The Glorious Madame

Chapter 2

Suspicions

“Don’t you think leaving her do that mission by herself was dangerous?”, asked Yonder.

Riot sat down in front of Yonder when he was done cleaning up. “We had complete trust in her to go past her limitations. Do not get confused; if we had known the Tinkle family would have been evolved, someone else would have helped. But our hands were tied. Besides, there’s nothing like a near-death experience to make her stronger.”

Yonder frown as he puts his stuff down. “That’s how you think the next generation should be trained? Without supervision?”

“There should be supervision, but to a degree. If that poor girl were still in the Institute’s hands, she never would have lived a life. She would have been in an endless war with good and evil.”

Riot’s stomach turns at the thought. When he first meets Cosmic, he thought of using her similarly. He would hate to imagine that reality. He is still worried that a life with him and the others would be the best life for her.

“It’s not like we’re perfect. We are far from it. Yet every time we offered her a life of peace, she rejected it. Always to either punish the predators or save the victims. She acts more like a hero than any of us.”

“Ironic,” said Yonder. “Seeing that you have an ex-hero as your teammate.”

“You mean Madame? Yeah, she would know. Honestly, she probably hates the Institute more than anyone else in my crew.”

“I can imagine.” Yonder turns his next page to the notes he had on her. He was always a fan of her, even though she was not well known. Things were probably like that for a reason. He takes a sip of his drink and clutches on his head.

“Your ok bud?” asked Riot with a small smile.

“Yeah. I have not drunk in a while. Been too busy.”

“Then it would be best for you to rest up while you can. Need a spot to rest? I know a gal that helps visitors.”

“And what? Miss this chance to talk to you. Not happening. Have something else to do tomorrow anyway.” Yonder loosens his tie as he leans to the table. “Enough about that. I still want to hear more about Madame. She’s the one I have the most information on.”

“She was always the attend seeker. She acts as the responsible one, but she is childish. Always spending her money on clothes and beauty stuff. She is always with some dude without any sense. Cause if they had some, they would say away from the kinky bitch. And do not worry, she doesn’t mind being called that.”

“Isn’t she apart of the Chapman family? She looks very similar to Titan-Million, yet I do not have any information on her and her family. Strange isn’t it? The Institute is so powerful and influential that people are better of not having a secret identity. She, however, did not talk about it. And the Institute is ok with that. I can find plenty of articles and pictures of her while she was an official hero. But nothing of her past.”

“An official hero huh?” Riot cringed.

“Don’t look at me like that. After all, she did plenty of selfish stuff. She is not only involved with black market trading, but she was also involved in a murder. None of it was bad the treason she did with you and the Neutrals.”

“She isn’t as bad as you think. Whatever it was, I am sure she had her reasons for it. She often had the best tactics against our enemies. Couldn’t be that bad.”

“Not from the stories I heard of.”

“Well, I got one. It is not a rumor or something from an article. It came from her itself.”

The Glorious Madame

Have you ever felt that you are surrounded by complete retards, but cannot complain about them because those retards are the ones in charge? I know I do. And no. I am not saying that because I have been around my famous superhero family, the Chapmans. It is because nobody wants to trust my judgment despite all the experience that I have. Sure, most of my experiences involved twisted arms, broken ribs, and concussions. It can still be considered experience and I am tired of being looked down upon because of it.

It was a snowy afternoon in a small town called Small Palm. It was a nice old town with pink and white flowers all over the place. A beauty I did not have time to admire. I was in the back of the Institute SUV’s, a standard vehicle for a standard mission. While it was parked on the side of a busy food market, I was inspecting my glimmering S.P.L, short for Slash Piercing Lover. It was the only benefit I had from being forced to work only for Blue, a partnering company with the biggest league of heroes. The S.P.L was able to turn itself into bow or chain blades on a fly to perfectly complement my shakes. My style is one of style with efficiency, a style that for some reason is slept upon.

I look around to see the other heroes within the SUV, including one of my sisters. Jenkins Chapman, also known as Paint-Girl, was wearing dark blue tights that had its mask attached. Large purple eyelids covered her eyes as the mask covers everything but her mouth. But that was not the most noticeable part of her. She had three circular glasses filled with paint: red and yellow ones her waste and a blue one below her chest. Paint-Girl notices her stare and smiles.

