“Who are you?” May asked, annoyed that the power enhancer was not in her possession.

The hooded figure in the white suit lifted an index finger and placed it where the mouth would have been if it wasn’t covered by a mask, signaling May to keep quiet. It was an obvious taunt. Then, in the blink of an eye, the figure was gone along with the silver case. It seemed she had the power of invisibility. Judging by the shape of the suit, the thief also happened to be a woman.

Gnashing her teeth, May drowned out the noises erupting from the commotion and focused on her surroundings. Her eyes blazed yellow, her iris contracting to become thin slits. Her vision changed to black and white with every organic matter glowing in different shades of color, much like an aura. All human beings within the vicinity glowed a deep shade of red but one in particular, burned brighter. It was the hooded figure and she was running away from the stage, heading for a set of faulty escalators leading to the upper level of the train station.

“You’re not getting away,” May murmured.

She flexed her left arm, transforming it into a grotesque giant hand with claws the size of an elephant’s tusks before aiming it at her enemy. With a snap, May’s fingers closed around the figure’s waist, squeezing it until the woman let out a pained cry. She began dragging the thief closer to her while increasing the force of her hold, a wicked smile twisting her lips. But as she did so, the hairs at the back of her neck rose and a sudden sense of warning shot through her. Before she could turn her face over her shoulder, jolts of intense pain speared her body.

May dropped to her knees, her morphed arm retracting, her eyes squeezed shut as she bore the agony. Her organic vision deactivated. The smell of burning flesh and singed hair assaulted her nose. Her regenerative abilities fought to heal the damage done to her tissues. When the pain stopped, she opened her eyes and staggered to a stand, regaining her strength with self-healing. The thief was gone and the man with the LED mask was flying away from the vicinity. It was he who had attacked her. Quickly, she scanned the area with her organic vision but could not find the woman. Only the silver case remained, opened to reveal its empty chambers.

_______________


Cassie’s photonic blast hit the masked man in the head as she’d intended. Even as he took the hit, the man couldn’t keep his mouth shut. On the left side of his visor, his digital emote eye flickered but returned to its initial state as though it had suffered no harm. As the man stood up too fast, Cassie channeled a bust of power to the tips of her fingers and fired another blast at the man’s heart. He disappeared and reappeared to her right. Aside from telekinesis, it seemed he also possessed superhuman speed.

“Stop talking and fight me, coward,” she said, her voice dripping with hostility. He was annoying the hell out of her with his silly antics.

When Cassie left the orphanage, she’d promised to protect Ronald under any circumstances. She wasn’t about to break that promise now. If the masked man intended to “question” Ronald, he could do more harm than he did at the auction. Cassie had to eliminate him at all costs. But as she aimed a stronger attack in his direction, he flew away from her and returned to the stage. In a blur of speed, she moved to where Ronald was and stood in front of him, using herself as a shield. The masked man paid no attention to them. Instead, he directed jolts of electricity at May who had her mutated arm grabbing onto something invisible before escaping the underground metro. The white-haired girl fell on her knees, doubling in pain but Cassie noticed while May had sustained electrical burns, her flesh regenerated.

She turned her attention to Ronald, hoping his self-generative power had kicked in. Cassie lifted a hand to touch his shoulder but stopped herself in mid-air. She’d totally blown her cover and had a feeling he would be furious with her. There was no point in pretending anymore.

“Are you okay?” She stared at him with concern, scanning his body for any serious damage.