July 1st

2021 EST

For a moment, it was a silent showdown. The Contingency of Heroes stood atop the training platform, radiating power like a second sun of supernatural abilities. The Union and Priscilla stood warily at the entrance to the cortex, a barricade of teenagers and one highly problematic caretaker.

The hero in the center, armored in a metallic suit, cleared his throat. "We come on terms of business. Do not fear, little heroes." He said in a low voice. The ends of his lips curled up into what appeared to be a smile, but to Avi it looked more like a grimace.

"Surely, Titanium Wave, we are happy to host you here. On what grounds of business will we be discussing?" Priscilla chirped.

Titanium Wave glanced at his teammates, and they nodded for him to continue before he turned back to the Union. "Rune, the sorcerer that both the Contingency of Heroes and the Union had defeated many weeks ago, has escaped his confinement at Shadowedge Prison."

"Knew that already," CJ coughed.

Beside him, Bristol elbowed him in the side. "Shush!" She hissed, before stepping forward to Priscilla's side. "And what of his minions? Psyche, Phobos, the rest?"

Avi knit her eyebrows in confusion at the brunette girl. However, she soon realized that Priscilla and the Contingency did not know of the Union's covert ops and encounters with Rune's minions. It was best to keep silent for now.

Another hero stepped up, her long blonde hair waving with each step; Amber Beam, the hero of light. "It appears that the minions in question have had means of teleportation to get in and out of Shadowedge. We aren't positive yet, but we have reason to believe that they aided in Rune's escape."

From behind Avi, Tristan spoke up. "So what's the plan? How are we going to stop him and his buddies?"

Titanium Wave held up a hand to silence the dark haired boy. "For now, you four are to train. We shall deal with Rune."

Bristol scoffed. "So you want us to stand by and do nothing while you guys waltz around taking all the glory? I don't think you remember that we're the ones who defeated him in the first place!"

Avi's eyes widened as she whirled around to face Bristol. No one ever spoke back to Titanium Wave; not unless they wanted a death wish. However, the Elemental Empress was unfazed. She glared back at the Contingency with venom, and in the silence, her fury seemed to spread to the rest of the Union.

"Yeah, Bristol's right! We can help! We can do more than help, we can stop Rune once and for all!" CJ piped up, stepping up to stand beside Bristol.

The six heroes glanced at one another before turning their attention back to the Union. "Priscilla tells us you four lack cohesion on operative missions. How can you defeat an enemy as powerful and dangerous as Rune, if you fail to work together?"

No one wanted to admit it, but they were right. The Union hardly ever executed a plan the way it should be, but somehow, on their covert ops, they managed to succeed. It was twisted, but they didn't follow anyone's orders but their own. Being a hero was more than following orders to succeed on the grand scheme of things; it was following your heart and gut to complete everything at hand, to save every soul, with as little sacrifice and as much risk as possible.

Avi straightened up. "We have defeated Rune once and we are fully capable of doing it again. Give the four of us an opportunity, and we will carry out whatever plan you give us on our terms and you will see that we shall succeed."

Titanium Wave inclined his head, watching Avi carefully. "Very well," he said at last. "However, we still need a plan to defeat Rune and his cohorts."

Tristan stepped forward. "We need to take out Rune's minions before we strike him. Half of his extended power is through them, so if we take them out first, Rune will be left on his own and it'll be easier to target and defeat him."

Amber Beam tilted her head. "Tristan, we are aware of this idea, but that seems to be the issue." She said softly.

"How could defeating Rune's buddies be an issue? We'll take them out if you don't want to." Bristol scrunched up her noise, folding her arms.

"Yeah, you guys can take out Rune and we can take out his minions." CJ added.

Amber Beam sighed. "It appears that his cohorts are adapting, taking on new additions to their abilities to take you four down individually. That's why we need you four to train extensively. You need to become stronger, faster—"

"That shouldn't be a problem," CJ smirked, folding his arms and leaning against a wall.

Amber Beam shot him a pointed look before continuing. "My point is that before we send any of you on any official missions, you need to be trained more in case you encounter the minion designed to take you down, you'll be ready."

Avi cleared her throat. "We comprehend your logic and worries, Amber Beam, but we ask that you see us to our full potential. We are not children; we have encountered Rune and his minions many times, we know how to defeat them and our ideas need to be heard at any battle meetings the Contingency organizes."