“Jealous?”, asked Paint-Girl.

“You wish,” I respond. I admit she was kind of cute, but her outfit was too tight for my liking. And it was not like there was a better costume for me anyways. A benefit I have from working with Blue and the Institute is that they create a suit designed your power or tools. In my case, I wear a red short-sleeved leather jacket with black longings. Small arrows were attached to my right thigh, sometimes being covered by my long jacket.

Everyone had something like that. Well, everyone but Trevor. The bronze-colored man had a huge mohawk that hits the top of the vehicle. He had no shirt with tight pants. The only thing that would indicate that he has powers were the borders on his arms and the rocks that hide his shoulders.

“Anyways, thank you for joining me for this,” Paint-Girl says as she puts a hand on my arm. “With everything that was happening with the family, I didn’t think you would have tagged along.”

Yeah, I am surprised too. Then again Jenkins was one of the only decent people in the family. She is also the most careless.

“Someone needs to take care of you. Do not think because of all the commercials and interviews you are in getting to your head. We both that you’re a beta girl.”

“You’re one to talk,” Trevor says. He places his hand on his elbow and lays his head on the border that is connected to his shoulder. “With how messy your tasks have become; I’d say that you should look at your sister as an example.”

“Nothing got ‘messy’. There are just some people you need to ruffe up. Give them something to remember before they try to commit a crime again.”

“Ruffing folks up won’t give you good recognition. It will only make you seem like a loose cannon. You should be grateful you even got in, seeing how infamous you’re becoming.”

I knew he had a problem with me joining, I just did not know he would say so soon. Ready to bark back, I was about to stand up. That was until my sister gently pushed me down.

“She’ll be fine, ” Paint-Girl says as she looks at Trevor. “There isn’t anyone else I would want to watch my back. Besides, I'll make sure she doesn't overdo stuff.”

He seemed satisfied with her answer. Before he went lad back down, he says, “I’m not saying that people don’t deserve a beaten. All I’m saying is to make sure a camera doesn’t see it.” With that, he left the conversation, trying his best to seem nice. Trevor was always a man quick to anger and got into trouble many times because of it. Once he crossed his arms, I knew this conversation was over. For now.

Pain has struck my arm, from a pinch that my sister gives me. I finch and was close to punching her. Until I remembered that was not in my house but in an official Institute truck, a place where I should act like a child.

“Can you think before you try to argue? You are supposed to be the older sister. We did not even find out who the enemy is, and you want to throw down with Trevor of all people?”

I could not rebuttal because of the expression on her face. That face of hers. The gloomy, disappointed face I hate to see her have is inches away from my face. Her watery, dull eyes are staring into my own, to the point I can see my reflection.

“The last thing we need is drama. I am hoping that this mission would be the start of clearing your name. Please do not mess this up, Jolene.”

Do not mess this up.

Those words pierced through my mind, making me feel nauseous I never thought of her doing this for my good. For me to mess up this important opportunity, for her to be more worried about how I will do then the mission itself. Embarrassed, I looked away and said, “I won’t.”

A minute after that uncomfortable talk, a knock comes from the other side of the door. Trevor opens it to see a dirty construction man with blue dusk all over him. “Sorry to disturb you all. Is everyone all set?”

“I am,” Trevor says. He looks at me and Paint-Girl as he sharpens his boulders. “You girls are ready too?”

“Yeah,” Paint Girl said in her usual silly tone. I nodded.

We all walked with the construction man to our destination. It was a quiet walk, as everyone tries to mentally prepare their selves to whatever to come. It was a cool evening. The iconic flowers of Small Palm were all around the tall trees that are being overcome with snow. In the black night, the flowers were glowing over the heavy snow, being another light that she can depend on while the construction man was holding his flashlight. I stayed close to my worried sister while Trevor was walking side to side with the other man.

“Hey, what’s your name,” I said. “Can you recap us on everything that’s going on?” I asked.

The man nearly jumped into the air. I did not know what startled him, but it did make me chuckle.

