C.I.N.A. Headquarters

     In the heart of one of the most elite organizations in the world, a signal wound its way through the tightly-networked computer servers. It bypassed firewalls, decrypted files, and hacked into the most secure data centers. The virus latched its code onto every computer, in every room, and it carried with it a single message.

     Special agent Olivia Jones hurriedly sprinted into the nearest computer room, the lights above flickering. An alarm sounded, indicating a breach in security, and agents shouted at each other to keep the hacker at bay. Olivia stood, in a state of utter confusion, while a mysterious message appeared on every single screen in the C.I.N.A. facility.

     "What's happening?" Olivia asked a nearby computer-console operator.

     The woman shook her head and typed furiously on her keyboard, "I'm not sure Agent Jones. Whoever's in the system is headed for the secure servers..."

     "That's not possible," Olivia countered.

     "Building schematics, codes, prisoner files," the woman looked up with an expression of worry. "This has never happened before."

     Olivia looked to an alternative console and gaped in confusion at the message. It glowed on the screen ominously; a simple sentence that conveyed a thousand words:

     THE PROPHET HAS FORESEEN ALL, THE GATES OF HELL SHALL BE OPENED.

     "The Prophet?" asked Olivia.

     "I-I don't know," the woman stammered. "This isn't possible! It's all being downloaded!"

     Olivia could only watch the lines of code stream across her screen and into oblivion.

     "I've got something!" the woman exclaimed.

     "What is it?" asked Olivia.

     "Initials," the woman proudly proclaimed. "Our hacker left two initials: 'GM'."

     "'GM'," Olivia repeated, to herself. "Gabriel Monroe."

     "You know who it is?" asked the woman.

     Olivia nodded, "And I know who to talk to. Which cellblock is Elysia Jobs in?"

**

Ellie

     "You're going to have to come with us," a gruff voice spoke.

     Two agents stood over a sleeping Ellie. They were armed with weapons, dressed in full combat gear, and had orders to shoot the prisoner if she were to resist.

     Ellie stirred from her sleep, "What?"

     "You're required in the main complex," one of the C.I.N.A. agents spoke. "Agent Olivia Jones requires your presence."

     "Olivia..." Ellie whispered, remembering back to Times Square.

     "Come now," an agent insisted, trying to roll Ellie out of her cot.

     Ellie resisted, "No! I'm not going anywhere!"

     She lashed out, trying to break free from the grip of the agent.

     "This involves Gabriel Monroe," an agent cut in.

     Ellie immediately stopped struggling, "Gabriel? Where is he? Is he alright?"

     "Everything will be talked about in the main complex," an agent explained. "Come with us."

     Ellie reluctantly submitted to their will and got out of her cot. As soon as she stood up, thick futuristic handcuffs were slapped onto her wrists.

     "These will subdue your powers," and agent explained, typing a code into the cuffs.

     She allowed herself to be led down the hallway and out of the prison center. As she passed Merlin's cell, she craned her neck to get a glimpse of her mysterious new friend. All she managed to see, however, was a figure curled up on his cot fast asleep.

     "If you resist, we will kill you," an agent threatened.

     Ellie hesitated before nodding, "I won't do anything. Just tell me about Gabriel. Where is he?"

     The agent looked away, instead he leading their captive further down the hall.

     "Are you going to answer any of my questions?" Ellie asked.

     The agent ignored her.

     "Well, all right then," muttered Ellie.

     The prisoner complex was extensive, and it stretched for what seemed like miles in every direction. Ellie wondered if the facility was underground, or secluded in an isolated environment. Cells stretched like packs of sardines along each corridor, and there were at least four visible levels extending upward. Hard, concrete, walls reinforced the prison and virtually everything was bare. It was a depressing sight.

     Ellie was led to the far wall with an elevator carved into the thick, concrete, surface. One of the agents, a shorter man, pressed an "up" button on the wall. Ellie tried to peer through his visor, a little curiosity prying at her.

     "What's your name?" Ellie asked.

     The officer was silent.

     "Are all agents who work here like you?" asked Ellie.

     "Only the good ones," the man responded.

     Ellie felt taken aback, "Oh...okay."

     The elevator arrived and the three of them stepped in. As the doors closed, Ellie heard one of the agents clear his throat. There was a shudder, and the rickety elevator began to climb the levels. Overhead, some classical music could be heard through an old speaker. It was an awkward, quiet, couple of seconds before the elevator reached the top floor.

     "We'll escort you," the taller of the two guards explained.

     Ellie stepped out, her feet slightly cold in her shoes, and into the mysterious facility. The beauty of the place, and its stark contrast to the prisons below. took her breath away.

     The upper-most levels of the Central Intelligence for National Assurance Prisoner Facility were the pinnacle of technological industry. Giant, electronic, billboards displayed strings of information pouring in from all over the world. Beautiful, pristine walls glowed with maps of the world and the status of several dozen nations. Interesting, abstract, architecture dotted the scene to add an artistic flare to the secretive organization.

