-----Oriyun Saint----

It was freeing, the power, the control, and everything that came with its mesmerizing embrace that took hold of Saint's entire body. The years spent unable to even walk past the front porch were gone, replaced by the numbness of feeling absolutely nothing but his own presence.

Oriyun brought himself to the edge of the scummy alley. It was farther than he had gone in years, barring one other occasion; even with all his personal martial arts training through searing pain confined within the walls of his apartment, his feet hesitated to actually make any headway to leave.

The moment was almost neverending until he saw the duo silhouettes at the end of the alleyway approaching. The wailing sirens had died, and the officers who were called now backed away as the two stood firmly before him. "Stand down." The words from the shaded sculpture were as soft as velvet, the utterance more calming than years of waiting in the dark somehow to Saint.

Oriyun cocked his head to see the most beautiful woman he had ever had the grace of partaking, her smooth clinical features seething behind her facade of collected casual serenity while her brown skin and even more coffee-colored hair pressed sincerely in his mind as it was pelted with fat droplets of rain.

Oriyun only stared as she pulled out a large silver Desert Eagle toward his face without hesitation; allowing a slight smirk to fringe his mouth. The figure next to her whined with mechanical tension while aiming his arm directly at Oriyun. "Are you deaf...Don't do something stupid, just come with us and you can--"

A male voice shuffled through the speakers of the silver-tinted armored suit he wore but cut off when taking in the full scope of the horror the alley had to present; Oriyun could easily see past his visor as he gagged at the limbs and heads of the coworkers he barely knew but now knew far too well. "Jesus, what the shit. What are you?" He stared on to see the severed head of Exec. David. Sounds of his mech suit engaging internal plating cut past the sounds of rainwater.

Oriyun thought back to 5 years prior when he had first come in contact with an Aberrant himself; the experience scarring him deeply due to its bizarre and violent nature. This scene called his mind back to gloss over the event as best he could now that he was free of the burden of agony.

It was a standard night, extremely loud with the sounds of shootings and the police failing to stop them but not as dangerous as some of the more frigid winter nights in Old York's more run-down east slum; Oriyun had willed himself to make the effort of going up to the roof of his apartment for reasons he now regretted as he made his way gradually up the many flights of stairs.

The climb was excruciating on his bone spurs and aching ligements, yet it was the only thing that stood in his way from taking in the shimmering lights beyond the Seawalls that barely crested their way above the giant barriers. Saint longed for even a moment to see past them, to know what the world was past just the land made up in television and spat back out to him.

Just as he had pulled the roof access door free and slid it open with a small creak of metal, Oriyun was instantly yanked from his feet and flung like wet garbage into a nearby AC unit.

"Give me all your shit--Or I'll turn you into a fucking firework." The voice was seething and bitter, echoing loud enough to stir birds and rats from their nests but the accent was unplaceable.

When he attempted to look up a boot slammed into the side of his ribs and transmitted a piercing wave of agony straight to his throat that manifested into a short yelp. He felt himself be lifted from the ground as he coughed blood wetly, finally able to see the burning puke yellow eyes of the man who held him aloft.

The Aberrant began to violently shake him, endeavoring to loosen any money or valuables as well as all but shaking his eyes from the sockets.

"I don't have anything--Please." He tried to stutter out between gasps of pain while feeling his feet dangle beneath him as if they were twigs in the breeze. Oriyun wondered how such a scrawny person who was almost the same build as himself was able to hold him with only 3 fingers but swiftly was thrown back to the ground; his body nearly skidding off the top section of roofing that chronically remained in disrepair.

"Yeah, I can see that...Broke piece of SHIT! Maybe you should get a job instead of hanging out on roofs like a fuckass." The spewed hate stung much less than the beating that was stringing Oriyun in and out of consciousness like a ping-pong match. "This better be worth it."

He attempted to sit up but felt the pierce of his disabilities tearing on his body along with the new cuts and welts that graced his fleshy shell. Oriyun finally managed to lift his head from the salty gravel and take another fleeting glance; Seeing the assaulter wearing a faded ski mask that was the same bile color as his eyes were and only a pair of half-pink and half-blue shorts.

Oriyun wanted to chuckle, but terror was the only thing he could exude as the Aberrant stared him down as if he were roadkill. "Are you g-gonna kill me?" Saint let loose through trembling lips. A person below screamed, catching the attention of the Aberrant for a moment.

"I was going to--" He said with a smile that was visible beneath his mask. "But to be honest, you're one of the only people to not just scream until I lost my shit...Even if you are ugly as hell." The man kicked the roof, leaving a crack in the foundation just below his booted foot frowning as if tugged by an invisible force.