“My name is Arron. Sorry, I don’t like being here.”

“I prefer somewhere warmer myself. Anyways, can you tell me?”

“Yes, Madame.”

He said it. God, I love it when people say my title.

“The problem started a few days ago. To be honest, it started when we begin construction to the trash site. What should have been simple became terrible to work at. A light would come from here, and light too bright we crash other equipment. There would be tremors that cost us a week’s work to fix. Animals that do not end up dead run into town. And then there are the screams in the night. It does not sound like a man. No animal either.”

“Nobody seems it before?”

“Not a person that came back to us.”

By the time they stopped talking, they were at the snow-filled hole, which was big as a house. The snow in the hole was flashing purple every few seconds like there was a device under all of that. Trevor walked around it while Paint-Girl looked carefully around the area with a flashlight.

“How long has this hole been here?”, Trevor asked across the hole. The wind was starting to pick up, so I could only see the round rocks on his shoulders.

“I’m guessing for a day or two,” Arron responds. “ I am sure that this is where the light comes from.”

Paint-Girl points the flashlight towards the ground to see and footprints. She saw none other than their own. “Well, I doubt that whatever this is can fly. We don’t see any branches fallen or broken.”

“You don’t think that what we’re looking for is under here, right?” I asked my sister. “If there are earthquakes and beams of light, then the snow won’t be here.”

“Your right, but we have no other lead now. We have to see what’s under the hole, right Trevor?”

Trevor did not respond but smirked. I and Paint-Girl knew that this was, and I was not in the mood for this. I grabbed Arron's wrist and ran as far as I could. Meanwhile, Paint-Girl splats blue paint below her feet and close to us.

“What is going on?!”, Arron panics.

“Just shut up and move!” I yelled, but I doubt he could have heard me from the heavy footsteps we heard behind us. Moving from the noise is the one advice the heroes tell people of danger. It is important to focus on the noise, no matter the scarred thoughts in your head, to avoid it and find the safest, quietest possible route without a hero because they got other stuff to take care of. It is called the Path for the Defenseless. But the plans fall on its head when you hear nothing like the silence is hurting you. Even as an Institute hero myself, when I hear nothing but the wind, my heart drops.

As soon as I pushed Arron to the ground, I heard a large impact behind me. All I could see behind me was snow going up to the sky, so much that I could not see anything but bright purple. Before I realized it, I was on the ground, feeling the cold embraces of the frosted leaves. As I got up, brushing the snow on my face and hair, I see Paint-Girl comes out of the blue paint she made. An ability of hers I have never seen, adding another pile of trick to her sleeve. It made me feel proud and jealous sister.

Paint-Girl ran to the hole that brightens up more than it ever has been. I ran to her to see Trevor on the bottom, looking up at us with satisfaction.

“You two looked spooked,” Trevor says.

“Why do you always have to do that?!”, yelled Paint-Girl. “ At least worn us!”

He knew we would have been against his careless idea, so he often does his plans without saying anything. What he ends up doing was upping into the sky and dig into the hole. It was a reckless move. What if it was a trap? I would ask him it, but he was too busy looking into the purple crystal that was lighting up. It was a beautiful novelty that seemed spotless even being covered with dirt and snow. The dirt became bright purple, meaning that this crystal is covered in Sapphire energy. So, does that mean…

“ Is that a Sapphire Shard?”, I asked.

Paint-Girl looked as dumbfounded as I did. “There’s no way. Out here? Under all this?”

Trevor stretches his head while smiling. “It might explain all the strange events.”

“How? It doesn’t explain animals or screaming.”

“It’s obvious when you think about it. The Sapphire can make even little critters into beasts. They might have been enforcing the laws of nature to the extremes. And the screams were probably…animals killing themselves?”

This man was not even trying to make a proper excuse. Unfortunately, some people in the Institute can call of missions for no reason.

“Trevor no, ” I said while crossing my arms. “With all this noise, whoever it is going to cause havoc. Because of us.”

“We bigger issues now. That shard can mess up this forest and that town if left alone. Besides, we need specialists to safely transport it. This takes priority.” Trevor starts to walk over to me as he points down to the hole. “You of all people should know. Being Blue's lackey.”

