[System Reboot, Complete]
[All powers stable]
[POWER INVENTORY]
Total Power Slots: 2
SLOT 1: Lightning Discharge, Level 1 (P-Type: Weatherborn)
SLOT 2: Telepathy, Level 1 (P-Type: Mindborn)
[NOTIFICATION: Proximity Alert. A-Tier Weatherborn detected.]
Mark opened his eyes to look at the screen, but closed them soon after, choosing to feel around with his fingers for a while.
For the first time in a very long time, he felt comfortable.
The bed he lay upon was small, but it was remarkably soft compared to what he had been accustomed to for the last ten years.
He opened his eyes again. The screen had disappeared, so he stared at the ceiling above.
It was light grey, just like the walls, both of which were covered with composite panels, lined with strip LED lighting.
Mark had no idea where he was, but it felt remarkably cozy, so he decided to go back to sleep.
"Subject is awake." A voice in the room said.
Without hesitation, Mark jumped to his feet and shot a bolt of lightning in the direction from which the voice came.
He had assumed it was an agent, but to his surprise, the figure he had aimed at was a beautiful caramel-skinned lady in her mid-twenties, with long, silky, black hair.
She was clad in a sleek, black leather coat that stopped at her knees, with coordinating trousers and combat boots.
She sat on a chair in a corner of the room with her legs crossed, tapping ceaselessly on a digital pad.
As soon as Mark fired his bolt, she quickly rose and moved to the left. The lightning bolt narrowly missed her, striking the wall behind instead.
Despite Mark's sudden attack, the lady appeared completely unbothered.
Her eyes remained on the pad she held as she pulled her seat closer and sat upon it.
"Subject has fully regained his powers." She resumed her dictation. "All traces of Niltrax in his bloodstream have been neutralized."
Mark then noticed a digital armband that was wrapped around his left arm. He assumed that the lady, whoever she was, was monitoring his vitals through the gadget.
To his surprise, Mark realized his prison uniform had vanished, now replaced by a sleek grey sweatshirt and trousers.
"As a result of trauma," the lady continued, "subject is impulsive and prone to attacking."
The last statement riled Mark up a bit.
"Who are you?" Mark asked the strange lady, who completely ignored him and continued her dictation.
"Subject is Marcus Thornwell. Only known relation is Christina Thornwell, deceased."
"I asked who you were."
The lady briefly cast an irritated glance toward Mark, then proceeded with her reading.
"Subject is a Weatherborn. Powers consistent with those born with the W-Strain. Confirmed by the DNA tests and backed up by witness reports. At the age of ten, he was arrested by the PCA for the murder of Christina Thornwell…"
"I didn't kill her!"
The lady briefly looked up at Mark, then returned her gaze to her pad.
"Subject denies the allegation. "
After tapping a few more times, the lady was done with her assessment. She stood up straight and stared directly at Mark.
"The door to your right is your bathroom. There's a meal in the tray to your left…"
Mark turned to the left and noticed a small white table with a covered silver tray placed on it. Beside the table was a white chair made of plastic.
"After your meal," the lady continued, "The captain wants to speak with you. Be in her office in thirty minutes. Take two lefts and a right and walk into the first door on your left. She doesn't like to be kept waiting."
With no further words, the lady gracefully marched to the door. She had just opened it when Mark called out to her.
"Wait…"
The lady halted.
"Where am I?" Mark asked.
Once again, he was completely ignored. The lady walked out, gently shutting the door behind her.
Mark was perplexed. Whoever they were, he could clearly remember that these people saved his life when he was almost killed by General Zorn.
So why was she treating him with hostility?
He eventually got to his feet, once again observing the room he woke up in. It was a huge upgrade from the prison cell he had lived in for the past decade.
But one thing that bugged him, was that everything was grey. The walls, furniture, and even the clothes he wore were a shade of white or gray.
He let the thought slide when he remembered the food. He had not eaten a proper meal in years.
In no time, he ran through the exquisite steak prepared for him.