Titanium Wave gave the Union a sideways glance. Avi could tell that the leader of the Contingency was considering this, and knew that he had no choice but to accept.

"Very well," he said slowly. "The first battle meeting will adjourn tomorrow evening. Priscilla, carry out the new training objectives starting tomorrow morning. Each day, you are to assign the Union with more information on the situation at hand. Understood?"

Priscilla nodded, although she seemed off. Then again, she had been off since they defeated Rune in the first place, but she seemed to be getting worse.

"Then, our business here is done." Titanium Wave announced.

And with that, the Contingency disappeared in a blinding flash of light. Once they had gone, Priscilla stepped in front of the Union, and turned to face them.

"All of you, get to bed. We will discuss our tactics first thing tomorrow morning." She ordered. "Now, go."

Their caretaker stepped away from them, pacing towards the platform. She seemed stressed, like suddenly she had a lot on her shoulders. It was true, but Avi could sense that there was more to her stress than simply the responsibilities.

Casting a careful glance Priscilla's way, Avi executed a minor resonation. Instantly, she could see that an intense amount of emotion was coming from her. It wasn't happiness or sadness or anger.

It was fear.

~~~

The training meeting preceded their actual training the next morning. Where the heroes would normally be in the cortex at nine every morning, they now found themselves in the control room. Everywhere around them, different screens and keypads and gadgets pinged and resounded, a symphony of technology.

No one spoke. What was there to say, regardless?

Finally, the door to the control room swung open. Priscilla walked in, her clipboard in her hands. "Good morning, everyone," she sighed. "I trust you all slept well."

Silence.

Priscilla cleared her throat. "First order of business, then. Training meetings will now be held twice a week, at 0900 hours every Monday and Friday. At these meetings we will discuss strategy, progress, and tactics. Following these meetings, training will continue until noon."

Avi spoke up. "Is there a new training schedule?"

Priscilla nodded, her cropped scarlet hair waving as she did. "Indeed," she confirmed. "Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, you four will resume the training that you have normally completed. Two group exercises, and then rotating sparring schedules. Every Tuesday and Thursday there will be a training mission. The Contingency will assign these missions, so don't come crying to me if you don't like what they assign you."

Bristol eyed Priscilla in confusion. "What about weekends?" She asked cautiously.

"More or less, free days. However, there may be random ops that the Contingency will assign if something needs to be watched over." Priscilla said.

Instantly, everyone perked up. Actual missions? That was different.

"Wait, not training missions?" CJ asked. "Like actual missions for the Contingency?"

Priscilla nodded. "They aren't guaranteed, but chances are that if the Contingency needs something to be done, they'll send some of you."

"But all of our missions are done as a whole group." Tristan folded his arms.

Priscilla sighed. "These ops might call for all of you, or two of you, or maybe even one. It all depends on the scale of the mission."

Avi glanced at her friends. Bristol, CJ, and Tristan all seemed to be sharing the same emotions. They all were excited, but at the same time, a bit apprehensive.

"What if the Contingency has other plans throughout the week?" Bristol asked.

"Then training will have been canceled so you four may carry out whatever plan they have in store," Priscilla sighed. "We can talk about this later, but for now, I have to get through the rest of the information."

Reluctantly, everyone silenced themselves. Avi leant against one of the control panels, trying to calculate what the Contingency could possibly need them for.

"There will be new protocol for missions and training. Firstly, on any mission, training or official, no one is to shut off their earpieces for any reason." Priscilla commanded, sending Bristol a pointed glance.

The Elemental Empress didn't seem fazed. She stood along the opposite wall, arms crossed over her training shirt. Yesterday, on her mission to find and retrieve CJ, she had turned her earpiece off for whatever reason, but Bristol didn't seem to have any regrets whatsoever.

Smiling softly, Avi turned back to Priscilla. She admired Bristol's confidence, even if it did get her into trouble sometimes.

Inhaling sharply, Priscilla continued. "Also, you are to wear your supersuits during training missions and regular athletic wear for actual training. On missions, you will wear your suits, yes, but they have been equipped with a stealth mode for camouflage purposes. You can activate these stealth modes on the same button that used to activate your emergency flare."

"But what happens to the flare, then?" Tristan asked.