I was ready to bust my fangs at Trevor, but I got interrupted. This time it was not my sister that snapped me out of it. Instead, it was a loud yell, a yell from a man not far from them. The sound came from the purple hole and Trevor was able to hear it especially well because of it. Trevor covered his ears as best he could but had fallen on his back in the process. I yelled at him to get up, but it was too late. The dirt from under him started to move deeper into the ground.

“Aaron, get out of here!”, I yelled. “It may not look like it, but we got things from here!”

As Aaron ran, I and Paint-Girl ran to the edge of the hole. I reached out my hand, desperately trying to grab hold of him, while Paint-Girl calculates what is to do with her paint. By the time she probably did, we realize that the hole was not only getting deeper but also wider. I wanted to dip my way up, yet between the snow, the light, and the dirt, I could not see anything. I could not breathe, could not see my sister’s presence. All I could sense was my ears being pierced by a sound of madness. Eventually, I submitted and opened my arms to the abyss.

Part 2

Nothing ever works out for me.

Ever since my birth, I have become the black sheep of the family. I, Jolene of the mighty, heroic Chapman family, does not have any powers at all. Originally, I thought it would have been a relief; for me to have the disability of having no ability, I would have the benefit of having no responsibilities. Could not have been more wrong. Instead, I had to work on double the missions. I get punished for the harshest. But no matter what, I had to work for my family job, a job that does not fit me. I do not get thanked, recognized, or raised. I do all of this because I must.

Give up my dream to save somebody’s dreams. A dream that probably would have ended regardless if I were there to help. In a way, I am not worth the dirt on my boots, no matter how hard I try to convince myself. Sometimes I…

Wait…dirt. I almost forgot!

I struggled to move my eyes as it felt heavy. Without opening them, I sat up and removed all of what I felt over me.

“Jolene! Are you ok? Let me help you.”

I could barely hear the voice sense my head was still ringing. Suddenly, I felt a cloth cleaning the dirt from my eyes. When I opened my eyes, I see Jenkins making a faint smile. She was always the bright one in the family.

“How are you feeling?” Paint-Girl asks as she dusks me off.

“I’m fine. Do not need to worry about me. We got more pressing problems.”

“Yeah,” she said. We looked up to see the hole above us, no longer seeing the purple light there. It was when I looked around me that I started to get worried. We were in what seems like a tunnel, that has somehow not collapsed on us. Then I look around, even more, to see that the dirt that came of me was not on the ground. Somehow, everything from dirt too rocks was gravitating off the floor, but barely. Everything was up to my knees, and floats of whenever I touch them.

“Is all this the effect of the shard?” I ask.

“Won’t you know?” Paint-Girl asks me. “You’ve been working with Blue for the longest.”

“I’ve only done their dirty works. And after all this time working for them, I never had to recover a share. Then again, there is someone in Blue that makes everything gravitate around her. If we can get closer, I might be able to find a connection.”

“I hear you sister. But are you even sure that it was a shard? That screaming…it isn’t human.”

“We’ll just have to see.”

It was not long until we meet up with Trevor, who focused his attention on the other tunnels and tracks around the area. In the center of the bright place was a stack ton of shards attracted to the ground. I was dumbfounded to find the endless number of carts and holes that were here.

“They were mining this stuff,” said Paint-Girl.

“But who were mining it?” Trevor asks. “It couldn’t be the folks that called us here. This has to be some private company.”

The thought of some company’s pawns being a part of this gave me a headache. Ever since the end of the years of Prime, companies with big money and even larger pickets can make heroes for hire. Since the Institute believes themselves to be the official ones, they do not like h.f.h (heroes for hire). They are often not held accountable, care more about profit than saving lives and advertise themselves to the young and tender minds of today. But the Institute is not the government, just a group with members of the most powerful and influential people on the planet. I do not know what this group is, but it is not small.

What proved my point further was countless people with guns pointed at us across the room. I, Paint-Girl, and Trevor got close to each other, covering our backs. I could not help but shake when I try to comprehend how outnumbered we are. Then in the distance, I can see Aaron, with an ugly smile that is 180 degrees.

