Victoria Goodison gracefully descended from the sky, her scarlet red hair fluttering in the wind by her.
A small cloud of dust stirred in her wake as she landed, passing through the gaping hole in the wall of the orphanage. The kids moved back in fright at her arrival.
A man whom she recognized as Gregory Whizen lay on the ground in front of her, battered and badly injured. His right arm was twisted at an unnatural angle, clearly broken.
His left arm was badly burned, and his whole body was emitting small wisps of smoke.
Another woman, whom she recognized as someone he had a strong personal connection to, lay on the ground next to him, a gaping hole in her chest where her heart should have been; she was dead.
"His sister," She whispered, recalling her from his memories. Despite the numerous powers the Videntis wielded, resurrection wasn't in their arsenal.
"Such a pity," she thought, as the memories of some of the Praesagius operatives that had lost their lives in the line of service over the years flashed through her mind, overlapping with the broken body of the woman on the ground.
She steeled herself, her eyes turning emotionless once more.
Moments earlier, the Praesagius Kill Squad vice commander had received a distress signal indicating a calamity-level threat requiring immediate backup.
The Videntis were rarely mobilized; they were only meant to be called upon in case calamity-level beings appeared, and as such, she had decided to tag along on a whim.
She was following a gut feeling, but the carnage she found proved that she had been right. Her psionic probe had picked up the presence of a being that was possibly much more powerful than her.
That "thing" had stared back at her, but whatever it had been, it was gone, disappearing without a trace.
Her eyes emitted a violet light, eliciting a few gasps from the children as she quickly scanned through their memories to get a measure of what had taken place.
She noted the girl Gregory had been sent to keep an eye on; her name was Emily. She got her name from the memories of the other kids. A sharp pain tore through her mind when she tried to peer into the girl's memories. The pain flared through her psyche, causing her to double over, almost bringing her to her knees.
An insidious laughter seeped into her mind, and a pair of scarlet eyes stared at her in her mindscape before vanishing. The surviving nuns eyed her warily, trying to determine whether she was friend or foe.
She took deep breaths to calm herself, straightening her posture. The first of the kill squad arrived then, dropping down to one knee before her.
"The rest of the kill squad has arrived, along with a small cohort of the clean-up crew. They're currently closing off the entire area to prevent any interference."
Norvax Gray, the Vice Commander of the Kill Squad, said, briefly glancing at the woman who stood before him. His eyes narrowed as he noticed a slight tremor in her gloved hand. He rose to his feet, surveying the carnage.
Norvax Gray was a short man with a lithe build. His ability allowed him to move at near sonic speeds, and his mastery of it had earned him the spot of vice commander on the kill squad. Norvax was a seasoned veteran who had survived numerous life-and-death battles. He had fought back-to-back with Gregory, and they had been through hell and back with the man so many times that he considered him his brother.
His eyes widened slightly as he took in the view of Gregory on the ground. He quickly masked his disbelief, regaining his composure.
"What are your orders, ma'am?" He asked coolly.
"Call the rest of the cleanup and kill squads here; there won't be any interference. The perpetrator of this entire scheme has already left. These kids will need medical attention, and the Commander himself urgently needs to be patched up."She said as she turned on her heel.
"Take care of things here, I have a more urgent matter to attend to." Without waiting for a response, she took flight.
"Yes, ma'am," Norvax replied, watching her rapidly retreating figure.
He tapped his comlink and briskly issued a series of instructions to his subordinates.
"Bring the healers here with haste. The Commander was badly injured and will need more than a little rest to get back on his feet. The psychics should also come with the healers; only a few of you should remain on lookout just in case. "
The sun had started to rise, its reddish glow peeking over the horizon, painting the sky in vivid shades of crimson and violet hues.
" It's alright, there's nothing to fear," he said, addressing the kids with a warm smile. "You're all safe now." He directed the nuns to guide the kids out of the building, his authoritative tone rousing them out of their stupor.
The Praesagius operatives posed as emergency relief that had been sent to help out the orphanage. The kids and the nuns were told that a small earthquake had struck, and due to the weak integrity of the building, a part of it had collapsed.
Sister Claire had bravely died evacuating the kids. They didn't completely erase their memories because the most believable lies were those that had a bit of truth to them, so their minds would offer less resistance as their memories were doctored.
The kids had only minor injuries, a few cuts and bruises that the healers quickly healed. The psychics erased the traumatic memories of what had taken place from their minds. They had already moved the dead nun's body from sight, telling the nuns that the sight would traumatize the kids.
Norvax observed the green-eyed girl, Victoria's last instructions echoing in his mind.
"That girl, she probably has a connection to all this. Gregory was here to observe her when all this happened, so her memories must be left intact. Until your commander regains consciousness, she's the only link we have to get to the bottom of what has taken place here." Another girl sat next to her, trying to engage her in conversation.
Calming himself, he walked over to where they sat.
" Hello, little ladies," he said with a smile.
" Miss Emily, may I speak with you in private?"
She observed him quietly before silently rising.
"Where are you taking her?" Samantha stood up, standing protectively in front of Emily.
" It's ok, Samantha. It's alright."
" But," she protested. Emily's quiet stare shut her down. Emily slowly walked off with the mysterious man.
" Why didn't you refuse to come with me? " Norvax asked. " Well, if you'd wanted to kill me, you could have done so already, and no one would be the wiser." He studied the young girl who stood before him. His lips curled upward in a smile.
"Smart girl. My name is Norvax Gray," he said coolly.
" You've probably noticed that the rest of the kids don't remember what took place here last night. We've altered their memories. The organization I work for, the one my friend Gregory works for, has decided to take you in." He said, choosing his words carefully.
" We believe you're somehow connected to the phenomena that have taken place here over the last few days. We wish to offer you protection and also to help you nurture your unique talents. You would have to leave the orphanage, move away from everyone you know, and start a completely new life."
Emily calmly regarded Norvax as he spoke.
"I'll go with you, but on one condition," she said.
" And what would that be?" Norvax asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Samantha comes with me."
" Samantha is mundane. She cannot come with us."
" Surely not everyone in your organization has unique gifts. I noticed some people who seemed mundane, as you put it, among the people who helped us out. Samantha and I are a package deal. I will not go without her." Emily said calmly. Her green eyes hardened as she fearlessly looked into the older man's eyes.
" I'm afraid that will not be possible," he said.
" We would be greatly putting her life at risk. Think about it, your friend's memories could be altered; she would grow up and live a normal life."
"I will not leave without her," Emily said, looking defiantly at Norvax. Norvax pinched his nose in frustration.
"This is why I don't like kids."
" Fine, but I have a condition of my own. You'll be responsible for her. The life we lead is not a joke. People die, as I'm sure you've seen tonight. If anything happens to her, her blood will be on your hands." He said sternly.
Norvax looked at her, waiting for her response. " I'll protect her," she said quietly.
" I beg your pardon," He said, furrowing his eyebrows.
"I'll protect her. I'll master whatever abilities I have and protect her. Samantha is one of the few people who were good to me in this place. Despite how selfish it may seem, I will not leave her behind."
"Very well then, you'd better not regret your decision in the future. Her memories will be returned to her, and you two will come with us.
As they walked back to the makeshift camp, Norvax wondered if he had made the right call.
"Damn it, all."