wrong person. Villain.”

Laughter echoed through the chamber, layers of it. But the woman’s mouth never moved, not even as she spoke again, “Never heard of her. But then, even if I had…I wouldn’t be turning her over to you. You’ve walked into an early grave, Hero.”

The walls, covered in what looked like flesh seemed to bubble before a torrent of semi-solid black goo exploded out of it’s surface, launching at Satori. He threw up a hand in front of himself, letting loose a forwards shockwave just as the stuff touched his hand. The column of black ooze exploded, plastering the left and right sides of the room with the stuff. Satori stared at his hand, it trembled as the flesh grew red and hot, like it was infected.

From directly over his shoulder came a voice, “Do be careful. You could pick up an infection in a place like this…”

He spun and launched another shockwave in front of him immediately…at nothing but air. The woman was gone. But the black ooze coating the walls had covered every inch of it’s surface. Covering over the exits, slowly creeping along the floor towards him, “Rest well Hero. Know that your body will be used for science. And that your niece too, will contribute to the reshaping of society.”

Then the woman disappeared from behind the reception desk as the ooze crept towards him.

Now, he couldn’t have known how the place was built. But it was this lack of knowledge that saved him in that moment. He lifted a hand and plunged it downwards against the floor, letting loose a huge shockwave. One that sent huge cracks along the floor, that shattered the walls and several floors below him. As he did the ooze launched from the surfaces as they tumbled down into the chasm he’d just created in the underground facility.

A mid-air struggle as he launched shockwave after shockwave at each column of black that rushed at him. He wasn’t a pro for nothing. But he wasn’t invincible and the floor on the ground below was quickly rushing up to greet him and the strange ooze.

Clearly, he’d found the right place. But the question was, would he make it out?

Notes

Tags

Whatevs

OWL

Pl

[May Twenty-First]

[nospaces]

[attr="class","skep-holder"]

[attr="class","skep-tiny"]

[attr="class","skep-shape"]

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[attr="class","lyr1"]Can you hear me

[attr="class","lyr2"]right now

[attr="class","lyr3"]?

[attr="class","lyr4"]I got your number

[attr="class","lyr5"]&

[attr="class","lyr6"]I'm calling

[attr="class","lyr2"]you out

[attr="class","skep-tag"]

[attr="class","skep-tago"]


May Twenty-First//Artemis

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If not for the events unfolding in the facility, it was likely that May would have spent an incomprehensible time stuck inside this facility. Her blood and quirk being used to fuel a plague that could hurt many of the most vulnerable in society. But as it was, luck was on her side. Family was on her side. High above, Satori’s combat with The Afflicted sent ripples throughout the facility. Power died, walls cracked from shockwaves and combat and eventually, it reached the lab.

[break][break]

At first it was no big deal. Some shaking, some flickering of lights. But everything stayed as it was. The man dressed as a plague doctor lazed in his chair at the head of the room, watching hundreds of screens showing various readouts from bio monitors, including May’s whose readings were all over the place. Such was what usually happened when new subjects were introduced to their mistress’ special blend.

[break][break]

It was as this man was watching his screens that all hell broke loose. The power flickered, and then a ripple through the system blew out the lights. Blew out the power. The whole room was plunged into darkness. Machines turned off, sedatives stopped flower and there was an almost deafening silence that fell over the room. The plague doctor climbed to his feet hurriedly, rushing over to a control panel and began pulling mechanical switches to reboot. The system. He had about a minute before some of the tougher ones started waking up.

[break][break]

It was a long tense minute and as he grabbed the final switch that he felt it. An icy breeze followed by the sound of something slicing through the air. He felt the pain moments later as his hand separated from his body. He stumbled backwards, “Shit shit shit.” He said, burying the wound in the folds of his coat as ice rose from the floor in front of him, forming the silhouette of a person and then solidifying into the form of a shock-white haired woman.

[break][break]

“Evening doctor.” She said, eyes glowing a vibrant blue as she stared daggers at him. All around the room activity was bubbling up. Those who’d slipped their bonds were freeing others. One-by-one dozens of incredibly weak individuals were standing gathered in the center of the room.

[break][break]

“Get back to your tables. Or I’ll blow the whole place sky high.” He said, backing up against the far wall and hovering his hand over a bright red button.