Priscilla eyed him carefully. "They seemed to be useless, anyway. You guys rarely use them, so they replaced the function of the button."

Tristan and Avi shared a look. Those buttons, while they did rarely use them, could be extremely useful if the Union ever was separated on a mission. But then again, they would be a dead giveaway to any enemies in the area.

"That is all for today," Priscilla said, straightening up. "Head to the cortex and begin your training."

With a wary glance around the room, Avi pushed off the control panel and headed out the door. Her friends followed her, but Priscilla seemingly remained. They congregated in the hallway and made their way down to the cortex together.

"What do you think she'll come up with for a training mission?" CJ asked, his hands in his pockets.

Avi shrugged. "Most likely some sort of invasion of a mock fortress," she mused. "Or some example of defeating Rune and his minions."

"So lots of fun," Bristol rolled her eyes sarcastically. "I don't like this, honestly. While I like all the new training, I feel like the Contingency is just giving us all these things to do in order to distract us."

It made sense. There was no doubt in Avi's mind that the adult heroes saw the Union as incapable of completing a mission, even though they had handled themselves just fine in the defeat of Rune in the first place. If they gave the Union all these training missions and minor ops, they would be too distracted with their training to actually go on official missions.

"We still will go on our covert ops," Avi decided. "It is the only way to guarantee that the Contingency is not hiding things from our knowledge when we have every right to be informed."

"Yeah, but when?" Tristan asked.

Avi shook her head. "I do not know, Tristan. Headquarters will most likely be under intense security, and we will have to be even stealthier to escape."

"Well, it's a good thing we've got our new stealth modes, right?" CJ grinned.

Avi rolled her eyes, but smiled softly. "Yes, indeed."

The heroes arrived in the cortex, and bounded towards the training platform. They lowered the walls and stood in the center.

"No simulations, please," Bristol said sheepishly. "I've had enough of those for a lifetime."

Avi tilted her head in thought. She could tell Bristol still seemed off from the day prior, from her battle with Psyche. However, she couldn't pinpoint why.

"Bristol, CJ, what happened yesterday?" Avi asked casually, pacing over to the control panel to enter some things in.

The speedster and the brunette girl shared a look before turning back to Avi.

"Psyche found us." CJ answered blatantly.

Tristan scoffed. "No kidding, you almost got Bris—I mean, yourselves killed."

CJ grit his teeth. "We could have handled ourselves just fine, mind you."

The blue eyed boy rolled his eyes. "If that was the case, then why did you need our help?"

Bristol shot Tristan an icy look. "Tristan, back off." She said. "We were fine, okay? It wasn't a matter of our abilities. Psyche just seemed...stronger. It's hard to explain, but he seems to have mastered teleportation as well as his telekinetic and psychic abilities. We couldn't escape him, no matter our attacks."

"Yeah, exactly," CJ said, stepping closer to Bristol. He shot her a small smile but Bristol kept her gaze locked on Tristan.

Avi sighed. "That appears to be logical. Now that Rune is free, he might be adding some of his power to each of his minions, making them stronger. Amber Beam was right, we must train in order to stand a chance against them."

"Then by all means, let's get on with it." Tristan said icily. He eyed Bristol and CJ carefully, and Avi had to clamp her mouth shut to stifle a laugh.

Tristan was so jealous that it wasn't even funny. He denied it time after time, but the way he looked at Bristol determined his inner emotions towards her, and seeing her with CJ must've made him feel more angry than sad.

"Now," Avi cleared her throat. "Let us get started."

She reached behind her and pressed a button. Instantly, figures of light formed all around the platform. All they had to do was destroy them.

"Ready?" Avi called.

Her friends took their stances. Tristan clenched his fists, his eyes turning their icy blue shade as flurries surrounded his hands. Bristol spread her hands, and an orb of water formed out of thin air, floating above her palms. CJ knelt down into a running position, sparks flying off his body.

Avi smiled and yelled, "Go!" The figures came to life, and the Union charged.

~~~

A few hours later, the team had reclined around the cortex. Training was over for the day, but no appeared to be tired.

"Good work today," Priscilla called.

Everyone jumped. Their caretaker had a way of appearing out of nowhere and surprising them. It wasn't a very fun thing to go through in Avi's case, she didn't like to be startled.

"How would you know?" CJ asked, bolting quickly into the kitchen nearby and running back in half a second with a water bottle in hand.