"What?" Oriyun muttered, not even loud enough for anyone to hear; or so he thought, seeing the figure walk over to him and stick out his hand. "I'm--"

"You are UGLY as shit dude...Like enough to not want to keep talking to you; but I'm trying, it's not every day you meet a real-life god, y'know." The cockiness in the figure's words was tangible as if he was actually ordained to prophecy his power only to Oriyun's ear.

A GOD...He looked up to see the figure with a still outstretched hand, breathing as heavily as his sputtering lungs permitted. Saint tried to stand but crumbled easily by his own strength.

A god--Oriyun felt it was wrong to feel the blasphemy as solid truth at first, but every moment tangible heat radiated from the figure's hand like a furnace and the clear damage he had left on Saint's body was enough to make him question years of Sunday school.

Saint was at a loss for words, only able to take the hand into his own; the night air became frigid as their cells connected, the searing pain still lingering between the seconds of the icy blasts that rocked him.

When he arrived to his feet there was a silence as the two looked over each other. "Why didn't you run?" The other said to him, cocking his head as the unnatural light slowly faded and allowed Saint to view his plain-looking face.

"I can't...I couldn't even if I wanted to--" Saint swayed slightly on his wobbling knees, gulping at the discomfort he still felt as he cast a glance over the ruined Old-York. "What does it feel like?" He abruptly said as he clenched his fingers into a tight ball.

"What does what feel like?"

"What does it feel like to fly, I've never even left the city...not to mention the gravity." Saint let out as he wincingly shifted his weight once again but enabled himself to crack a smile.

The figure grinned, not a smile that seemed genuine; a grin that never reached his beady eyes as they only stared deep into Saint's sunken face. "Lucky for you...Your loser ass is gonna find out--how about today; we try to make your life a little less shitty...or you might just die." He laughed indifferently. "OR maybe Ultress will play nice and fuck off after whatever she wants is finished.."

------Rose-------

"What's wrong babe?" Rose felt the pulse quicken in the palm entangled in her own. The fields of Kansas stretched out like a brilliant green ocean as she rested her head on her boyfriend's shoulder.

"I don't want you to leave, Ro. I know your parents saved up all that money but--" Tyler began to wad her curly hair between his fingers while looking over her resting form as it laxed between the scattered farmhouses. "I heard Old York is a cesspit...you can't ask the academy to place you somewhere closer?! You're basically an Armistead for fuck's sake." He raised his voice slightly but kept it from being aggressive.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Rose excused the vulgarity, not being fond of it and wanting to leave it out of the pristine moment. "When I pass my classes and get accepted for field work, there's a clause in my contract as an executive to bring a partner...if you can keep it in your pants long enough." Rose nudged her head deeper, placing her hand over the exposed side of their hands' embrace.

The boy scoffed. "That's 3 years! With all the freaks too since the eclipse, who knows...who knows if I'll even see you again." Tyler leaned forward, allowing Rose to see the sweat beginning to bead on his forehead.

"Aberrants aren't monsters...They used to be people--a lot of studies have been coming out about how different they are genetically, but it doesn't mean they aren't people at their core." Rose expressed as she imagined one day being completely normal, then the next, your entire life ripped apart and if you were unlucky enough...losing all sense of self and sentience like the flesh-eating monsters some people turned to.

A waning unperturbed breeze settled over the field, blowing swiftly and then gently into a swirling cascade of delicate oat scents that engulfed their senses. Rose shuddered slightly then tucked herself nearer; enough to feel Tyler's heartbeat now thudding in her ear bones.

"I know you don't like it when I call them freaks," Tyler articulated, his voice softening. "But come on, Rose. They're dangerous. You've seen the recent news in Detroit. How many people have died because of them in the last month alone!?"

Rose sighed, sitting up to look Tyler in the eyes. "I understand your fear, Tye. But we can't just write them off. They're still part of our world, and we need to find a way to coexist...or what happened to the Neanderthals will happen to us."

Tyler sneered again, shaking his head. "Coexist? With those things? You're smoking crack, Rose. Sometimes I wonder why the academy accepted you instead of me...such a softie."

Rose felt a pang of guilt at the mention of the Armistead Alternative Academy. Her parents had spent every last penny they had to send her there, depleting their savings and even taking out loans. They were both ill, her father with a chronic respiratory condition and her mother with early-onset Alzheimer's, but they insisted that Rose pursue this opportunity no matter what happened back home.

"The academy isn't just about Aberrant control, Tyler," Rose said, her voice tight with stress. "Armistead Industries is involved in cutting-edge research and development. They're working on cures for chronic illnesses, advancing military technology to limit human casualties; It's not all about weapons and containment."

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard the recruitment pitch; they came to my door just like yours--" Tyler muttered, betraying a tinge of jealousy at his denial. "But you can't deny that a big part of what they do IS about containing the Aberrant threat. And that's a very good thing, Rose. Someone needs to keep us safe if the 'heroes' can't keep their own kind from raping and killing whoever they feel like."

