Wanted Mutants

Chapter 13

Once in the bathroom, Kari closed the door and pulled the suit out of the bag. The suit is solid black with no special decals or lines. She unzipped the back and pulled the suit on. It was a bit snug, but it was better than nothing. A full bodysuit that covered her feet and hands. She looked at herself in the mirror. 'Who would have thought... I can't believe things have changed so much....' she sighed and tried to push away her anxiety. She then stared back into the mirror, 'I can do this.' Mustering all her courage, she turned to leave the bathroom. She quickly made her way back to the main room. Blake and Gears sat at the counter while Jinx paced waiting for Kari,

“Okay, let me give you a crash course in sneaking.” Jinx stepped up beside Kari, “Alright, when sneaking remember even if you’re invisible, its best you don’t make a lot of noise. I don’t know what happens when you become invisible, but keep your voice down and, if you’re close to a fight, assist when necessary. Okay for death, keep your distance. Stay out of Gabriel’s way. He’s got strength over you. Twerp has got firepower and lots of it. Mastermind will probably be in the back, staying out of danger, but he’ll be working on something to take out Ragnarök and Devastation.” Kari nodded in silence as Jinx continued, “they’re our heavy hitters. Discharge is going to go for mastermind. You just keep tabs on everyone. Also, don’t freeze up. If you do, we lose, learn to focus and stick to the plan.” Just then the guys came back into the main room. They all wore bodysuits similar to Kari's. The only difference theirs looks specially made for them. Discharge slid on gray tented sunglasses and he stretched.

“Alright, let's go before she tries to say we forfeit.” Kari looked at the ground as Ragnarök walked past her. His suit was ash black, and it clung to his body nicely. The rest of the team walked out into the hall, and it was just him and her standing there.

“You nervous.” He walked behind her, and he pulled her hair. She shivered as she felt a slight tug, then he dropped her hair. “Keep your hair in a ponytail so it doesn’t get in your face.” he walked back in front of her, and she looked him up and down and her eyes lingered on his broad chest and his six-pack abs. He was in great shape and he knew it. “Hey focus.” He snapped his finger in her face, “I know I’m sexy, but let’s focus on the task at hand. Try not to freeze up,” he led her out to the hall, “Take a deep breath and just try to think of this as a game.” He walked in front of her, and she fell in behind everyone. As they walked through the halls she followed them through a big doorway into a medium-sized room. Gabriel, Fire-Fairy, Mastermind, and Death were standing there waiting for Ragnarök and the rest of them.

“Dang it I thought you were too scared to show, but fine, let's go bring it four on four. Who’s your team?!” she looked so serious and Ragnarök sighed,

“You’re so pushy, but it’ll be me, Discharge, Devastation and Kari.” Gabriel instantly stiffened and Death took a sharp breath. Kari hid behind Jinx and Blake.

“So you were the one who got her.” Gabriel’s eye twitched just a little as Ragnarök wrapped his arm around Kari’s shoulders, and he pulled her close. Gabriel watched, as his face twisted in what seemed like jealousy. Ragnarök smirked as he noticed Gabriel's expression, “Well, let’s get this over with.” Gabriel pushed past Kari as his team followed. Kari then followed her team through another door and into a small armory. The room had a wall lined with tall lockers and benches. On the other side of the room sat a large tale with chairs around it. Her team was gathered around handing one another something she couldn't quite make out.

“So here are the rules.” Kari listened to Ragnarök as Devastation put the band on his arm, and it snugly locked itself into place. “Simple. Do not let the armband get taken from you. Fire-Fairy and I are the only ones who can take one another’s bands because of the fire thing. But the point of this exercise is to take the other teams band. If you get yours taken, you’re out. When the timer finishes, the last one standing wins team style,” Kari nodded as her teammate continued. “Your band is going around your neck since you're new to this, it’s the only way you’ll keep it safe.” He places it around her neck, and it tightened itself firmly against her skin but not enough to choke her. Ragnarök and Discharge put their armbands on,

“Remember to stick to being invisible and only intervene when necessary.” Discharge patted her on the shoulder, "You ot this rookie." They opened the door on the far side of the room. She calmed her nerves and she felt a cool wave pass over her. The rest of her team went out into a giant opening where the scenery looked like a deserted city in the desert. She walked behind them when Discharge turned around,

“Kari put this on.” He held out something but clearly not facing her. She shifted to pick it up out of his hands. “Put it in your ear so we can communicate, and you can communicate with us.” she did as he said, “Now go remember speak quietly when talking to us.” She nodded, and she took off into the air. As she scanned the area below her, she flew as quietly as she could. When she spotted Gabriel and Fire-Fairy,

“Gabriel and Fire-Fairy are coming in really fast.” She spoke into the com and her team readied themselves. Kari wasted no time distancing herself from the fight. She circled around for a while when she saw a shadowy figure move in. Her eyes glowed bright blue as a mental hand formed and grabbed at the shadow. There was a slight tug, but soon after, Death was pulled from the shadow and slammed on the ground. He rolled, and he shook himself. He quickly returned to the shadows and slithered off, but Kari followed him closely. “I have Death.” She flew above his shadow. Her eyes glowed bright once again as she jabbed at him with her power and as she did his shadow jerked at each jab. When a shadow tentacle whipped out at her, it missed. Her focus was unbroken until she realized that she had followed death too far from her team, so she stopped in mid-flight and ricocheted back toward her team. As she followed the path back she saw Devastation fighting Gabriel and Ragnarök and Fire-Fairy locked in a fire fight. The intense heat coming from them made Kari float back a bit. She hovered just out of range when she saw death coming toward Devastation. Her eyes glowed as she made an attempt to stop him. Using her power as an extension of her hand, she swatted the ground where death's shadow was incoming. A giant cloud of dust erupted from the spot where her power collided with the ground. And everyone stopped for a moment. Then out of nowhere a black hand pushed up right at Kari, but she dodged it by smacking it with her own. The shadow hand pulled at her mind, but she managed to keep it from dragging her into the void. When all of a sudden something hit her cheek and she fell to the ground. A sharp pain rang through her, and she could taste the tartness of the dirt.