Chapter 15.4

Emily opened her eyes and groaned as she lifted herself up. Seeing the luxurious room she was sleeping in surprised her for a moment before she removed the needle connected to the IV bag. Groaning in pain again, she sat up and pulled the robe aside to check her wounds which were bandaged.

Oh right, I remember now, She thought. There was a fight, then-

The scene of the explosion, the ringing that nearly shattered her eardrums, and pain of shrapnel piercing her overwhelmed her mind. Emily groaned as she held her head which felt like it was being rattled. A light green glow surrounded both her hands, helping her calm down.

This … this is my ability! Emily looked at her hands in shock when she noticed the glow. Did I level up? I'm a level one now.

Emily closed her eyes and focused on the internal injuries that she had. She willed the green energy to flow downwards and focused on healing herself.

If only I was stronger … She thought bitterly. Strength, what I need is to be stronger! But how? How can I … be like them? Like her?

Emily thought of her friends, especially Alina, and a pang of helplessness stabbed her. She didn't want to feel jealous, and she admired Alina for being strong. But she desperately felt the need to be stronger, not to protect others, but to fill that empty void inside her.

Wait, Thought Emily as she paused her healing. There is a way … but …

Emily pictured all the hardships that occurred to her since she was born. Flashes of how her birth parents abandoned her, how she was sent to foster care, into a crumbling family, the bullying and awful attraction that her beautiful but powerless face brought her. Emily's hand tightened into fists as her eyes gleamed with determination. To her, there was only one path.

It doesn't matter what happens. I need to get stronger, An image of a Jason smiling flashed through her eyes. So that they- no, so I can accept myself.

***

"So … why didn't you just go down here in the first place?" Alina asked after a few tense minutes of waiting on the elevator which seemed to go on endlessly. The silence and Jason's grim face made the trip downwards only so much more suffocating.

"Probably because he knew I wouldn't let him go this time," Selena smirked as she answered. "Good call, by the way. If you did go down, there'd be hell waiting."

The elevator stopped and the door opened revealing a dimly lit room that was the size of the entire floor. Several prototypes of fighter jets and ground vehicles were placed in a corner with a tarmac lying over it. Beyond it was a firing range with several weapons arranged nearly in a drawer.

Opposite of the garage were several displays full of armour and equipment and just before that stood a fully operational AKEERA, an exo-mech that was over ten feet tall.

"Whoa," Alina said as she took a step forward. She turned around while looking everywhere, her eyes glowing with awe as she took in the room. "This. Is. So. Cool! It's like the Batc-"

"Don't say it," Jason said with a raised hand covering his face. "It's embarrassing enough that it's a lair."

Alina ignored him and started running around, touching everything as she did. Luckily, most weapons were locked so she couldn't fire them.

"Hey! See-see, no touch!" Jason yelled at her when he saw her grabbing a pair of vibrational katanas and swinging them around while making Kung Fu noises.

"Look at her, she's like a kid during Christmas!" Selena, with a shake of her head, smiled wryly when she how Alina was reacting.

"That's what I'm worried about," Jason said as he looked at Alina fondly. "I wanted to bring her here knowing she'd like it. You know, to cheer her up. But if I knew she wanted to be a merc …"

"There's nothing you can do if that's what she decides to pursue," Selena guided him to the armoury as she spoke. "All you can do is guide her and pray for the best. Besides, like I said before; you raised her. What did you expect?"

"What are you trying to say, Selena?" asked Jason with narrowed eyes. He knew what she meant but he wanted to hear her say it.

"That maybe you weren't the right person to raise a kid?" Selena answered bluntly. "Face it, Jason. Your life was never normal. And trying to raise a kid wouldn't change that."

"That is not why I took her in," Jason said in a low voice. He turned to look at Alina while he spoke, making sure she couldn't hear them. "I promised Diana- hm..."

Jason stopped with a grimace and looked down as Selena sent him a sharp glare.

"I promised Madam Sage that I would take care of her," Jason finished.

"Sounds like you had a complicated story with the Sages," Selena said stiffly, her expression impeccably hard to read. "Particularly, Diana Sage. But I digress. As I said before, this is her decision. If she decides to be a mercenary then I will fully support her … and I expect you to do the same."

Jason grunted in disagreement but said nothing. The two walked up to a box and Selena pressed her thumb at an opening at the side of the top. After the box identified her DNA sequence, it prompted for Jason's, who touched the other corner of the box. The box opened itself, turning and unfolding into a three sectional display, each with a layer of equipment.