ABILITY (2)

 After throwing the ashes of my note out of the window, the first thing I chose to do was to get in contact with Sparrow. I wasn’t sure what the black aura really was, but I assumed it was like the golden aura, except it was controlled by something else. If that was the case, I just needed to counteract it with my own desire, and then the two would cancel each other out. Then I could potentially expel the black aura as well to rid myself of future problems.

 I walked downstairs and sat on the couch. In order to keep from alarming either of the two, I had to go about this in a roundabout way. Maybe I could start the conversation with something about the show.

 Gabe was watching the news. It was a sequel to the previous broadcast when the FBI made an official statement about the situation at the Racetrac.

Reporter #1- “Chief Ronald, what is the current situation with New World?”

 The man stared at the reporter with cold eyes, the kind that you could only have once you took a human life. But it was only for a moment, before he signaled one of the many S.W.A.T. team members with impressive looking guns. The person came forward with a document.

 Chief Ronald accepted the document and placed it on the podium. He read, saying,

Chief Ronald- “Citizens, patriots! I am here to declare a state of national emergency! New world and its affiliates have come out and declared war on the United States of America!”

 The reporter didn’t look too happy. He adjusted his glasses, before giving another question.

Reporter #1- “Any specifics?”

 Suddenly, a rumbling flood of agreement filled the crowd of reporters, and they all started to harass the chief at the same time.

Reporter #2- “The American people deserve to know what they’re truly dealing with!”

Reporter #3- “How can we verify what you’re saying?”

Reporter #4- “Sir, please answer the ques-“

Chief Ronald- “Settle down,” he quelled the reporters, “I have been authorized to reveal some previously classified information!”

 Like a pack of hungry jackals, the reporters shoved a bunch of microphones into the man’s face. Unperturbed by this, the man slowly and methodically reached down into one of the shelves at the podium. Under their eager eyes, he pulled out a couple of high-definition pictures.

 Immediately, the reporters started taking pictures crazily. They each wanted the best shot for their paper, but the combined flash from their cameras made me unable to clearly see what I was supposed to be looking at. Despite this, they started firing off questions like they were injected with Chicken blood!

Reporter #5- “What does this mean!!!”

Reporter #3- “Have they infiltrated our school system!?”

Reporter #1- “Chief Ronald, can you explain these images for us?”

 Evidently, addressing the man by name did the trick. He faced the reporter with a charming smile, and held up the first photo for all to see. It was the ruins of a familiar school bus…

 The windows were riddled with holes, and glass shards littered the area surrounding the school bus. A giant, gaping hole tore through the middle of the school bus, presumably from some sort of explosive. The yellow paint had torn off at many places, revealing the ash black metal underneath. It was obvious that a huge battle had taken place within.

Chief Ronald- “This bus, a school bus originally meant for our children, was used to house a multitude of illegal Chemical weapons. Chemical weapons best suited to wiping out vast swaths of human life, quickly and efficiently.”

 Murmurs of shock ran through the crowd of reporters, but before they could ask any questions, the Chief pressed on with the next photo.

 He held the second one to the camera. It was a picture of an aircraft.

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 With sleek, black wings, a powerful jet engine, and massive artillery guns, this monster of the skies was the culmination of generation’s efforts at achieving absolute perfection. My enhanced vision was immediately able to detect a blue inscription underneath the nose of the plane, and it read, ‘Harvester of the fallen, the Angel of Death.’

 Unlike the school bus, this machine of war remained relatively undamaged. However, my keen eyes could see remains of some bullets, and blackened areas of the ground likely to be the aftermath of grenades. It too, went through the tests of war.

Chief Ronald- “This is a Ac-130 Hercules, A.K.A. the Angel of Death. It is named such for the shape its anti-missile flares take when fired, and this thing is loaded with artillery cannons and cluster bombs. Its best usage is a devastatingly swift and deadly surprise attack, during the night.”

 The reporters started shooting off questions like rounds from a machine gun, but Chief Ronald displayed a calm and cold bearing, befitting of a general. He waited for them to stop speaking, before he pulled out the third and final photo.

Gabe and I- “Oh, sh*t…”

Chief Ronald- “This, is a picture of a new type of human. They are called harbingers, and they are the kind of people the New World aims to bring about as leaders. But this one is one of ours.”

 It was a photo of a person I had seen before, come into contact with. It was a photo of a woman, dressed in black. It was a photo of the woman with the words of power active, code-named Song. The black gas swirled about her and held a myriad of objects hovering in midair. Objects like a microphone, and, a name. Alice… Her sharp, cold eyes pierced through the limits of the photo to stare directly at the camera.