"I was watching from the control room." Priscilla said simply.

"Yeah, that's not creepy." CJ mumbled, raising the bottle to his lips.

Priscilla rolled her electric blue eyes, but looked straight ahead to Avi. "Avi, can you come with me please?"

Avi blinked. "Of course," she chirped, stepping off the platform and following Priscilla. She cast a confused look over her shoulder to her friends, but they just shrugged and watched her go.

"May I ask what this is about?" Avi questioned carefully.

They turned a corner, and approached the infirmary door. Through the window on the door, Avi could see Liv on her cot in the center of the pristine room.

"It's about Liv," Priscilla stated, stopping at the door. "Do you know how she got here?"

She did know, but that information was confidential between herself and her friends. Priscilla was a suspicious figure, no matter how much the Contingency appeared to trust her. If Avi were to tell her, who knew what would come of it?

Avi shook her head. "I do not." She lied.

Priscilla was silent for a moment, watching Avi carefully. However, eventually she sighed. "She woke up a little while ago. I would like you to perform another mental scan, just to check for any progress on her amnesia."

Avi nodded. She watched as Priscilla flicked her hand at the door, and the lock clicked. The door swung open and she stepped inside, Priscilla in tow.

Liv sat on her cot, her platinum hair sticking up in all directions. Priscilla wasn't kidding when she said a little while, it seemed. She was still in the same pajamas that Avi had last seen her in, but all of the ash stains had somehow disappeared.

Avi glanced at Priscilla, who stood at the door. She nodded and urged Avi forward. Apprehensively, Avi stepped towards Liv. She half expected the girl to blow up again, to become a human flamethrower once more, but the caramel eyes girl just watched Avi approach blatantly.

"Hello, Liv," Avi greeted softly. "How are you feeling?"

Liv blinked, like she was processing Avi's words. She shrugged. "Fine," she said. "My head hurts, but aside from that, I'm fine."

Avi nodded. "I am going to perform a small mental scan on you, just to affirm that you do not have any form of a concussion or amnesia."

Liv knit her eyebrows, but nodded. She shut her eyes and gripped the sheets she was sitting on top.

Avi took a deep breath and channeled her power. Her eyes glowed neon and instantly, she was plunged into Liv's memories.

Things seemed a lot different this time around. When Liv first showed up, her mind was shrouded, like all of her memories were hidden in shadows. However, now they all seemed bright. Some things were still fuzzy, but she seemed to have made a full recovery.

The glow from Avi's eyes died down, and she almost stepped back in shock. "Done." She said shakily. "You are perfectly fine. No concussion or amnesia to be made note of."

How could that be? How could she have just made a full recovery in a matter of days? It didn't make any sort of sense, and Avi detected that while the girl seemed to be stable, the questionable memories that could confirm or deny her possible alliance with Rune were most likely hidden in the fuzzy part of her mind.

Liv opened her eyes and glanced at Priscilla. "Can I go train now?"

Avi knit her eyebrows. "Train? For what?"

Liv stood up, watching Avi suspiciously. "Priscilla said I could join the Union temporarily, so I need to train."

That was new.

Avi's eyes widened as she whirled around to face Priscilla. "You said she was only going to remain here until she recovered."

"What, do you want me to leave or something?" Liv scoffed. It was almost funny that the girl had just woken up from a coma and still managed to be as scalding as she had been when she first arrived.

Avi ignored her, turning back to Priscilla. "What is the meaning of this?"

Priscilla held up a hand to silence Avi. "The operative word is temporarily, Avi. Liv will remain in the Union's custody and aid them on missions until the Rune crisis is taken care of."

"But why?" Avi blurted.

"Because I have some pretty valuable information," Liv rolled her eyes. "I know where Rune might be hiding. I saw him, or at least his minions. I barely got away with my life, but if they haven't moved, I know where they might be located."

Avi looked at Liv slowly. "Do you have any sort of affiliation with them?"

"Avi!" Priscilla scolded.

"It is a valid question!" Avi rebuffed, turning back to Liv. "Well, do you?"

Liv squinted. "No," she said. "I don't. I saw them, I didn't join them or anything. They tried to attack me, but I escaped."

Avi didn't believe her, but she decided to keep her mouth shut. She would get her answers eventually.

"I'm not sure you have been informed, Avi, but Liv possesses very powerful abilities over fire." Priscilla said clearly.