     They nudged her along and into an off-shooting hallway that led to a completely different part of the building. Ellie walked in silence, the whole time wondering where she could be going. After a couple of minutes they arrived, and Ellie stepped into a blank room with nothing but a single table and some chairs. There was no technology to be seen.

     At the table sat one woman: Olivia Jones. Ellie recognized her by her brown hair.

     "Ms. Jobs," Olivia beckoned. "We need to talk."

     The two agents took a step back and closed the door behind Ellie. Slowly, she walked toward Olivia and the extra chair that sat at the table.

     "I heard this is about Gabriel," Ellie started.

     Olivia nodded, "Yes, as a matter of fact it is."

     "Is he alright?" Ellie asked, eagerly.

     Olivia looked away, and Ellie could see years of experience etched into her beautiful face. The weight was in her eyes, which had a sad look about them. Olivia looked like she was worried, and that her days were spent worrying about what would happen next.

     "I'll admit that we aren't entirely sure on his status," sighed Olivia. "What I'm here to talk to you about is your accident."

     "My accident?" asked Ellie.

     Olivia nodded, "Tell me what happened aboard the A.O.S.S."

     "I..." Ellie started. "I don't know."

     "Recount to me what happened," Olivia ordered. "Or you may never see Gabriel again."

     Ellie was still hesitant.

     Olivia closed her eyes briefly, sighing, and leaned forward, "Whatever information you have can help him. If you don't want to talk about what happened to me, talk about what happened for him."

     Ellie shifted in her seat, extremely uncomfortable, "Gabriel and I hadn't been stationed on the station for long. I remember we were in the middle of a session talking with a school."

     Olivia nodded.

     "Then, afterward, Gabriel cut off communications," Ellie swallowed. "Maybe it was because he knew, and he didn't want the children to see anything."

     "Continue," Olivia pushed.

     Ellie shook her head, "I looked at my radar, and I saw dozens of extraterrestrial objects headed our way. I knew we were in trouble, so I tried to activate emergency protocol...but it was too late."

     "What happened?" Olivia asked.

     "The station was hit, and Gabriel was killed," Ellie explained. "Or...well he wasn't."

     "What do you mean?" asked Olivia.

     "He....didn't die," Ellie whispered, remembering back to the haunting image of him hovering outside the window. "He just didn't die."

     "He couldn't die?" Olivia asked.

     "He shouldn't have survived the conditions," responded Ellie, a little slowly. "It was as if his body had somehow been able to skirt death. When I pulled him back on-board with my abilities, he was unconscious but alive."

     "Your abilities?"

     Ellie nodded, "I'm a little fuzzy on the details there, but when I awoke from the accident I somehow had the ability to communicate with technology. At first, it was purely instinct but as time went on...use of my abilities became more conscious."

     "You gained control of your abilities," Olivia elaborated.

     Ellie nodded, "And, after I got back to Earth, I woke up somewhere else..."

     "We had simply brought you in for observations," Olivia vaguely explained with a look of fire in her eyes. "Your body had changed in ways that our scientists couldn't even imagine. What you went through...it wasn't simply an upgrade."

     Ellie narrowed her eyes.

     "It was evolution," Olivia concluded. "From what I see, and what our scientists observed, you haven't even mastered your full potential yet."

     "Full potential?" asked Ellie, a little curious.

     "Your entire biology was rewritten," Olivia explained. "Muscles, brain tissue, reflexes...it was all heightened. You ordered the technology to become a part of you, and it made you stronger."

     "Why are you telling me this?" asked Ellie, with disbelief. "Why all the secrecy and then truth?"

     "For one, I sympathize with you on a personal level," answered Olivia. "If you remember back to New York, and what I did to stop the bullet..."

     "You made an energy shield..." Ellie breathed, in awe.

     "It was my aura," responded Olivia. "I have the ability to manipulate my aura."

     "So you're like me?" asked Ellie. "You have...powers?"

     Olivia nodded, "We're more similar than we are different."

     Ellie turned away and looked at the ground, "...How many of us are there?"

     "The world is becoming stranger," Olivia sighed. "There is no way to truly know how many others there are...."

     "Then what was the second reason?" pried Ellie, interrupting Olivia.

     "I can see your confusion," answered Olivia, "in your aura. I know that you show no hostilities towards us."

     "Then why lock me up?" asked Ellie, gesturing to the thick handcuffs. "Why are you treating me like I'm your...enemy?"

     "It's not my decision," Olivia answered, standing up from the table. "Believe me or not, Ms. Jobs, but there are high-ranking officials that make the decisions involving security here. Thank you for your cooperation."

      Ellie shook her head, and the door on the far side of the room opened. The two agents briskly walked in and grabbed Ellie's shoulders.

     "There's got to be more to it than that!" protested Ellie. "Where is Gabriel?"

     Olivia looked away, "I already told you, we don't know. At this point, we can only use what you've told us and guess."

     "But I can help you!" protested Ellie. "I'm not the enemy, you can trust me!"

     "There are many who don't," Olivia sighed, turning her back to Ellie. "This isn't personal."

     Something pinched Ellie's neck and she suddenly felt weak.

     "Really?" she whispered, falling unconscious.