“What a present surprised to see you all, ” says Aaron. “I would have thought tricking you heroes down here would have been harder. But to think all of you just dig a hole to us? Convenient.”

“Are you the one over this?”, I asked.

“Correct.”

“Convenient,” I said as I pulled my bow. Paint-Girl gives me the same look as before, and as must as I hate it, I kept my attraction at Aaron. “You know the drill. What you are doing is a risky exploit with things you do not understand. It can hurt yourself and everyone else no matter how careful you are. Leave this place immediately, and I might not break your nose.”

“We know much more about Sapphire energy any of you would ever know. Think we have been doing this recently? For years, we have been working on these shards. Helping more people than you ever will. So, we are not moving anywhere. And I like my arm as it is.”

Trevor looks at Aaron with an expression mixed with anger and happiness. He probably wanted this to become a bloodbath more than anyone. “You do know that you're assaulting heroes of the law? You know what I can do now?”

“Nothing if you care about the safely of the construction workers.”

Another scream, this time lasting for a while. I can tell that whatever it was getting tired of screaming. Its voice was aching, its throat getting dry. When I look at the direction of the screaming, all I could see was crystals. And inside one of them was a figure. It is too dark to identify, but we could all see it moving, squirming. Whatever foul things they were doing, however, all these crystals were here, that being is the victim of it all.

Aaron pulled a detonator from his pocket and hold it up to the air. As if it was a trophy, he rotated it so we can all get a good look at it. The thought of this vile man toying with such a danger made my skin crawl. Paint-Girl squeezed her face and put a hand on one of her paint grenades, while I clenched even harder on my bow. That made me proud of her. Me and her both knew that the moment we show fear, we showed weakness. We were not weak.

“I know you know, but I’ll tell you anyway. I and my crew have planted bombs all around the site. Do not look at us like that! We are not evil. We just wanted to work on our shards in peace, and our main source is…dying anyways. All we ask of you heroes is to look the other way and tell the concretion workers there is nothing to worry about. If you do, we will leave once we get all that we want.”

“Fine,” said Trevor, holding his arms up. Paint-Up was disgusted, I can tell. She seemed like she was about to fight him.

“Say that again?”

“There’s nothing else we can do. If you put it like that…”

Trevor only needs to smirk again for me to know what he was planning. I know his type too well. I and Paint-Girl looked back at Aaron, who had a giant sharp rock pierced thought his chest. Even the people with the guns were spooked and trembled as Aaron coughed blood before he left his last breath. Seconds after, the people with guns were hesitating, until some yelled and shot at us. The one became many, and before they can land a shot, Trevor created a pillar of rocks in front of us. The rocks and the dirt that was originally floating to my knees were now a flimsy wall, and with each it on it, rocks and dirt were falling.

“What is wrong with you?!” I yelled.

“What you mean? I just save our lives!”

“We’re not out of this yet,” my sister says. “Your walls won’t be good enough to block all of them. You also know how dangerous it is to fight near those shards.”

“Fine! I’ll end this.”

Before I could argue with the man, I heard a thing screamed at the top of his lunges. It was the same scream as before but was even more loud and intimidating. The scream shook the mine, making the gunners fall from their positions, rocks falling from the ceiling, and Trevor could no longer hold the wall.

Me and Paint-Girl trembles as saw the creature break of the crystal he was in. Shards were falling all around him as he walked towards us. The poor man, darker than black, had yellow sick eyes. He was naked as while, but so many crystals were around his body it seemed like armor. They are mostly easy to see through, and their shape and size varied. But we all saw the pain and anger the man had. And I knew he was planning on releasing that anger on us.

“We’re going have to pin him down,” I said.

“That man’s the victim Madame!” said Paint-Girl.

“I know but he won’t calm down!”

Paint-Girl nodded. She opened her yellow paint container and hit it, causing the paint to go all around her body. The thick paint had also connected to the ceiling and the ground. She pulls herself back while the earth was shaking and slanged herself to the crystal man. Just another one of the tricks I rarely see Jenkins use. When she was close to him, she touched him, stopping his screams immediately. The yellow paint had gone through his harsh body, sticking him into the paint on her. She then pulled back, and the creature came with her, back to the spot that she ordinally was.