Reporter #1- “Chief, is this a joke?”

Reporter #4- “What in the world…? That’s…”

Reporter #2- “Mr. Ronald, I don’t believe in fairy tales…”

Reporter #3- “This is…!”

Reporter #3 and #4- “Alice Praetor!!!”

 The other reporters looked at number 3 and 4 with confusion; obviously, they attached no significance to the name. But Chief Ronald smiled. Apparently, their prior knowledge would make things that much smoother for him.

Chief Ronald- “This is one of our contacts. And I would like to welcome her onstage. Please welcome the harbinger who doubles as a newly rising celebrity star. Alice Praetor!!!”

 He stepped off stage, and the S.W.A.T. team members who came onstage with him backed up slowly. Then there was a great cry raised among the reporters, and a couple of cameras shot upward.

Reporter #1- “Oh my Gawd! She’s falling!!!”

 The slow-witted reporter who held the camera I was watching through finally angled it upwards to see what they were looking at. A black blur soared downwards from the sky. It’s a bird, a plane! No… Its superman!!! Not.

 Within about 20 ft. from falling to her doom, a cloud of black gas surrounded her, drastically slowing her falling speed. She slowed to a stop a few inches above the ground, but suddenly the wind from her fall caught up to her. It spun around chaotically, and the aircraft photo covered her face for a short moment. Alice Praetor, the Angel of death.

 A subtle grin inched across her face as she watched the shock from the crowd. She deactivated the words of power, and spoke with what was supposed to be a warm smile,

Alice- “Thank you for having me everyone. Do you have any questions about harbingers?”

 The mass of reporters were still in shock, but a few of the reporters recovered quickly, namely, her fan.

Reporter #4- “Mrs. Praetor, how~?”

 He couldn’t finish his sentence. But Alice nodded like she understood, and she put out her hand. Her words were saturated with power, and they echoed a few times after she spoke each word.

Alice- “Fireball”

 A black gas flooded forth from her sleeves, and it condensed into a point above her palm. It ignited, forming a fireball that flickered brightly above her hand.

Alice- “Water ball”

 The fireball suddenly blinked out of existence, and replacing it came a globe of water. She started to speak again, but this time her words only echoed on certain parts. Obviously, she was using her ability on certain parts of her sentence to influence the listener.

Alice- “This may seem surreal, but I can assure you that it is very real. Do any of you wish to touch it?”

 A particularly brave reporter stretched out his hand to touch the ball of water.

Reporter #3- “Ah! My hand is wet!”

 He pulled out his hand and watched the water droplets drip down his fingers with fascination. As he was frozen in place, the other reporters finally reacted. Their inner curiosity was awakened, and they flooded her with questions.

Reporter #1- “Are there others like you?”

Reporter #4- “Can I have your autograph?”

Reporter #5- “What is your connection to to the government, and how do you relate to this New World terrorist group?”

Reporter #2- “What are you!?”

 Alice took note of each of their question calmly, as if she had great experience with these kinds of situations. She then endeavored to answer each question methodically, one by one.

Alice- “I was a human way before I became a harbinger. Just like all of you, I lived my life with aspirations, hopes, dreams. But when I awakened to my power, I was finally able to achieve them. Yes, at our core, you and I are no different. Thus, as a citizen of the United States of America, and a close friend of many of our congressmen, I was a patriot way before I got my power.

 And I still am today. Therefore, I am against New World! I will fight those that will threaten my way of life and those around me, and I will win! And I am not alone. I know there are some of you listening to me right now, who have not awakened their power yet. Awaken! I also know some of you are listening right now, who have awakened to their power but have not shown it to the world because you just want to fit in. Embrace it! And both of you must fight with me, to save our country! Thank you…”

 Alice walked off the stage with a determined and heroic expression, and she shook the hand of Chief Ronald as she walked off the stage.

 The reporters tried to block her way off the stage, as they pushed multiple mikes in her direction. But with a brush of her hand, the mikes found their way back into the hands of their owners. She took off in the same way that she came leaving the reporter’s hair in disarray from the wind she produced.

 But what she may not have considered is that this wind not only made the reporters have a bad hair day, but the veil was finally blown off the world’s eyes. Was this a good thing? I didn’t have an answer to that question. But one thing was for certain. A new era was beginning. An age defined by those with Ability.

End of Vol. 1