/LEVEL 02

/Tutorial Initiated

As the desert dust cleared, something caught Jude's eye—a small figure standing in front of the open gates of the warehouse. A little girl, no older than seven or eight, stood there with her hands raised, "My name is Lucy and... and... I like kitties... and pink... please, don't shoot, I’m too pretty to die... please."

The child walked forward in tiny steps, her hands still raised, brown eyes wide as she scanned her surroundings. Delila pointed her firearm directly in the girl's direction. Standing close beside her, Tom released the safety pin on his rifle, a grim look etched on his face.

Jude felt a surge of outrage as he looked around, noticing Bart stepping out of the vehicle. He was unarmed, but as a Watcher, he had skills far more efficient than a weapon. Yet, Jude couldn't wrap his mind around the need for such an aggressive stance against a little girl who had just stepped forward, clearly innocent. What was going on?

The child's outfit was a loyal display of pink—pink jeans, a pink coat, and even her backpack matched her ensemble. Her hair was adorned with two pink crunchies that bounced with each step she took, a visual confirmation of her favourite colour. “She’s just a kid, for fuck’s sake!” Jude blurted out, rising in protest.

"What the fuck are you guys doing?" Jude stepped in front of the girl, instinctively protecting her from any of their aggression.

"Stay out of it, newbie. This is a job for real Watchers," Bart snapped, his attention still fixed on the child. He leaned closer, his demeanour shifting from defensive to demanding. "Who sent you?"

"It was a lady... her name was Marta," the girl replied, her voice visibly trembling.

Jude felt a jolt coursing from his head to toe. Did she say, Marta? His Marta?

"What organization?" Bart boomed, his voice blasting through the air like a catapult.

“Hum... I... I don’t know,” the girl stammered. “Friends?”

“What organization!” Bart shouted again, his frustration boiling over. Jude could see the terror in the child’s eyes.

“Bart, stop!” Jude interjected, “She’s just a kid! Yelling at her isn’t going to help anything.”

"Fucking bots," Bart mumbled between his teeth, "Tom, fire up!"

Jude stepped forward, shouldering Bart with a forceful shove. The impact caught Bart off guard, his larger frame stumbling backwards as he lost his balance.

As Bart teetered on the edge of control, his eyes met Jude’s gaze—a connection so intense that it felt like an invisible force had wrapped around them. At that moment, Bart's breath hitched, and a look of pure fear crossed his face as he realized he had lost all control over his body, unable to resist the power emanating from Jude.

Bart felt an overwhelming sense of vulnerability wash over him. His mind raced, trying to comprehend the shift in dynamics. It was as if his own identity and ego were about to disappear.

“Nobody moves, or I will make him break his own neck!” Jude declared, sending a chill through the group.

The others stood frozen, caught in the sudden shift of power, while Bart struggled to regain his footing. Jude had crossed a line, and in that instant, he knew he could wield his abilities to protect Lucy and assert control over the chaotic situation.

But he also knew he had just made some powerful enemies.

Bart felt encased like in concrete. He struggled to stand, but his realised betrayed him, stiffening as if bound by invisible chains. Panic fluttered in his chest as he realized he couldn’t even blink, his eyes wide open in horror.

“Delila, drop your weapon,” Jude commanded, his tone leaving no room for dissent.

Delila hesitated, glancing at Tom, her grip on her firearm wavering. “I can’t block him,” she stammered, “He is stronger than Len."

Tom dropped his rifle without a word. Delila followed suit, her weapon falling from her grip as if the weight of the moment had become too much to bear.

“Jude, she might not be what she looks like,” Tom cautioned, his eyes darting to Bart, whose body suddenly jolted as he fought against the unseen force holding him in place. The old man appeared visibly uncomfortable, beads of sweat glistening on his forehead as he strained against his immobilisation.

Jude stood tall, a commanding presence with his hands clasped behind his back. “You’re right… might,” he said. “The key word is might.” Without turning his head, he addressed Lucy. “Kid, what’s your name again?”

“Lucy... and I like pink,” she replied.

“Lucy, get inside the car, please,” Jude requested, aspiring to sound as calm as the situation allowed him. Lucy hesitated for a moment, glancing between the adults.

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"Jude, you are making a mistake," Bart managed to grit out between clenched teeth, but suddenly, his breath caught in his throat as if the weight of his words had turned to stone.

"I didn’t ask for your opinion," Jude replied as he watched Lucy struggle with the jeep door. The little girl finally swung it open and climbed into the vehicle.

As she scrambled into the seat, he heard Delila’s voice rise. “Jude, this could be dangerous for all of us,” she cautioned, her eyes darting nervously between him and the child.

“Dangerous, how?” Jude shot back, his patience wearing thin. “She’s just a kid!”

“She could be a decoy or worse!” Delila insisted. “You don’t know what we’re dealing with! You just arrived!”

Jude wanted to ignore her, his eyes still piercing through Bart. “And what if she’s not? What if she’s really just a kid? You can’t keep acting like everyone is an enemy just because you’re scared of a kid. For fuck's sake, we are not animals.”

“Don’t worry, I will take her with me,” Jude said, stepping closer to Bart. “Walk to the others.”

Bart hesitated, moving almost backwards as Jude’s persistent gaze pinned him in place. He turned, joining Delila and Tom, his breathing growing heavier as he grappled with the danger they were in.

Finally, Jude looked away and climbed into the driver seat next to Lucy.