[break][break]

“Do it then. As if existing in this place, being experimented on hasn’t been like being dead already.” The icy woman stumbled, it was clear that while she acted tough, she had little strength to actually fight back. In fact, only one or two in the room likely did. She stared daggers at him.

[break][break]

May was surprised when she felt herself waking up. Her nightmare had faded away and was replaced with a heavy feeling. Hanging over her entire body. Her eyes flickered slightly and then eased open. Above her stood a boy, whose hair was quite literally made of fire. He grinned down at her as he carefully melted the metal cuffs off her ankles and wrists, then proceeded to forcefully yank the IV from her hand.

[break][break]

“Easy now. Don’t get up too quickly. That stuff is…insidious.”

[break][break]

May stared at him and then nodded. At a loss for words as she sat up slowly. All her veins felt like they were on fire, her insides were bubbling like she was about to throw up and her head…her head was pounding, “Thank you…” She managed.

[break][break]

“Don’t thank me, thank whoever is shaking the place up.” He pointed to the roof and it’s then that May noticed the rumbling. The sounds of explosions and well…combat. She blinked a few times.

[break][break]

“Guards at the other end said it’s some red-haired hero type using shockwaves or something. Maybe someone is finally coming to rescue us. Just hang tight, ok? We’ve just gotta deal with the doctor over there.” He jabbed his finger towards the doctor and then left May sitting there as he walked up to stand beside the ice-girl, both of them staring down the plague doctor.

[break][break]

“Best let us out of here.” Fire-boy warned.

[break][break]

The plague doctor laughed, “Even if I let you out, how far do you think you’ll get? She won’t let you go. You’re part of the biofilm now. You can’t leave as much as I can’t fly. Two steps outside this room and the bacteria out there will kill you as quickly as that…” He snapped his fingers and laughed.

[break][break]

“Not if we take her out.”

[break][break]

The doctor laughed again, “Take her out? How can you fight disease? One snap of her fingers and all of you die.”

[break][break]

The icy girl ran a hand through her hair, “You’d be surprised. How much one hears…even in unconsciousness. I know the cure resides in this very facility.”

[break][break]

The plague doctor let his fingers play across the button, “You can’t get to it. None of you can now that you’re infected.”

[break][break]

“Fine. Then we DIE!” She rushed forwards and using a hand that sprouted a gauntlet of sharpened icicles she plunged it right through his hand, right into the button which to their luck didn’t blow the room up. But it did set off all sorts of alarms. And with another swift movement and punch the doctor had breathed his last breath. He slumped to the ground as the ice woman fell to one knee.

[break][break]

The fire boy rushed over, “Easy Mira. Breathe…”

[break][break]

And breathe she did. Coughing up blood despite having not taken so much as a punch.

[break][break]

“We can’t escape, Liam. That hero…whoever they are, doesn’t stand a chance within this facility.”

[break][break]

Liam nodded, “You’re right. We can’t, but then…not all of us are quite as infected as the rest.” He turned his gaze to May who was climbing from her table and dusting herself off gently, checking her faculties bit-by-bit.

[break][break]

“You can’t be serious. She had the IV line in. She’s as infected as the rest of us, she’ll be dead as soon as she leaves too.”

[break][break]

Liam shook his head, “Not necessarily. The container next to her table barely had anything missing.”

[break][break]

May approached the two to see if she could help.

[break][break]

“You’d be asking her to risk her life.”

[break][break]

“It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve done that.” May answered before Liam could respond to Mira.

[break][break]

Mira looked to May and shook her head, “We can’t ask that of you.”

[break][break]

“Ask what of me exactly? Try and be detailed because as it stands I have no idea where I am, what was pumped into my blood or why the heck I’m here.”

[break][break]

Liam sighed a little bit and let MIra speak, “Ask you, to leave this chamber and find The Cure. The only way we can all get out of her. We’re all infected with a bacteria that makes us a part of her. A part of this…place. Leaving would mean certain death for us. I can’t quite tell you where we are as most of us were kidnapped and brought here unconscious. You’re here, because SHE wanted you.”

[break][break]

“If I can help, I will. It’s not in my nature to let people suffer. And yes, the sickly lady…she said my blood would help her plague to cleanse the quirkless or something.”