“What type of mega-human is he?” asked Paint- Girl

I could not answer that question. One of the benefits that I have as a member of the Institute of Heroes and Blue is that I have an understanding of how the weirdos and freaks of the world tick. If I cannot, I can at least put them in a category. But this was a novelty. No, I should not say that. For him, this all might be an everlasting nightmare.

Suddenly, he lifts his head and screams. Instead of an earthquake, his crystals shines thought the paint, melting it away from him. Fearing for the worst, I pushed Paint-Girl and Trevor on the ground. Paint-Girl could not talk back in time before the man shoots lasers from his shining shards on his body. He grabbed his head in pain as he moved his lasers across the room, hitting everything that was in it. The mine was about to be destroyed.

“Everyone stays put,” Trevor yelled. “ Trust me!”

In a last-minute effort, Trevor rolled his back on the ground and connected his arms. The sharp rocks that were on his arms started to expand itself to become a shield, blocking everything that was falling on us. On top of all of that, I have a hard time breathing. I felt that we would suffocate if we were not crushed. But I had no choice but to wait until this hell chills down.

After we stopped hearing the noise, Trevor says, “Ok, I think we’re fine. I’m going to clear the way.” He punches his shield, making everything that was on it blast off to lord knows where. In doing so, his shield disappears along with the rocks on his shoulders. Yet this was not what he or any of us were focused on. Instead, we looked at rocks floating in the air. Nearby were the men and women that had corner us, who know were now on their knees, paralyzed with fear. In the middle of it, all was the crystal man, who had placed its parts all-round the mine. Each of its parts seemed to make everything around it bends into place. The crystal man stared us down, but with a sad look in its eyes. As if it does not want to fight anymore.

“He’s using the shards to keep everyone saves,” I said. “Including us.”

“How long can the shards last for?” Paint-Girl asks.

“I’m not sure. We need to hurry and get everyone out of here.”

“Ok. Then I will create a blue teleporter at the exit. I’ll be back!”

Paint-Girl puts a large pool of blue paint on the floor and then runs for the exit, waving back at me. Trevor cracks his knuckles and gives out a huge sigh. I could not help but worry.

“You’re not thinking about…”

“They committed a crime against us, Madame. If we let them live, people will think the Institute of Heroes has gone soft. Can’t have that.” He gets is closer to a man, too frightened to run.

“No, wait! Can’t you at least wait until all of them are out of here? We do not know how stable these crystals are. Doing anything lethal could cause them to break!”

“No, can’t risk it. The mine may be destroyed, but these people might know more about the place then we do. We let them live now, they can still run away.”

“That’s just you speculating!” I yelled. I got to his face, holding unto my chain blades. From what I heard of Trevor, he is more tempted to kill people than any other. Always with some sort of excuse. I am not leading him off, and I cannot believe he thinks he can get away with this.

“Jolene. Get out of my way.”

“No, you’re going too far. You’re risking our lives just so you can quill your bloodthirst.”

“I don’t see the problem. We can blame all the deaths on the big guy there.”

“What is wrong with you?! He is a victim in all this. And that is not the point. We’re here to save lives, not take them!”

After saying that, I could feel insane heat coming to his body as if his adrenaline from earlier got pushed back into gear. I back up instantly as be swung his armed at me. I guess we were fighting then, and against a person, I cannot hold back. While he was getting his balance, I swing my right chain blade on his left leg. The hit burned him, and I can tell from the smoke that was coming from my blade when I hit his ankle. As he ran to me, I pull my weapon back to hit him from behind, but he jumped kicked me in my chest.

The hit pushed me back and made me feel staggered. I felt ashamed that I felt that way and he did not even use his powers. I tried to go around him; he hits me. I try to fight at a distance, he blocks everything. All in the while, I start to notice that the crystal’s changing its color from light blue to a darker purple. It must have been an effect from the fight, as it hit the crystals constantly. I wanted to examine it, but I got hit on my shoulder by a huge rock that he though.

I have gotten careless.