“What a bunch of assholes!”

Lucy’s eyes widened, and she shook her head, "Those are potty words. Potty words are bad!"

Jude inserted the key into the ignition, his fingers trembling still from the adrenaline coursing through him as he twisted it. The engine roared to life, vibrating through the steering wheel as he whipped the vehicle around, leaving the others fading into the shimmering heat of the desert.

Lucy peered out the window, her brow furrowed. "How will they go home?" she asked against the hum of the engine.

The harsh sunlight pierced through the windshield and illuminated the dust motes dancing in the air as he pressed his foot on the accelerator.

Jude narrowed his eyes and glanced away, trying to block Lucy's gaze. He had tossed his sunglasses onto the desert, and the last thing he wanted was to hurt a kid.

"I don't care," he replied, the words slipping out sharper than he intended.

"But it’s really hot," she insisted, her small hand resting on the glass as she squinted into the distance.

"They cool off when they get home," he said, but even he could hear the lack of conviction in his voice.

"What if they find a snake?" she asked, her eyes wide with the thrill of possibility.

"A snake?" Jude echoed, momentarily taken aback.

"There are snakes in the desert... they eat elephants," she said matter-of-factly.

Jude shook his head, a reluctant smile creeping onto his lips. "Well, there are no elephants in the desert, so there can't be any snakes. What would they eat?"

He tried to immerse himself in Lucy's imaginative logic, letting her whimsical thoughts drown out his own worries. For a few fleeting minutes, he succeeded.

“Where are we going?”

Jude hesitated, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts. He didn’t have a clear answer. The weight of his mission pressed heavily on him, and he had just sent away the very people who might have provided him with some much-needed direction.

“I’ll figure it out,” he replied, his tone more for himself than for her, the words escaping like a faint whisper of hope into the vastness of the desert.

Lucy leaned closer to the windshield, her small frame nearly pressing against the glass as her eyes widened with wonder. “The sky has glitter!” she exclaimed.

Jude squinted against the sunlight, straining to see what she saw. He could only make out the endless stretch of sand and the blue horizon, a desolate canvas under the blazing sun. “Where do you see glitter?” he asked, puzzled.

“Like a wall of a bubble,” she explained.

“I can’t see it,” Jude murmured, narrowing his eyes in concentration, but the view remained clear.

“Your name is Jude?” Lucy asked, her curiosity shifting the conversation as suddenly as a breeze through the desert.

“Yeah, Jude of James. Why?”

“I have something for you,” she said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She unzipped her backpack and began to rummage through it, her small fingers sifting through the contents.

Jude watched her from the corner of his eye. He wasn’t sure what to expect. “What is it?”

“I found it!” Lucy announced triumphantly, pulling out a familiar object.

Jude turned to her, his heart skipping a beat as she held up a golden ring, its surface glinting in the light. His ring. A rush of emotions flooded him as he reached out for it, his hand trembling. He slipped it back onto his finger, feeling the cool metal against his skin. “Who gave it to you?”

“A lady,” Lucy replied simply.

“Was it Ma—”

Jude felt an immediate jolt that sent his body lurching forward. Time slowed as instinct kicked in; he had only two seconds to stretch his arm protectively in front of Lucy.

The world outside blurred into a swirling haze, colours melding together as the rush of adrenaline surged through him. It felt as if he were on a roller coaster, the sudden drop causing his stomach to plunge.

The seatbelt tightened around him, pulling him back into the seat just as he was about to be thrown forward.

Panic surged, but his focus remained locked on Lucy. Her wide eyes, filled with shock and fear, mirrored his own.

“Hang on!” he shouted, covering her body with his.

He could barely register the cacophony of screeching metal and shattering glass echoing in the chaos. All that mattered was keeping her safe. The impact was a violent crunch, a jarring collision that echoed through the vehicle as metal bent and glass shattered, filling the air with a deafening cacophony.

In the blink of an eye, the airbag deployed with a loud whoosh, inflating rapidly and enveloping his upper body like a protective shield. The force pushed him back against the seat, momentarily disorienting him as he struggled to grasp the reality of what had just transpired.

Everything spun around him—sounds, colours, the world outside—all blending into a disorienting blur. His heart raced, pounding in his ears. Panic threatened to take hold as he fought to catch his breath, inhaling sharply against the lingering scent of burnt rubber and adrenaline that filled the cabin.

“Lucy!” he gasped, turning his head frantically to check on her.

A wave of relief washed over him as he saw her small frame still intact, albeit shaken. “Are you okay?” he asked, the acrid smell of burnt rubber and faint smoke lingering in the air.

“Yeah... I’m okay... I’m okay.”

“Are you sure?” Jude pressed, his heart pounding as he searched her face for any signs of distress.

“I think there was really a wall...” she said, her brow furrowing in bewilderment. "Made of glitter."

Jude let out a shaky breath, slowly regaining his composure as he realised the gravity of their situation. They needed to get back to the settlement—quickly. “Fuck,” he muttered, frustration spilling over at their predicament.

“That's a potty word.”

Jude couldn’t help but crack a smile at the absurdity of the moment. But when he turned to face the horizon, his expression fell. There was nothing—no obstacle, no wall, no indication of what they had crashed against. The endless stretch of sand and the blue sky met before him, unbroken and serene, mocking the chaos that had just unfolded inside the vehicle.

image [https://i.imgur.com/GV4yMK9.png]