[break][break]

Mira shook her head, “Asking you to help, would mean you’d be risking your own life. We cannot ask that of you, not for people you’ve just met. Strangers.”

[break][break]

May, despite the words. Smiled. That was just the kind of hero she wanted to be, someone who smiled through every situation, who gave people hope, “Well, it’s a good thing that my choice of career and my choice of path has me helping strangers every single day. So why don’t we quit thinking about the bad, and you tell me exactly what I need to do.”

[break][break]

Liam and Mira looked at each other, clearly a bit confused at this girls strange enthusiasm? Hope?

[break][break]

“I can’t tell you exactly what you’d need to do. We’ve only bits and pieces. Talk of some sort of cure being kept in a cell deep below the facility, one that can cleanse and protect against The Afflicted. But I want to be clear, there’s a very real chance that the second you step out of this room, the bacteria that made it into you, will kill you. But because you didn’t get much…it might not. You’d be taking a gamble.”

[break][break]

May flexed her arms and grinned, “That gamble, is a risk I’m willing to take.” She looked over her shoulder at the dozens of people, in various states of pain and distress, “What sort of hero would I be if I chose not to help.” She hardened her gaze slightly and looked to the door in front of them, “I’ll find the cure and get you all out of here.”

[break][break]

“She’s certainly not lacking confidence. Must have a strong quirk or something.”

[break][break]

May rubbed her head, “I can’t actually use my quirk without a bow, and I wouldn’t consider it all that strong…”

[break][break]

Mira forced herself to her feet, snowflakes permeating the air around her form as she breathed in gently, “Perhaps I can help with that. At least temporarily…” She pressed her hands together and the air suddenly grew significantly colder. Then she began to draw her hands apart and as she did, a crystalline bow would form slowly between her hands, like it was being drawn out of her hands. When she got far enough apart, the bow would bend and a crystalline string would run between the top and bottom. She offered it to May.

[break][break]

“That’s…some trick.” May said, gently accepting the bow and plucking the string a few times.

[break][break]

“It’s not much. But so long as I’m breathing. That bow will remain.” Mira’s legs were shaking, Liam used his hands to steady her as she seemed weaker.

[break][break]

May nodded and slung it over her shoulder, “Alright. Let’s get you all out of here then.”

[break][break]

Liam pointed to the door, “Through there. And keep going down. The cell is below, that’s all I know. And should you perish, Know that you gave us hope in this dark hour.”

[break][break]

May puffed out her cheeks, “Don’t you talk like that. We’re getting out of here. All of us.” And without any more hesitation she turned and walked straight through the nearby door and into the hall beyond. Instantly she felt her veins seeming to tighten and an unfamiliar tightness pressing into her chest. The headache got worse but…she was still breathing.

[break][break]

She paused and put on a smile, spinning about and giving Mira and Liam a thumbs up, “Now close that door and don’t open it unless it’s me returning!”

[break][break]

“Wait! I didn’t catch your name!” Liam called out.

[break][break]

May spun about, drawing the bow off her shoulder, plucking it’s strings a few times.

[break][break]

“My name, is Artemis.”

[break][break]

Then she took off at a run down the hall, ignoring the strange feeling in her veins and the thrumming in her chest.

[attr="class","boxo-notes"]TIME REMAINING: 00:00:00:00:00:00

KAY

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[May Twenty-First]

[nospaces]

[attr="class","skep-holder"]

[attr="class","skep-tiny"]

[attr="class","skep-shape"]

[attr="class","skep-shape-cont"]

[attr="class","lyr1"]Can you hear me

[attr="class","lyr2"]right now

[attr="class","lyr3"]?

[attr="class","lyr4"]I got your number

[attr="class","lyr5"]&

[attr="class","lyr6"]I'm calling

[attr="class","lyr2"]you out

[attr="class","skep-tag"]

[attr="class","skep-tago"]


May Twenty-First//Artemis

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‘Artemis’

[break][break]

~First time I’ve ever actually used my hero name. Could be the last time if I don’t figure out where I’m going. The woman who kidnapped me dropped me without a hint of effort, what am I supposed to do if I run into her? Or the affliction. What use am I going to be? No. Stop it May. Think realistically, think positive.~

[break][break]

May’s thoughts trailed along as she ran down the surprisingly deserted corridor, save the occasional holes in the wall showing the pulsing flesh-like material behind the panels. She turned a corner and came to yet another long corridor, this one however ended at some sort of old-school kind of lift. Like one you’d see in a mining operation. The whole facility shook and rumbled, dust fell from the ceiling. The lights in this hall still flickered, so it was likely the lift would still work.

