Chapter 1 – Liberation from insanity.
Paris, France.
They could hear the patients behind their doors as they walked down that corridor. They heard the screaming, the sobbing and the incomprehensible mutterings. Benjamin Hawke and Sonnet Kitamura said nothing; the only noise coming from the two of them was the sound of Sonnet’s heels meeting the hospital floor. Benjamin was dressed in his smartest suit, while Sonnet was wearing her best white blouse and black miniskirt; they looked every inch the professional. To the untrained eye, they were two people visiting an unfortunate relative, had anyone looked further, they would have seen the determined look in Benjamin's eyes, and the way Sonnet carried herself, as if she was expecting, and prepared for, a sudden attack.
They had arrived at their destination, room 57. The weary-looking nurse had told them of Serene Noir's location after Benjamin had used his telepathy to make her believe they were Serene's family. The woman was an easy target; her tired mind was practically an open book to Benjamin, it would have been funny, if it wasn’t so pathetic. Any one looking at the pair would instantly know they couldn’t be related to Serene. Benjamin was an English man with jet-black hair and piercing blue eyes, while Sonnet was a young Japanese woman, with flowing black hair tied together in a ponytail, with brown eyes showing years of hurt and despair.
The nurse opened the door and gestured for the two of them to walk inside, saying she would return in ten minutes. Benjamin had already “persuaded” her that her presence wasn’t necessary, for he suspected she wouldn’t want to see this. Closing the door behind them, the pair turned to look at Serene. The girl was sat on the floor, her blonde hair greasy and unwashed, she was wearing a grubby white hospital gown, and her upper body was restrained by a straight jacket. She glared at Benjamin and Sonnet, and though distrust and fear evident in her eyes, she projected nothing but hatred towards the two strangers. Benjamin was the first one to break the silence, nodding at Sonnet to remain silent
“Serene Noir? My name is Benjamin Hawke, and this is my associate, Sonnet Kitamura. We’re here to help you”
Serene almost laughed “Help me? Did my parents speak to you? You’re here to drug me, aren’t you? So I’ll end up like everyone else in this place.”
“We know your secret Serene. Please, don’t worry. You are not alone. There are others out there like you. We can help you.”
“Help me? Why shoul- I see blood, death, and destruction. Horror. Unspeakable horror!” Serene’s eyes had glazed over, her voice distorting into something different, something demonic.
Sonnet shot an alarmed look at Benjamin who shook his head, urging her to back down. Serene was shaking and began sobbing quietly, the room began to shake.
“You’re a Mutant. Aren’t you Serene? Benjamin’s voice was full of kindness, something that was totally alien to Serene
“I…I don’t know. My parents…they thought I was in…in…” the room began shaking more violently
“Insane.” Sonnet stated bluntly, earning herself a reprimanding glare from Benjamin.
“Yes” Serene whispered, her tone pathetic, the shaking slowly subsiding.
“You’re not insane. Serene” Benjamin stated “And, you’re not staying here either. You’re coming with us” and with a wave of his hand the straight jacket began to tear, until it fell off Serene’s body entirely.
Serene looked incredulous, this didn’t make sense, she had no idea who these two people were and now they expected her to just follow them?
“Wait! I can’t just walk out of here…the nurses” Serene looked to the floor, Benjamin and Sonnet knew what she was getting at.
“Don’t worry about the nurses” Benjamin grinned for the first time, “to them, it’s like you won’t even be there. Shall we be off then?”
Benjamin extended his hand to Serene, who accepted it and was picked up off the floor, while Sonnet opened the door and walked out. The three of them walked down the corridor, and though Serene tensed up and inhaled sharply everytime they walked past a nurse, she kept up with Benjamin and Sonnet, who strode on ahead. A few minutes later, an incredulous Serene was being escorted into a chauffeured car. They had left the hospital with no one giving the odd trio a second look; despite the fact Serene was wearing nothing but a grubby hospital gown, while Benjamin and Sonnet looked as though they wouldn’t look out of place at a business meeting.
Putting on her seatbelt an incredulous Serene could barely believe what had happened, or how her saviours had remained so calm. They sat in silence for ten minutes, before Serene couldn’t hold it in any longer
“How? How did we get out of there?”
“Benjamin’s a telepath, he entered the minds of all the staff and altered what they were seeing. To them, only Benjamin and I left” Sonnet explained.
“You guys are mutants too? And, what are you gonna do when they realise I’m not there?”
“Yes. We’re mutants, and… it doesn’t matter. It’s not like we told them our real names, and we were able to hack into their system and disable their security cameras” Sonnet kicked off her shoes, relishing in the execution of their plan.
“So… where are you guys taking me?” Serene asked suddenly anxious.
*
Berlin, Germany.
Damien Hallow hated Berlin. It was bleak and miserable. Every step he took down a ruined street reminded him of his failure to protect the city. The Eastern Powers had rescued Damien from poverty and a slow, agonising death and for that, he would be forever in their debt. He normally used his powers of the wind to intercept and destroy enemy missiles; yet, Berlin was the one city he had failed. Damien was almost certain Alexandra kept her base of operations in the city just to depress everyone. Berlin was once a thriving city, full of laughter and life, now it was silent and dead. There was nothing but silence in every street, nothing grew and not even the birds would fly over the city.
Berlin was a testament to one of the greatest atrocities of the war, and Damien’s biggest failure. He sighed and began to walk faster, not wanting to stay on the streets for too long. He cursed Alexandra, normally he’d just teleport in to any meeting, but she had a rule about not using powers unless absolutely necessary and he wouldn’t be the first mutant Alexandra executed for disobeying a rule.
Alexandra’s base of operations was an old office building, nothing remarkable about it, but it was now distinguished, as the only building in Berlin that was still wholly intact. Alexandra's office was white and clinical, like a dentist’s office, Damien shivered as he entered.
“Where is the Mutant now?” Alexandra arched her eyebrow
“With them.” Damien simply replied shrugging
“So, they have made the first move. Excellent. You’ll be in London tomorrow. Contact Mirandri, she’s been impersonating one of them for some time. It’s time to execute plan 93. That’s all”
Damien bowed and exited the room, and once he knew Alexandra was out of sight, he exhaled a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding in. Even though they were on the same side, something about Alexandra unnerved him. Checking his watch, Damien vanished in a plume of purple smoke.
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