That might have been strengthened by Aetna, Avi thought.

"Oh, Tristan told me." Avi feigned a smile. "So maybe she should get to training if that is the case. She must exercise her abilities like the rest of us. Now, if you both will excuse me," Avi said and paced out of the room quickly.

Hurriedly, she ran down the hallways and nearly barreled into Tristan.

"Woah, slow down, Speed Racer," he said amiably.

"Thank you," Avi breathed. She looked around wildly, they needed to go somewhere to talk. "I need to tell you something."

Tristan knit his eyebrows but nodded. "In private?" He asked slowly, voicing his suspicions.

Avi nodded. "Yes. Where can we go?"

Tristan looked over his shoulder and back down the hall. "My room's down here. Come on." He took her hand and together, they ran down the metallic corridor until they arrived at Tristan's room.

Avi stepped inside and Tristan shut the door behind her. "So what's up?" he asked, sitting down at the edge of his bed.

"Liv is joining the Union. She has awakened and will be working with us to help defeat Rune." Avi rambled quickly.

Tristan's eyes widened, his irises turning icy. "What?!"

Avi nodded, inhaling sharply. "It is so," she sighed. "Priscilla has decided to keep her here. She has made a full recovery with her amnesia, and does not appear to have any recollection of the explosion that landed her in the infirmary. Some of her memories are still fuzzy, I believe these may be the memories that determine her true alliances, but I am not sure when I will be able to access them. Frankly, by the time I do it might be too late."

Tristan rubbed his eyes, groaning. "Did she say anything at all about Rune?"

"She recalled running into him, or his minions, on her journey. She said that it was only an encounter, and she barely escaped. Priscilla seemed to believe her, but I still have my suspicions that she might be serving as a proxy."

Tristan pressed his lips into a thin line. "Did her eyes go sort of misty as she said that?"

"I did not pay attention to her eyes, Tristan, I was more focused on her words." Avi rolled her eyes. "We must tell the others at once."

"Yeah," Tristan sighed. He ran a hand through his hair in dejection. "My sister might be working for Rune. How fantastic."

Avi looked at him, puzzled. "That is not a fantastic thing! I know what it is like firsthand to have a close one submitted to working for Rune, and it is not fantastic!" She turned away from Tristan, shocked that she had allowed that memory from all those years ago to surface once more.

"It was sarcasm, Avi," Tristan said softly. "But what do you mean? You've never mentioned that before."

Avi took a deep breath. "Because I have intentionally shut out the memory. Now it returns to plague me with the memory of its pain."

The image of her friend's smile, the sound of his laugh, the sound of chaos that had took him from her all surfaced to her memory. Avi looked away, forcing her eyes shut.

