A Painful Childhood

Tony looked at John and asked, "You're telling me she's a Cyber-human?"

John nodded. "Half-Cyber."

Tony turned to Aria. "Half?"

Aria scoffed. "Let's stop the chatter. I hate being in this state."

John smirked. "You're smart, right? You know you won't win against the SP and Tony."

Aria sighed. "You're right. But I didn't get this body just to not fight or flee."

With that, she launched herself forward at full speed. The officers barely had time to react, but one managed to pull his gun. *Bang!* The shot hit Aria, but instead of wounding her, it merely pushed her back.

Tony's eyes widened in shock. "She could've killed me."

John remained calm. "Yes, she could have. Next time, be faster."

The SP officers moved in and restrained Aria. She struggled, but they overpowered her, locking her in handcuffs and dragging her away. Tony watched as they took her to a cell. Then, out of nowhere, he felt a sharp pain—John had struck him. Before Tony could react, darkness overtook him.

---

Tony woke up in a dimly lit jail cell. The first thing he saw was Aria sitting across from him, smirking. "Look at you. A criminal now, not a hero."

Tony pushed her away. "Why did he arrest me?"

Aria leaned back against the cold wall. "Did you forget? Being a hero is a crime."

Tony frowned. "Togo, how long am I in here?"

Togo's voice crackled in his ear. "Nine days."

Tony sighed in relief. "That's not long. I can rest for a while."

Aria chuckled. "At the end of those nine days, you'll be executed."

Tony's heart stopped. "What? Why?"

Aria smirked. "You really forgot? Being a hero is the highest crime."

Tony jumped to his feet. "I need to get out of here."

Aria grinned. "I love seeing you like this."

Tony glared at her. "Why are you happy? You're going to be executed for mass murder."

Aria shook her head. "I hate to tell you, but I'm leaving today."

Tony narrowed his eyes. "You're scheduled for execution today."

Aria laughed. "No, I'm the daughter of the system's highest-ranking scientist and engineer. My mother is the number one engineer, my father the number one scientist."

Tony clenched his fists. "I hate you."

Aria smirked. "Ah, the gift of being born into the Blackwood family."

Tony scoffed. "I'm going to kill you."

Aria tilted her head. "Wow. Is that how a hero talks?"

Tony took a deep breath. "Why do you hate heroes so much?"

Aria's smirk faded, replaced by something darker. She looked down, her hands trembling slightly. Then, with quiet anger, she spoke.

"You know both my parents are human, right?"

Tony hesitated. "Yeah… what does that have to do with anything?"

Aria's voice cracked, raw with emotion. "Then how am I half-Cyber?"

Tony didn't answer. He knew.

Aria clenched her fists, her voice trembling with suppressed rage. "My own parents used me," she spat. "I never had a happy childhood. Every minute of my life, I was locked underground, chained like an animal. I was nothing to them but an experiment—a tool they could shape however they wanted."

Her breath hitched, but she pushed through, her emotions fueling the fire inside her. "Every single day, I was experimented on. My own parents—my own blood—brought heroes in. They paid them to hurt me. They called it training, but it was torture. They broke every bone in my body over and over again, just to see how much I could take. And when I begged to go outside, just to see the sun, do you know what they said?"

She gritted her teeth, the memory seared into her mind like an unhealing scar. "They looked me in the eyes and said, 'Cyber trash like you doesn't deserve to see the sun.'"

A bitter laugh escaped her lips, shaking with pain. "Six years. Six years! I suffered at their hands. And those so-called heroes? They were no better. They smiled, they called themselves protectors, but they were monsters in disguise. They took turns breaking me, testing me, using me. All for what? To create the perfect Cyber-human."

She leaned forward, her eyes filled with cold fury. "And you know what? They succeeded. They created the perfect Cyber-human—a half-one, a perfect one. My parents became the number one scientist and engineer, while I was left to rot. I was the reason for their success, but in the end, I was just a tool. And now that I'm useless to them, they've discarded me."

Tony swallowed hard, unable to find words.

Aria laughed bitterly. "But I know them. They have too much pride. They won't let their daughter—their *only* child—sit in jail. It would ruin their reputation."

Tony lowered his head. "I'm sorry."

Aria raised an eyebrow. "Sorry for what?"

Tony clenched his fists. "Every time I called myself a hero, it must have reminded you of that horrible childhood."

Aria was silent for a moment, then smirked. "It did. But it's not your fault, Tony."

She stretched, a dangerous glint in her eyes. "You know what? Today, you're leaving this place, too."