I had fallen as I start to get dizzy. I can tell that Trevor was getting closer, but I could not move. He ran to me and was about to sham his fist into my skull. I should have died.

But suddenly, a large light hit’s Trevor, knocking him back. It was the crystal man, who gotten in front of me to protect me. I could not see the face of him, but I can hear him granting.

“You don’t want to do this big guy.”

But before they could throw a fight, Paint-Girl comes from the blue paint. “What’s going on?!”

“It’s big boy!” Trevor says before I could say anything. “He’s trying to kill us.”

“No, Trevor trying to kill people!”

The crystal man runs towards Trevor as he summons the rocks around him to create a wall. I didn’t know what to do, but my sister ran towards the others and says, “Everyone gets to the blue paint! There will be people on the other side, so don’t try anything!”

The did as they were told, preferring to be arrested than being crushed by rocks. As Paint-Girl was watching the fight, she noticed that I was hurt.

“Did Trevor do this to you?” Paint-Girl asked despite knowing the answer. She took a glance at the blue paint and then said, “We should go.”

“Yes,” I said. “We should.” Even if I felt like being heroic for Trevor, there was no way I could get close to him. I was more anxious over the crystal man, but there was nothing I could do to help him either. If the first time, I entered my sister’s blue paint. Even though the paint lad on the floor, it looked deep, and stepping on it made me feel as if I was dropping in water. I had to admit I panicked, thinking that I was going to drown. But once my head went in the pool of paint, I had fallen to my knees outside of the construction building. There were police officers that handcuffed every criminal that got out.

But as that last person was coming up, he got pumped out the way by Trevor, who barely landed on his feet. I had my bow ready when the crystal man came out soon after. I and my sister stood side to side, standing in front for Trevor to guard him. But the victim did not move towards us. He simply stared at the sky. The sounds of birds had made him flinch. The feeling of snow under his feet made him stumble slightly.

The being stopped moving. As I hold my hand out to keep anyone from shooting, I can see a white tear coming from its eye. It is mouth quaver as a while. At that moment, I knew it felt peace…until Trevor slammed him to the ground. When he did so, he placed a heavy circular carved stone on his arms and legs. The being cried. When I wanted to get close, Paint-Girl touched my shoulder.

“Don’t worry,” she said, smiling. “We saved the day.”

“Does that look like saving the day to you?! He was not resisting. There's no reason to be ruff with him!”

“Regardless, there are *rules to these types of stuff. There’s no reason to be so moody.”

“I am not-" I cut myself off as I remembered the other people around us. Embarrassed, I turned my face away from her.

“It's done,” Trevor says. “And that's all there is to it.

Part 4

“So, what are we going to do with…”

“Just call him Crystal,” I said.

“Whatever works,” Galatz says, in her fancy chair with her fancy clothes. Her white dress with golden lines on her sleeves makes her look like an Olympian. She always got to show off, even when she is in the center of the Heroic Table. The room is denser than one would think for such an iconic spot. Dime yellow lights were around the room, making this room look like an area. During this time, I was able to admire Miss Perfect beauty with Paint-Girl and Trevor.

“Before we go further, let me say you all did a decent job, all things considered.”

“Decent?” Trevor said, his eyebrows almost covering his eyes.

“Oh, I’m being too modest. What I meant was it was that it was ass. And Trevor you should know that I do not normally exaggerate. I do not even know where to start. First off, your performance against Crystal was laughable.”

“You are acting like you could have done better.”

“What I would have done doesn’t matter. What matters is that YOU got, excuse me, the shit out of you. And that’s a quote.”

She points at the board that was near her, causing a video playing of Trevor exiting the blue paint with brushes, and falling in his butt. Paint-Girl covered her mouth to keep her from laughing. I thought, stared Trevor down, looking at the pitiful man reactions.

“I shouldn’t need to be the one telling you that people with lenses are always near. Another issue: none of you called for back-up. Why?”

No one said anything. There was nothing to be said. Paint-Girl stared at Trevor for an answer. Trevor looked like the sad puppy that tears a rug. I was just noticing the dirt under my nails.

“Do you all think this is a game?” Galatz says, breaking her usual calm tone.