"I must tell you," She managed. "It could be of further use."

~~~

"Is it working?"

"Is it alive? Hello can you hear us?"

Their voices very distant as if they were underwater. Avi could hear the clicking of connecting circuits and wires being charged with energy. The voices became clearer and clearer, and she could feel the electronics flowing through her body. Her eyes flew open.

"Subject 257, code name: A.V.I is awake. I repeat, subject 257, code name: A.V.I is awake," a man in a white robe said. He was talking to some through a communication device.

The robot sat up, ignoring various cords connected to her artificial body.

"Someone stop it!"

"Hold it down!"

"Don't let it escape!"

It was hard for Avi to comprehend. Everyone was wearing the same white robes in a white room. The amount of light couldn't be interoperated to her system. She was blinded and scared. She started breathing faster and pulled at the cords in fear.

"Subject 257 is showing signs of emotion!" the same voice yelled, still talking to someone through his device.

Suddenly, someone put their hands on Avi's shoulders.

"Hey! Hey, it's okay. You're scared but it's okay. We won't hurt you," this man was the only one in the room with his robe unbuttoned. He was out of breath which indicated that he had been running. He hadn't been in the room when she awoke.

"Eric Hart, age 25. Intern." Avi reported.

"That's me," he said and held his arms out proudly. The others were looking at him like he was the one who had just been created and not Avi. When he realized that, he quickly stood up straight and ran a hand through his messy ginger hair, trying to make it look more proper.

"What are you doing here, Mr. Hart? You are just an intern. You shouldn't have access to these areas," the man was no longer talking to his device.

"I, well you see..." he laughed nervously, "Mr. Hawk sent me," all of a sudden the room went quiet, "He wanted me to check on the experiment."

"Mr. Hawk?" she performed a search for matches to that name inside the company, "Marshall Hawk, CEO."

"That's right! You really are as cool as they said you would be," Eric said with a bit too much enthusiasm.

"Well, it is alive, anything else?" the device man said, Avi zoomed in on his name tag, Mr. Clark.

"Yes, Mr. Hawk would like me to take HER with me to see him," he gave Clark and angry look, then smiled at Avi, "if you're up for it of course."

She nodded and he offered his hand, Avi looked at it for a second. She didn't understand why he would do that, but then he leaned in close to her and whispered, "When someone offers you their hand, you take it," he then pulled away and smiled again.

Avi took his hand and stood up. "Off we go! Follow the yellow brick road." Eric exclaimed.

"There are no yellow brick roads here, sir," Avi reported, "closest one is 4.7 miles away"

"It's a movie reference," he told her and winked.

They walked in silence for a while. Avi studied the newly acquainted boy. He had messy auburn hair. Sometimes it appeared as ginger, other times as brown. Avi figured it had to do with lighting and how it bounced. However, his eyes were clearly brown, a very light brown. His strong facial features made him appear older that his actual age. He wore a pair of round glasses that constantly kept sliding down his steep nose, but every time he patiently pushed them back up.

"You're staring at me," he said without looking at her.

"Yes I am," Avi responded.

"Why?" he said, trying to hid a grin.

"I am studying you to see how you behave," she said.

"Well, at least you're honest," he said, still smiling. The hallway was now silent again. The only sound to be heard was the muted buzzing emitted by the lights and their padding footsteps. "Soo," Eric broke the silence again, "What's your name?"

"Subject 257, Code name A.V.I - Advanced Veteran Intelligence."

"No. No, that's what they call you," he looked concerned and slightly angry, "They also call you 'it'. You need a real name."

"Like your name is Eric?" she asked.

"Mhmm, how about," he put on hand on his chin thought for a while, "Nova."

"Star?"

"Yes, 'star' but it also means 'new'. So, Nova," he said and winked, "shall we?" He once again offered her one hand while gesturing toward a door that read, CEO: Marshall Hawk, with his other hand. She took his hand, along with a deep breath, and then Eric knocked.

"Come in," a deep voice said on the other side of the door. Eric reached for the door handle but Avi squeezed his hand.

"What is it?" he asked, looking at her with his warm brown eyes.

"I do not know," she tugged at his sleeve with her other hand, "I feel an emotion. It is similar to the emotion 'fear' but I am not afraid."

"Nervous. You're nervous, Nova, and that's okay. Everything is going to be fine," he let go of the door handle and took her other hand as well, "I will protect you, okay? I won't let anyone harm you. This is the man who wanted to create you. I am sure he will be thrilled to see you." The girl nodded, and the boy opened the door.

"Took you long enough..." the dark voice came from a short man, 5'3 at a maximum. He looked like a box to Avi. His shoulders were broad and his head very small. The man was in his 60's and his dark hair was streaked with gray.

"So this is the master piece," he smiled in a way that made Avi uncomfortable, "Subject 257, A," he took a step closer, "V," another step, "I." He was right in front of her now, only centimeters from her face. His breath smelled of cigarettes and mints.

