Daniel Peters

     "Sir? Hello?" someone asked.

     Daniel Peters slowly opened his eyes, feeling a headache beginning in his temples.

     "What the hell?" he muttered as a police officer helped him up.

     He was in an alleyway, with no recollection to how he had gotten there. A police car was parked along the side of the street with the lights on. Peters looked up at the black sky and wondered how long he'd been unconscious for. His memories were a garbled mess, and the police officer standing next to him seemed just as baffled.

     The officer was a young man, maybe in his late twenties. He had a worried expression while Peters stuttered some incomprehensible sentences. The officer placed a hand on Peters's shoulder to steady him.

     "I found you unconscious. You're Daniel Peters, I presume?" the officer asked. "You were the Flight Director for the latest A.O.S.S. launch. My name is Sergeant Oxford...is everything all right?"

     Peters rubbed his head. All he remembered was trying to see Ellie but getting jumped by weird agents. They had denied him access to her room. He questioned why.

     "They took the astronauts," Peters whispered to the officer, confusedly looking around like a crazed-man. "There's a rogue organization out there..."

     The officer shook his head, "I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about. Are you sure you're alright?"

     Peters shook his head, "They took her! They took Ellie!"

     The officer lead Peters to the police car with blaring lights on it. He was told to sit inside while they drove him to the station for some questions. Peters was silent the whole way.

     What had he seen?

**

Ellie

     The frigid air tore at her lungs and Ellie's breaths came in short gasps as she sprinted through the night. Ice cold wind cut into her body while she ran, and trees towered over her like evil, menacing demons. Her adrenaline kept her going though, and she knew she had to distance herself as far away from her new-found enemy as much as she could. With each step into the icy snow, her memories flashed into her mind.

     Her sister begging her not to go.

     Ellie had gone on to become something more than just normal. Little had she known that her sister would be right.

     The accident aboard the space station.

     Ellie had acquired super powers of untapped potential. Whatever they were, she still didn't quite understand them, they had obviously made her some kind of a target.

     Gabriel unconscious in the space station.

     She couldn't fathom how Gabriel had survived being in the vacuum in space. If he was alive, then it stood to reason that he was in just as much trouble as she was.

     Ellie stopped and leaned up against a frigid tree to catch her breath. Through the darkness, she could see the lights of a small town. It was like a beacon of hope in the infinite darkness of the wilderness. Ellie closed her eyes and tried to stop her uncontrollable shivering, wrapping her tattered hospital gown around her.

     She was going to need a new set of clothes.

**

     The town still had its Christmas lights up.

     It was a quaint little village surrounded on all sides by pine trees. The forest extended far off on all sides indicating an isolated environment. Still, as small and isolated as the town was, there still seemed to be inklings of the modern world. A Wal-Mart was situated on the upper-east side, and, thankfully, it appeared to be open at that hour.

     Ellie stumbled through the sliding doors and welcomed the rush of warm air. Her feet and skin were red with irritation from the cold; she hoped that it wasn't indicative of frostbite.

     "Can I help you, miss?" one of the cashiers asked, a curious expression on their face.

     "C-Clothes," Ellie blurted out, trying to stifle her shivering. "I need c-clothes..."

     "They're over in aisle seven," the cashier pointed before turning. "Are you sure you don't need any assistance?"

     "Thank you," responded Ellie, stumbling deeper into the store.

     She picked up everything she could find without the usual regard for style. Ellie pulled out a thick, white sweater and overlapped it with a coat. She sought blue jeans, thick socks, and the first hat Ellie saw was hers. Some snow boots and a long scarf tied off the unique fashion statement like a bow.

     Ellie made her way to the checkout and placed her items on the conveyor belt.

     "The total is $87.65," the cashier stated in her monotone voice.

     Ellie froze for a moment, realizing she didn't have any money. Then, an idea popped into her head. With a shaky hand, she reached out and touched the cash register while feeling the familiar odd sensation come over her. Then, she watched as the numbers went down to zero.

     "How did you do that?" the cashier exclaimed, clearly baffled.

     "It's, uh, a new coupon," Ellie responded, before grabbing her purchase. "You just touch and go."

     The cashier could only stand and scratch her head in utter astonishment.

**

     Ellie pulled on her clothes and ventured out of the Wal-Mart just as the beginnings of dawn approached. She had no idea what to do next, and it worried her that the enemy was potentially so close. Her motive was clear then: she had to leave.

     A little research on the town revealed a train station that could take her far away. Ellie thought deeply and decided that she should probably contact her sister above all else. For all she knew, Sarah probably thought she was dead. Ellie booked a ticket, using the same methods from the other store, and patiently waited in the quiet train station for her transportation.

**

C.I.N.A. Nevada Medical Station B

     Hundreds of miles away, Gabriel Monroe sat in isolation shaking. It wasn't the temperature that was making him shiver, though, it was the constant barrage of images that danced before his eyes. Images, people, places, and events all exploded in his mind like fireworks. All the scientists ever did was feed and watch him through the glass like he was some kind of an experiment.

     He could see himself in the reflection of the mirror. Over the days, Gabriel's frame had withered, his eyes had sunk, and his skin had taken on a pale-characteristic. His hair was all over the place, and Gabriel hadn't even bothered to shave. The images were all he could think about.

     The images spoke to him.

     Deep inside, he began to giggle. It started as a small snicker that tugged at the corners of his mouth. The giggle began to strengthen, and then it erupted into a full-on laugh that echoed within the confinements of the cell. He laughed until he cried, and until his insides hurt.

     But the scientists only watched.

     All they did was watch as he suffered.

     Another image exploded in his head, depicting a man lying dead on the ground. There was a wound on his chest and his eyes stared up into nothingness.

     "No!" Gabriel protested.

     But the images insisted; they ordered him.

     "NO!!!" he cried.

     Gabriel lunged at the wall, banging on its surface with his fists. He cried into the darkness, begging for the images to stop. Nobody did anything while he continued to fight and scream and kick. As his visions intensified he could only scream louder because the pain was too much.

     It was a burden beyond belief.