Rose stood up fully, brushing grass from her pale jeans. "It's more complicated than that. The academy is looking for people who can think critically, who can see beyond just black and white of multiple matters. That's why I have to go, Tye. The world is already full of people like you."

Tyler got to his feet as well, his face reddening. "I just don't want to lose you, Rose. Not to Old York, not to the academy, and definitely not to some Aberrant freak show running loose through the city."

As they stood there, the wind picked up, carrying with it an unnatural chill that seemed out of place on the warm summer's day. Rose felt goosebumps rise on her arms, and a sense of unease settled in her stomach like a ton of bricks.

"Tyler," she voiced, her speech rattling through her clenched teeth, "do you feel that?"

------ Saint-------

Ignoring the pain became impossible, every cell in Saint's body shrieked not only in agony but peril as he swooped inches from the surface of the Old York ocean. The experience riddled Saint's mind with a sense of euphoria that took the edge off the constant pain he had felt for years to this point.

In fact, he felt better than he had ever felt in his entire life. "FUCK YEAH!!" He spat between triggers of intense G-force on his heaving ribcage. The seawater pricked his face like small needles, but every bank and suspension of motion made it all melt away. "How do you land!?"

"Shut up...or I'll drop you and you can find out..." AirForce snorted boorishly. While he had learned the name of the Aberrant, or rather the military designation of him, it was clear why they called him by that moniker; If it wasn't for his random spasms of unconsciousness it would have been what he imagined to be in the cockpit of a fighter jet.

"We're almost there." AirForce sounded off again as they ascended into the hazed crimson night air, far below they floated over the infamous Aberrant prison known as Indus Island.

He had seen many advertisements on TV about how state of the art the manmade island's prison was; the spanning hallways lined with inmates, the inner sanctum housing aberrants of massive danger, and the many automated drone security that it boasted were something out of a storybook.

Saint felt ice cold, only wondering for a moment why they were there before they came crashing down into the side of the huge walled prison. Just before they slammed into the shimmering cement, AirForce tossed him in the air like a ball of Play-Doh.

Saint flew a short bit; no longer being held as if he were a disgusting pile of trash, but squealing now not being able to control his flight. The ground was quickly barreling toward him just as he heard the sound of AirForce plowing through the entire back wall he was thrown over and detonating out the other side in time to catch him and then subsequently drop Saint heavily onto the grounds of Indus Island as alarms blared around them in a fevered pitch.

The alarms screamed, deafening and incessant like the call of shuddering birds. Saint struggled to his feet but he willed himself to move. The impact had reopened wounds barely healed from minutes prior, and fresh blood seeped through his stain-covered clothes; releasing strobes of pain all through his nerve endings.

"Move!" AirForce barked, already sprinting down a sterile corridor then stopped to rip through a metal security door like it was made of paper instead of the titanium it was comprised of.

Saint limped after him, heart pounding to its limits as he took in the high vaulted grey ceilings. "Wait! Why are we here!?" he screamed out, but AirForce ignored him, focused solely on the path ahead that was becoming filled with the sounds of boot clator.

A prison guard rounded the corner, his armored form straightening instantly as he faced the two men before him. AirForce flew forward in a blitz that ripped the cement ground beneath him and sent shrapnel upward. The guard's head was backward the moment AirForce was able to reach him, neck snapped with terrifying efficiency with a resounding crunch of bone that left the hallway completely silent save for the sounds of the cement falling back to the earth.

"Jesus Christ," Saint muttered, throw-up bubbling in his throat as he held himself together by threads.

"Keep up or die," AirForce snarled, not breaking stride as he kicked his foot through the man's body and showered the corridor with blood in an instant.

They pressed on silently, deeper into the innards of the facility full of cowering inmates. AirForce cut through walls and security barriers with fluid ease of motion, his strength making a mockery of the prison's defenses as he struck down walls and doors alike with no sign of exertion.

It was clear they hadn't prepared for an Original Aberrant assault; or possibly not one of Airforce's caliber. Saint was not sure if it was even within the grasp of human possibility to be able TO combat a being like AirForce.

Saint's legs burned, his lungs heaving mucus as he pushed himself to keep pace through the agony of it all. The cocktail of pain and adrenaline coursing through his veins though was too intoxicating, yet terrifying if he delved into his sanity. He felt more alive than he had, even as exhaustion made his heart feel like an explosive device.

Another group of guards appeared, their rifles raised and trained on the threat. AirForce charged into all but one member with a wind-splitting closeline of his right arm. The one that slipped past, charged at Saint with his gun still raised but trembling now.

Saint's wobbling body moved without his brain thinking, fueled by desperation and the eternal need to survive. He ducked under the now-firing muzzle, grabbed the guard's arm, and twisted as he felt blood trickling from his own eardrums.