[break][break]

Hurrying forward, May would clutch the icy bow tightly in her hand like it offered some form or protection. It gave her the means to fight back, even if she was severely limited on what she could do. But she’d do her best…

[break][break]

May, resolute in her mission to find the cure hidden within the depths of the ominous facility, stepped into the old, creaky lift. The metal grill slid shut with a mechanical click, sealing her inside the open air lift. Her heart pounded with a mixture of determination and trepidation as she pressed the button for the lowest level, where the answers to this quest hopefully awaited. The lowest level made sense, right?

[break][break]

As the lift descended, the lights flickered intermittently, casting eerie shadows across the cement walls around the lift. The silence was punctuated by distant echoes of the ongoing battle within the facility. The tension was palpable, and May's grip on the handrail tightened as the lift descended deeper into the heart of the facilities depths.

[break][break]

Suddenly, a deafening explosion rocked the facility, and the lift jolted violently in it’s housing. The emergency alarms blared, red lights flashing, and May's heart raced as panic seized her. She pressed herself against the wall, bracing for the worst.

[break][break]

With a heart-stopping lurch, the lift came to a sudden, grinding halt. The overhead lights shattered, plunging the small chamber into darkness. Emergency backup lights cast a dim, crimson glow, bathing the area in an almost ominous light. On a lift in the middle of a concrete shaft, what the heck was she supposed to do now?

[break][break]

“Maybe there’s backup power or something…” She eyed the control panel.

[break][break]

She felt a bit of worry bubbly up in her as she fumbled for a way to escape this perilous situation. Just as she reached for the control panel to pry open the doors, a deafening creak filled the air, and the elevator started moving again, but this time, it was in free fall. May let out a cry of fear as the lift plunged downwards.

[break][break]

May was sent hurtling downward with a gut-wrenching acceleration. Her body was weightless, and the world outside the shattered lift doors was a blur of metal and concrete. The impact with the bottom came suddenly and violently, the lift crashing into the depths of the facility with a bone-jarring collision.

[break][break]

Pain coursed through May's body as the world spun around her. Debris rained down from the ceiling, and the acrid smell of smoke filled the air. Half-buried beneath the wreckage May lay there, staring up at the dark shaft above her. She could feel warmth pooling around her, running down the side of her head. If she thought she’d been in pain before, she was in significantly more now. But miraculously, she was alive.

[break][break]

Flexing her fingers and toes experimentally. May had all her faculties still. One hand still clutching the surprisingly durable ice bow and despite the injuries she bore. She could move. She reached up, shifting the wreckage slightly and pushing herself out from beneath it she’d stand up. Ignoring the wave of nausea that rushed over her. She looked down at herself. Nothing broken. Plenty of blood though from half a dozen open cuts plus the one on the side of her head that stung heavily as she touched it. She dared not check how bad that was.

[break][break]

Looking around the shattered remnants, she’d see that she was yet again at the end of a long corridor which led to a set of futuristic double doors at the end of the hall that hummed with energy like they were sealed a bit more than the rest of the facility. May took a step out of the shattered lift, stumbling a little and leaning against the cool cement wall as her vision blurred and spun.

[break][break]

“I can’t fail them.” She told herself, gritting her teeth and forcing herself forward step-by-step. A pair of guards, sitting in a small alcove to the side rose to their feet, rushing out into the hall to block her path.

[break][break]

“Stop! Not another ste—“

[break][break]

“I don’t have TIME for this! Two minute impact!” May lifted her bow aggressively, firing off a pair of shots. One at each guard. If these had been sturdy quirk users or something, they’d likely have shrugged it off. But the force of a sledgehammer to the head had the effect of dropping them both to the ground. May watched them crumple and staggered forwards. Not noticing the trail of blood she was leaving behind her.

[break][break]

“Sleep well. Jerks.” She leaned down, tearing one of the keycards from the guards lapels.