After the meal, he made his way to the bathroom and washed his hands. Once he was finished, he wiped them on the curtains and sat back down on his bed.
"Alright," he said. "Let's see how this thing works. Holo Screen Activate!"
Silence.
"Activate Screen!"
More silence.
At this point, Mark concluded that the system wasn't something he could summon himself. So he gave up trying and headed out the door.
The corridors, with their sleek panels and humming walls, confirmed his initial suspicion; he was in an underground facility.
It was not too different from the prison but equipped with subtle, modern enhancements.
Following the ebony lady's directions, he made his way to the Captain's office.
On his way, he ran into more people dressed in military uniforms of varying colors, but each had a weird rainbow insignia pinned to their chest.
He casually nodded at them as he passed by, and they nodded back at him.
He finally arrived at a wide corridor but forgot which door the lady had instructed him to enter.
"The first door on your left."
[WARNING: Mind breach detected.]
Mark spun around seeking the person who spoke to him. When he found none, he stared at the screen.
The system had detected that someone breached his mind, yet it wasn't able to stop it.
Whoever it was must be really powerful, he thought.
[NOTIFICATION: Multiple powerborns detected.]
Upon entering the right door, he found himself in a large room, which appeared to be an office.
However, there were no desks or shelves. The only furniture in the room was two large semicircular sofas.
Both faced each other, forming a circle, with a gap in the middle for walking.
Between the two sofas stood a small, round glass table, carefully placed in the center.
Two individuals were already in the room.
Mark immediately recognized the "Amber Witch" who had saved him from the agents.
She wore the same brown military long coat, with the dark green uniform, and cover shoes.
Despite her age, she had a youthful beauty, and the spectacles she wore further enhanced it.
The other was the rude lady who had just been in his room.
"Welcome, Marcus." The woman greeted Mark with a warm smile.
Though her voice was deep, it maintained the warm tone of someone who had seen more than her years suggested.
Clutching the digital pad, she finished reading the analysis on Mark, then silently returned it to the younger lady, her actions slow and deliberate.
"I am glad to see you back on your feet. Have a seat."
Mark had assumed that the purple holo screen in front of him was visible to anyone, but gradually he realized that he was the only one who could see it.
The two women sat beside each other on one of the sofas. Mark found a place on the opposite sofa.
"How long was I unconscious?" He asked.
"About a week."
Mark was surprised. He had never slept more than four hours a day for the last ten years.
"I'm sure you have many other questions, but we'll start with an introduction. I am Capt…"
"Captain Savanna." Mark cut her off.
The captain smiled to herself.
"I would ask you how you knew that, but my name is on my tag."
Of course, Mark had already noticed the tag on her coat. Captain J. Savanna, it read. He darted his gaze to the black-haired lady staring right at him.
"This is my right hand." Savanna continued, "Natalya Stone. She's the most talented powerborn we have. I'm sure you two have met."
"Yeah. She was really nice." Mark replied sarcastically.
Earlier, Mark had been too disoriented to take a proper look at Natalya.
Now, he observed her closely and realized how gorgeous she was.
Her light brown skin glistened like it was delicately oiled. Her almond-shaped eyes fit so well with her pink, curved lips that any man would melt at the idea of…
"So," Captain Savanna interrupted Mark's thoughts, "Do you know why we brought you here?"
"No. Where am I exactly?"
"To answer that question, I'll need to explain a lot. Unfortunately, I do not have all day, so I'll try to make this quick."
"Why did you help me escape?" Mark asked impatiently.
"We've been tracking you for a while. Zorn never kept a high-level asset in a single location for long, so finding you was complicated. Besides, breaking into a PCA prison is not an easy task."
"Why now? What changed."
Captain Savanna turned to Natalya, who nodded encouragingly. Then she leaned forward, returning her gaze to Mark.
"We broke you out because we need your help."
"You need... my help?"
"Yes, Marcus. The world is at war, and you're the only one who can stop it."