Eric put his arm over Avi's chest and pushed her back, replacing her face with his. "I believe you are making her uncomfortable," he said, looking down at his tiny boss.

"Hah! Nonsense it's a robot. It doesn't have emotions," he walked back to his desk, "We designed it that way. It only takes commands and kills," he lit a cigarette, "At least that's what it-"

"She! Don't call her it!" Eric said with more anger than anticipated, his arm this protecting the girl he named Nova.

"It's not your place to tell me what to do or say," the old man said with a calm but somehow unsettling voice.

"I am sorry sir, but I believe we all should be treated as equals," he lowered his arm and took a step back. He was now standing next to Avi. She looked at him, now with fear in her eyes. He took her hand and smiled.

"I see you already have become quite attached to this item," Marshall said with a grin.

"Nova isn't an item!" Eric responded, he was trying to contain his anger.

"So you did name it," he flicked ash off his cigarette, "Training starts tomorrow. I prepared a room with a charging station. Please show it the way."

Months passed, and where the rest of the facility saw Avi as simply a robot, incapable of feeling, Eric was the only one who befriended her and showed her what emotion was. He was her closest friend and overtime he seemed to have become more.

Avi was alone in the training facility. The simulator was on, and she keeps dodging kicks and punching virtual people. She was in the middle of punching one when it shut off.

"Knock knock." Eric had pressed the shut-down button. "I've been here for 5 minutes waiting, you know."

"No, you have not," she said. She wasn't out of breath since her system didn't work that way.

"How did you know? Did my pulse increase? Do you have built in 'lie detector'?"

"No. You checked in at the desk 1802. From the desk to here is a 6 minute walk. It is now 1809, and you are a slow walker which means you just got here." Eric looked bummed.

"Oh, so you're keeping tabs on your boyfriend now? Talk about obsessive girlfriend."

"You know I have searched these terms online. 'Boyfriend' definition: 1. a person's regular male companion with whom they have a romantic or sexual relationship. 2. denoting an item of clothing for a woman or girl that is designed to be loose-fitting or slightly oversized. 'a boyfriend cardigan'."

"I brought donuts," he said to get her off topic.

"You know that I do not eat."

"But I do." He held up the bag. "Which means, more for me!"

Avi took a step closer and looked him in the eye, he laughed nervously. She took the paper bag out of his hand.

"Hey! Nova what are yo--" She put a finger over his lips which resulted in him looking very confused. "You are starting to scare me... what are you doing with my donuts?"

Avi smirked and put the bag on the floor and stood up again. She gently held his head in her hands.

"I am seriously scared now what is going on?"

"No. Your heart is racing but it is not because you are afraid. It is something else," she studied him for a second. He wasn't wearing his glasses, "What happened to you glasses?"

"I-I'm wearing contacts, why do you ask?" he said nervously.

"I like your glasses"

"R-Really? I thought they were dorky and made me look like a Harry Potter wannabe," his voice was shaky.

"You are a Harry Potter wannabe; you have said it yourself. Have you not?"

"Well, yes b-but I don't want to look like one. Now are you gonna kiss me or not because I think if you don't my heart will exp--" she kissed him before he could finish that sentence. She wasn't standing on the tip of her toes but almost. He didn't resist, he just put his hands around her waist and pulled her closer to him. They stood there for a while, neither of them pulling away.

"Took you long enough," Eric said, unable to stop smiling, "Five months."

"I could have waited longer, but it felt like the right moment" Avi said, her smile just as wide. They stood there for a while and looked at each other.

"Do you really like the glasses?" Eric finally asked.

"I do. I find the way you push them back after they slip down adorable," Avi hoped that was something you could say but she wasn't sure.

"Well then, I will wear them," he said, blushing. Avi picked the paper bag up and handed it to him. He put one arm around her waist and led her out of the training facility.

More time passed on after that but things started to feel...different throughout the facility. She and Eric still remained close, but at the same time he became distant. Avi didn't know what was happening. But one day the answer came to her in a bang.

Avi's eyes flew wide open, she heard the sound of an alarm.

"Intruder alert." the voice was high-pitched and loud and kept repeating itself. "Intruder alert. Intruder alert. Intruder alert. Intruder alert. Intruder alert."

Avi disconnected from her charging station and opened the door to the corridor everybody was running toward the exit, but she couldn't see Eric anywhere.

"ERIC!" she yelled, "ERIC! ERIC HART! HAS ANYONE SEEN HIM?"

One of the workers from the lab stopped and pointed toward the direction everyone was running from. Avi didn't hesitate; she ran as fast as she could pushing through the crowd. While running she performed a scan of the building: two people in the training facility. When she got there, it seemed to be empty, but she could hear heartbeats.