The crack of bone was followed by a scream cut short as Saint's elbow connected with the guard's already broken forearm. The guard dropped, unconscious or dead-- Saint couldn't bring himself to check as he held his breath. He stared at his hands, quivering. "That was..." He paused as he noticed the very much still alive attempting to contain a sob as he lay semi-motionless.

"Shut up and move, for fucks sake." AirForce snapped, already disappearing around the next corner and kicking aside the last squirming guard he had severed the lower half from.

Saint stumbled after him in an attempt to spare the shaking man's life, body feeling numb but still sending signals of pain and euphoria. The sterile corridors gave way to a vast central chamber, ringed with cells made of glass and titanium.

Aberrants and humans alike stared out from behind energy fields, some looking on in trepidation, others who were more feral; began to howl like dogs at AirForce's entry. Saint thought that it was strange the way the other Aberrant's seemed to instinctively shift away or be driven insane.

"What is this place?" Saint was able to speak as a stitch formed in his side, overwhelmed by the sight of the many mutated and crazed individuals while trying to manage his fatigue.

AirForce still ignored him, stomping purposefully toward a more heavily fortified door at the far end of the criminal-lined chamber. "Almost there babie," he muttered, more to himself than to Saint. "Then you can leave me alone, right? No more nightmares you Bi--" Saint saw the man wince once more while muttering to himself.

As they approached, a final wave of guards poured in from the hole they had made, desperately trying to stop their advance. Saint watched in awe and horror as AirForce tore through their bodies and turned them into gushing piles in under a minute. Concrete cracked into shards as if glass, titanium twisted at his touch but not the guards' bloody impacts, and human bodies flew through the air and then quickly turned to pink mist.

In nothing more than a few brutal seconds, it was over.

AirForce stood before the fortified door, barely winded but slumped his shoulders at the sight of his clothes being torn. He glanced back at Saint quickly after taking in a fresh tear to his shorts, puke-colored eyes gleaming with an intensity that sent chills down his spine as if he was being rebuked spiritually. "Having fun yet?" AirForce asked, a wicked grin taking hold beneath his slightly torn ski mask.

Before Saint could respond, AirForce slammed his fist into the door. The reinforced metal imploded, revealing a darkened chamber beyond that was ice-cold. Saint trudged ever forward, every hair on his body screaming danger but the absolute thrill seeking his soul.

A voice spoke from the shadows "All this trouble for me?"

------Rose-------

Rose's breath hooked in her throat as she and Tyler raced towards the source of a small girl's scream that ushered its way moments after the chilling breeze. The Kansas fields rippled in the wind under the orange cascade of the setting sun.

Tyler's face stiffened. "So much for 'Titan; The Worlds Last Hope." He said sarcastically between paces through the green fields.

Rose frowned while swatting a large horsefly. "The Alliance is trying to help, Tyler. They're working with the UN to manage the Aberrant situation. It's not perfect, but—"

"Not perfect?" Tyler scoffed while cutting her off. "That's an understatement. No amount of their 'heroics' can change the real damage done to everyday people! Even all the way out here we still arent even fucking safe!"

Rose frowned slightly. She knew Tyler's pain ran deep, but she couldn't help feeling that his anger was somehow misplaced due to his brother's death years ago. "I know, Tye. But not all Aberrants are the same. The Alliance is proof that some want to help..."

"Help?" Tyler spat. "Where was their help during the last eclipse? When people were dying in the streets? When my brother—" He choked on the words, unable to finish. Rose reached out to touch his arm, but he jerked away.

Her words were cut short by another scream, much closer this time. They rounded a bend in the road and froze at the sight before them.

A hulking figure crouched in the middle of the path, hunched over something—no, someone; it was apparent by the torn clothing and blood marks almost plastered to the field and dirt around the figure. As it raised its head, Rose felt her blood run as cold as arctic waters.

Where a human face should have been, there was a grotesque mixture of human and animalistic features. Razor-sharp teeth glinted in an elongated jaw with scales, and predatory slitted eyes fixed on them with palpable hunger. "Oh my God," Rose whispered, her heart beginning to pound out her chest.

Tyler grabbed her arm, his earlier anger replaced by fear. "Rose, we need to run. Now."

Rose couldn't move.

The Aberrant slowly rose, blood dripping from its claws as the mangled body of an older woman slumped squishily. "Tyler," Rose said, her voice barely audible, "when I say go, run back to the truck. Don't stop, don't look back."

The Aberrant took a step towards them, a low growl rumbling from its chest.

"Please," Rose pleaded with only a shudder, her eyes never leaving the creature. "Don't try to fight it." She could feel Tyler's hesitation, his grip on her arm tightening. The Aberrant crouched, muscles tensing as it clacked together its sharp nails.