[break][break]

May stumbled down the corridor, eventually reaching the futuristic looking doors. Made of sleek metal that seemed a contrast to the rotting away facility around them. She pressed the keypad which beeped in defiance. May held up the keycard she’d grabbed. It was this or she tried to break down the doors with her quirk. She leaned on the door, pressing the keycard to the scanner which turned green. The doors slid open quickly, not giving may enough time to stand up and sending her tumbling to the floor inside the room, her blood marring the crisp white floor.

[break][break]

“You’re hurt. Let me help you.” Came what could only be described as the voice of an angel.

[attr="class","boxo-notes"]TIME REMAINING: 00:00:00:00:10:00

KAY

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[May Twenty-First]

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[attr="class","lyr1"]Can you hear me

[attr="class","lyr2"]right now

[attr="class","lyr3"]?

[attr="class","lyr4"]I got your number

[attr="class","lyr5"]&

[attr="class","lyr6"]I'm calling

[attr="class","lyr2"]you out

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May Twenty-First//Artemis

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It was strange. Like someone had come in with a warm cup of hot cocoa, a cozy blanket and had placed May awash in a sea of comfort. That was what it felt like when the syrupy blue light washed over her. Closing wounds, easing pains to naught and cleansing her of the inky black substance coursing through her veins. Even May’s wrist and hand, still broken healed. It was a strange feeling, your own bones aligning and knitting back together.

[break][break]

When that feeling left, she was almost sad.

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Climbing to her feet slowly, May looked around the room slowly. Expecting to see whomever had just healed her. But there was nobody. It was a circular room with thousands of lines of cable running up behind glass walls. The whole room hummed like it had electricity coursing through every inch of it. It was less of a prison and more of a…generator? If that made any sense. The only thing that stuck out in the room was a raised platform in the middle atop which sat what looked like a coffin with hundreds of wires running from it’s exterior, connecting to various ports and holes in the walls.

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“Who…healed me?” May whispered.

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“I did.” Came a response, a voice that sounded like it was coming from everywhere?

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May blinked, “Forgive me, but unless I’m blind. I’m not sure who YOU are.”

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There was a soft almost melodic chuckle, “You’re not blind dear. Just not looking at the world with the right perspective. You live in a superhuman society. You fought in a battle recently where one of your companions was housed inside of a mechanical shell. Use that information. Where could I be?”

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May looked around at the room for a long moment, “You’re in the…wires? Wait, how did you know about that battle?”

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Another chuckle, “Not the brightest hero. But you’ve got heart. I know many things about you May. As to how, let us just say that you’re part of things here. Sort of. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I am Seraphina, the unwilling heart of this facility and you are currently standing inside of me.”

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“Well, that’s a gross image I didn’t want in my head today…” May mumbled, lifting her foot as if she expected it to be covered in organic material or something. That laugh came again, filling the room and caressing May’s cheek like a mother to her child.

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“I am not gross! Thank you very much. But worry not, it’s more that you’re in my head. I am atop that platform actually.” A giant neon arrow blossomed to life in the air in the middle of the room, pointing to the ‘coffin’. May made her way slowly up the steps until she could look into it. It really did seem like a coffin and what was inside twisted her stomach up into anxiety-ridden knots. Inside was an almost ethereal looking woman, the opposite of the Afflicted and the picture of health. Save the hundreds of wires connected to her body as well as the ‘helmet’ over her head, which was also connected to thousands of wires.

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“You’re…interfaced with the machine?”

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“In a sense, I was put here by The Afflicted many many years ago. As I am her opposite, the cure to her plague. And in her words, why let a good body rot? I became a slave of her machinery. I am this facilities computer. It’s brain. Albeight with many many rules and restrictions I cannot break.” There was a long pause in which May digested the information.

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“That’s not…”

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“…Possible? You live in a superhuman society. Just about anything is possible anymore.”

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May pressed a hand to the glass lid of the ‘coffin’, “How long have you been here?”

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“As long as you’ve been alive. I too was born in an age when quirks first blossomed into existence. We are quite similar you and I. In that regard anyways.”

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May nodded, “Is there a way to free you? I was sent down here for some sort of…cure. For the others. I’m assuming that’s you, since you healed me. Wait, how did you heal me? You’re asleep.”