"I know you are there. Show yourself," she said with a determined voice. A laugh echoed though the facility.

"You think you can take me down single handedly? You clearly don't know who I am. All of your other friends ran. I suggest you do the same."

"I will not run. I stand my ground," her voice laced with anger.

"N-Nova... please. Run" his voice was weak but clear. She couldn't see him but knowing that he was there was all she needed.

"Eric, I will not leave you. You said you would protect me, and I intend to do the same for you."

"Oh, she's a feisty one. You got lucky, Mr. Mastermind," the voice came from the third person in the room.

"Mastermind?" Avi was confused, "Why is he calling you that? Are you two acquainted?"

"Oh? Your boyfriend didn't tell you? He's a villain, sweetheart," a figure emerged from the shadows, "and he works for me."

"Is this true?" she refused to believe it unless she heard him say it, "Eric, answer me!"

"Yes. Its true." he stepped out, making himself visible. Avi fell to her knees, and Eric started running toward her but was stopped by the man standing in front of him. "Nova, I wanted to quit! I left long ago, but Rune won—"

"Oh, I see. Throwing me under the bus to protect yourself. You didn't change at all," Rune turned toward Eric, "My offer stands."

"It's hardly an offer. It's blackmail!" Eric said in a raised voice.

"Well, it all depends on how you look at it, doesn't it?"

"I'll go with you, just let me explain to her." he pointed toward Avi who was still on her knees.

"Fine. Lovey dovey deadweight," Rune let him run to Avi, "You've got five. Then, we're out."

"Nova, listen to me," he put one hand on her cheek, "I never wanted any of this but if I don't go..." his voice trailed off, "Long ago, I joined Rune because he said he could put a stop to all the voices in my head. I didn't know about him being evil." Avi looked at him with dead eyes.

"Why did you not tell me you possess telekinetic powers?" she said with no emotion at all.

"Would you have treated me differently? I can't use my powers on you, I don't use my powers on anyone. It's in my past and I want to forget," he took her hand, "Please I don't want you to hate me. If I leave knowing you hate me... I don't think I could go on."

"Then do not leave." Avi whispered. There was oil running down her cheek.

"You-you're crying," he hugged her tight and whispered in her ear, "I'll be back for you. I promise. I love you," he whispered before standing up and walking back to Rune, "I accept the offer," he said with a heavy voice.

"Actually, offer expired." Before Eric could blink, he had a dagger in his stomach. "Sorry, old pal, but I need that robot."

"ERIC!" Avi was now up and kicking, her eyes glowing as if ready to shoot lasers. She shot up from the floor and charged.

Everything went black and when she woke up she was on the floor next to Eric, her face splattered with blood and her hands covered in it, but she didn't care for the time being.

"Eric!" she checked his pulse. It was weak, but he was still alive, "Eric, please. You cannot die." she held him tight and whispered, "I love you too." Then his heart stopped. There was no pulse, his light brown eyes seemed darker. It was as if time had stopped.

Avi heard the sound of heels but refused to move.

"I'm here to take you with me. We have a new home for you," said a woman. Avi looked up, the training facility was wrecked. There had been a fight, but she couldn't remember it.

"Priscilla, are you sure? It's dangerous and should be put down!" Avi recognized the voice, it belonged to Mr. Clark.

"She has great potential, and I'm sure she would feel right at home," Avi assumed it was Priscilla.

"Well, Let us at lease wipe her hard drive, clear her memories."

"No need!" Priscilla stepped closer to Avi, "What's your name?"

"N-Nov.... Subject 257, Codename: A.V.I," she was still holding the lifeless body.

"Avi. Come with me," Priscilla offered her hand.

"When someone offers you their hand, you take it," Eric's voice echoed inside her head. Avi pushed Priscilla's hand aside, something she never would have done if the hand belonged to Eric.

~~~

Avi wiped an oily tear away. She wished they had wiped her memories all those years ago, that way she wouldn't have to deal with the pain of that memory. Of Eric.

"Hey...Avi, it's alright." Tristan walked up to her and pulled her into an embrace.

Avi buried her face into his shoulder but pushed him away after a while. "I am fine. It has a traumatic memory for me but one that had to have been shared. As much as I fear for Liv working with Rune, I will not let her perish under his hand."

"Avi, I—"

"No," she pressed. "I lost someone I cared about to Rune, I will not let the same experience be felt by you. I promise."

Tristan was silent for a moment, but he smiled. "They were wrong about you, y'know. You might be an artificial intelligence android, but sometimes...you're more human than any of us."

Avi smiled softly. "Thank you, Tristan. Now come. We must inform Bristol and CJ about Liv's arrival."

Together, they left Tristan's room and headed towards the cortex. All the while, Avi started to feel better. Sharing that memory...it took a weight off of her shoulders. She would always remember Eric and what he did for her, but it was time to let go of her ghosts...for now.