“No ma’am,” I said.

“Then why are you so happy?”

“I’m just glad that some people are getting what they deserve. For all the miss that Trevor caused on this mission…I mean damn. If he did not try to kill those workers, then this would have been a lot smoother.”

That was the part where she would agree with me. This should be when my sister would be on my back. But they said nothing. Paint-Girl just stared at the floor, while Galatz quietly stares me down. They must have not heard me.

“I’m just saying; If he didn’t’ try-“

“How is that the problem?” Galatz says without blinking.

My heart grew numb through her response. My sister still could not look at me in the eye. Trevor was still angry about the video.

“Jolene, stop looking at them. I am talking to you. How is that a problem?”

“Why do you think it is a problem, Galatz? That we could spoil the name of the Insitute? That killing people at that moment would have caused us fewer problems? Or, I do not know, it keeps us from being decent human beings?!”

Galatz stood up, showing even more of her impatience of me. “What isn’t decent about leaving them in that cave? You should know better than I that any with any inch of knowledge about Sapphire Energy can be a threat to us all. We do not need anything like the Stallion ‘Experiment’ to happen again. And what do you expect to do with them alive? Imprisoning them does nothing but grads them another chance to get out and do it again. And you think all of them worked alone? That they were a closed system? Stop being so naïve.”

“The lady got a point Madame,” Trevor says with his arms crossed. “If they would have died in the cave, their people would think of it as an accident. But we came in there causing noise, and their buddies heard. They’re going to be harder to find, harder to capture.”

“Those won’t your reasons!” I yelled, slamming my fist on the table. “And don’t act like Crystal deserved to die too!”

“Jolene…” Paint-Girl says weakly.

“No! Do not tell me I am wrong. And do not tell me you are with them?! Jenkins! You were the one that created the way for everyone to survive! Why are you acting so different about it now?!”

Because this was different. Crystal…was an unexpected factor. Everything was. I did not know how long it would have taken for all of us to get out because of everything that happened, so I created the portal. I thought that by the time I was back, you two would have…that Trevor would have told you at least that.”

I grinned my teeth so hard that I thought they were going to break. I was near the verge of tears. My ears hurt just listening to Jenkins.

“But it’s not like that matters now,” I said, sitting back on my chair. “There saved, rather you all liked it or not. So, what happens to them?”

“Crystal gets sent to Compound 88. I do not know what he is or if we will get that answer soon. And as much as I want the miners gone, I do not want their deaths to leak out in any way. So, they are going to prison, and into the deepest pits of the earth.”

“And as for us?”

“You, Jolene, are too emotional. We will have to have this talk for another time. Dismiss.”

Right as Paint-Girl was getting up, Galatz says. “Paint-Girl. Understand that you have tremendous potential to become a great hero. You pass, but you need to better understand the rules. For now, you will be paired up with other more organized people against well-known villains. Consider yourself a sidekick.”

I was the first person out, waiting for Paint-Girl. She took off her mask to look at my face to face. “Jolene…I need this. To be honest, I did not want to kill them. I’m not used to that.”

“You don’t need to do what others tell you to do. You are a grown woman. And one with a free mind. I know you do not want to play side-kick. If you do not like them, leave. There’s no such thing as an official hero.”

“There is such a thing to mother.”

“She doesn’t matter.”

A fire had flashed from my sister’s eyes. “Yes, she does matter. Everyone in this family is. You keep thinking that no one views matters but forget that we all reflect on each other. You forgot what that type of mindset brought dad.”

“What a shame too. He’s the only one with some sense.”

Jenkins was appalled. She did not say another word. She walked away from me, without looking back. And just like that, our relationship changed forever. She made it clear that she was just like everyone else; too afraid to step out of the herd because she was too scared of the wolfs. Too afraid to notice that they were walking towards the edge of a cliff.

I never believed in the lesser evil. It was only an excuse for them to think that they are still better than the average low-life. But the Insitute believes the opposed. That the reasons justify the means. And that futility mentality had its hands on my sister. I lost any reason to believe in them. I lost the motivation to make up for any of my family. And while I did not know it yet, this was the event that leads to my betrayal.