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“Oh you’re so cute when you’re trying to put the pieces together. I just wanna pinch those pink cheeks! Hee. But your assumptions are correct, I am the cure to the illness affecting those within this facility. I am also the cure to the plague that you helped complete, the plague that if the man fighting The Afflicted loses. Will be unleashed.” There came a long sigh.

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“That’s my uncle.”

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“Mmm. He’s quite the fighter, he’s kept The Afflicted distracted long enough for you to make it here. And trust me, that’s no easy feat. On any other day, you’d have been incinerated by the time you took two steps out of Doctor Ocktor’s lab above.” A screen blossomed to life in mid-air above the coffin, showing none other than May’s Uncle Satori fighting the sickly looking Afflicted, who was currently surrounded in some sort of inky-black armor.

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“Time is of the essence then. How do I get you out of here so we can get everyone out?”

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“Well, putting it plainly. You can’t.”

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May’s shoulders slumped at the comment. All this way for nothing? That wasn’t an option!

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“Don’t despair young Hero. Just because you can’t get me out of here, doesn’t mean you don’t have an option. Although I’m not sure you’re going to like it.”

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May looked down at the woman inside the coffin, “Well don’t dance around it, what am I supposed to do?”

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“You kill me. Which in turn, kills this facility. And in return, I will temporarily grant you what remains of my quirk. Immunity to the Afflicted, the ability to cleanse those above and free them. And in return, you raze this entire facility to the ground. You bury the Afflicted, all her work and everything this facility has ever stood for.” The voice explained in a determined sounding voice.

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“I can’t kill you! That’s not an option! I won’t. I promised the people who helped me above I’d get everyone out safely. What kind of hero would I be if I left you behind?”

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There was a small chuckle, “Some day, you’ll understand that not every scenario comes with a positive outcome. I admire your optimism, but it’s either you kill me, take my quirk and save the many. Or we all die.”

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“I…I can’t. It’s not right.”

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“It’s not right, but it’s your only option. I was gone a long time ago. I have long become separate from that body inside the box. There’s no going back for me. You’d be doing me a favor and setting me free.” A bright red button blossomed to life on top of the box with the word ‘PURGE’ written on it in bold black lettering.

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“Please. Do it, to save the rest. Let my life mean something more than all the horrors I’ve had to watch but been unable to save people from in this place.”

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May found herself torn between compassion and determination. Awash with confused and conflicted emotions. What was she supposed to do here? She couldn’t just kill someone! But if she didn’t, then they all died!

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“Seraphina…I can’t…”

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There was a long sigh from Seraphina, "Allow me to choose for you then."

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Suddenly the room flickered and the platform May was standing on seemed to shift suddenly. Knocking May forwards, hard. She hit the coffin hard and as she fell she landed on the button, slamming it into it’s holographic housing.

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“NO!” May cried!

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Sparks began to flare up in every corner of the room, the inside of the coffin went completely dark, “I didn’t do it! I’m sorry!”

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There came that warm caress again, smoothing over Mays’ cheek, “No, I did. That way you won’t blame yourself.” The voice was crackling and distorting as it came.

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May stared at her hands in shock as she climbed back to her feet, “Why would you do that?!” She asked angrily.

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“Because sometimes, someone needs to make the hard decisions for us. Go, save everyone. Be the hero you were meant to be. And promise me, that you’ll bury this place. Destroy it all. Don’t let that horrid plague find it’s way into humanity.” The voice grew fainter, crackling more.

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The coffin exploded then, ribbons of light lashing out of it and impaling May through the chest. She expected pain, expected death. But instead her body was filled up with vibrant warmth, with strength she’d never known. She coughed, unable to catch her breath as the bright energy lifted her into the air. The specter of the girl inside the coffin appeared in front of her, smiling.

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Seraphina reached out, pressing a hand against May’s cheek, “My quirk, will fill you temporarily. But it will only remain with you for a few hours at most. So make haste when you leave this place. And thank you, for trying to save me.” As the last words escaped her, the whole room flickered and sparked before the hum of energy disappeared entirely and the room was plunged into darkness. The last thing to go was the energy holding may up, dropping her to the floor with a resounding thud.

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The heart of the facility was dead.

[attr="class","boxo-notes"]TIME REMAINING: 00:00:00:00:10:00

KAY

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