2066

  Venessa wakes up with a start. She’s in the same psych ward room that she has been in for the past three years, having the same recurring dream that she’s had for the past three years.

  IV Machine: Heart rate far above resting level. Sedation protocol enforced.

  Venessa: No!

  She is sedated before she can protest any more. Her body goes limp. Her mind softens. Music begins to play. The one song that she gets to hear over and over again for the rest of the year. If at the end of the year Venessa didn’t give up her powers, she would spend another year in the psych ward. The same white lights on the ceiling peer down at her. Her “breakfast” is fed to her through the IV line.

  Two doctors come into the room.

  Doctor 1: How are you feeling, Venessa?

  Venessa: Sick.

  Doctor 1: Well, we’re sorry about that, but we can’t help you unless you give up your…peculiarities.

  Venessa: Why do I need to be in here anyway? It’s not like I have any mental health problems unusual to kids my age.

  Doctor 1: Even common teenage angst is dangerous when you can break things with your mind. We simply can’t have you in the public space with those abilities.

  Doctor 2: Since it seems that you’ll be staying here for quite a while, we thought that a roommate would be beneficial. Perhaps she could bring back your reasoning.

  A frail old woman walks into the room. Unlike Venessa, the old woman actually looks mentally unstable.

  Venessa: Roommate?

  Doctor 1: Yes. Venessa, meet Emily. Emily, meet Venessa.

  Emily: Hi, Venessa.

  Venessa(unenthusiastically): Hi.

  Doctor 2: We’ll let you both get acquainted.

  The doctors leave the room.

  Emily: Rumour has it you’re one of those.

  Venessa: One of what exactly?

  Emily: The powered people. You know, I killed a powered man once.

  Venessa(sarcastically): That’s lovely.

  Emily ignores Venessa’s sarcasm: Oh, yes. Much more powerful than any powered person I’ve ever seen. Brought himself back to life after all the blood was drained from him. There were a few people with him, a couple of women and four men. I think they were powered, too.

  Venessa sighs: What’s your real name?

  Emily: Well, Emily of course.

  Venessa: I don’t believe you. People like you in this place have zero grasp on reality. So, what is your real name? If you can remember it.

  Emily: My name is Emily Dante! It has been for many years! And I killed a powered man!

  Venessa: You’ve already established this.

  Emily: Ugh! Do you know what it’s like to have something like that weighing on you for so long?! He’s gonna get revenge on me, I just know it!!! He’ll kill me in my sleep!

  Venessa: I’d prefer if we talked about something else than dead guys killing people in their sleep. Plus, why would he kill you now after all these years?

  Emily ignores her: You must leave this place! Run far away! Maybe you’ll live for a few more years before Beyond gets you!

  Venessa: Wait, wait, wait! Hold up! Who’s Beyond?! And why does he want to kill me?

  Emily: Shhh! The machines can hear us!

  Venessa realizes that Emily is right. There’s a machine monitoring her heart rate, so she has to stay calm.

  Emily: I never said that Beyond wanted to kill you. I said that he wanted to kill me.

  Venessa: But you just…You know what, nevermind.

  Emily: But you might be on his watchlist as well.

  Venessa sighs in frustration: Alright, can we talk about something else now? You know, some other, less gory fantasy-land that you made up. Do you have any with…I don’t know…pretty flowers and rainbows or something?

  Emily ignores Venessa once again: You need to leave! You need to leave now!

  Venessa(sarcastically): If you have any ideas on how I could leave, I’d love to hear them.

  Emily walks over to Venessa: I’m going to take the IV out of your arm and put in mine. I’ll have to do it quickly, though. The machines are watching.

  Venessa: What?! No! Why would I trust you to do that?!

  Emily: Why would you trust anyone else here to do it? I was a nurse once. I know how these machines work.

  Venessa sighs: You’ve got a point. Just don’t…kill me.

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  Emily nods, carefully removes the needle from Venessa’s arm, and places it in one of her veins.

  Emily: Whew! The machine didn’t notice a thing! Now, here!

  She pulls a pair of scissors from her pocket.

  Venessa: How did you manage to get scissors in here?!

  Emily: I have my ways. Cut the ends off of your hair. The doctors have dyed them black in case you escape, so that they can identify you.

  Venessa cuts the ends of her hair until no black strands remain. Emily looks around the room and grabs the IV bag holder.

  Emily: Now break the bars on the window and the glass!

  Venessa: How?

  Emily sighs: Use your powers, girl!

  Venessa focuses intently on the metal bars and the glass. They explode into a million pieces—both women duck.

  Doctor from down the hall: Hey! What’s going on here?!

  Emily: Go!

  Venessa: Don’t you want to escape?!

  Emily: I’m old and unstable anyway! Go!

  Venessa crawls out the window, avoiding the sharp pieces of glass. The ground is about five feet below her, so she jumps and lands roughly. Venessa then begins to sprint towards the barbed-wire fence, trying to keep going despite the sedative still running through her. An alarm is sounding. Two security guards are chasing Venessa.

  Security guard: Teller, get back here!

  Venessa makes one of the alarm sirens explode, sending shards flying everywhere. She’s beginning to feel exhausted. One of the security guards is still chasing her. She reaches the fence.

  Venessa: How am I going to climb this?

  The security guard has almost caught up to her. Venessa, in a last minute decision, causes the barbed-wire fence to break apart. She slips through. Before the security guard can slip through the hole that she has made, Venessa makes that section of the barbed wire fence explode into a cloud of metal barbs. The guard is too severely injured to chase after her. She runs into the bustling Saint Louis, Missouri, and into one of the abandoned houses. She cries there for a bit, fearful of what might happen next and overwhelmed by what has happened.

  After letting her emotions out for about half an hour, Venessa realizes that she is still in her hospital gown. She uncovers and looks through the drawers of a dresser, and finds a dusty pair of sweatpants that the house’s former owner must have left behind. After rejoicing in her rare find, Venessa peers at the tag on the back of the pants.

  Venessa:(to herself) That brand went out of business…maybe thirty years ago. Who leaves a pair of sweatpants anyway?

  She ponders this for a few minutes.

  Venessa:(to herself) They must’ve been in a hurry to get out.

  She puts on the sweatpants. They’re a bit large on her, but they’ll work. She tucks her hospital gown into the pants so that it looks like a top. Venessa then climbs out the window and back into the streets. No one seems to notice her. Everyone has their A.R.(augmented reality) glasses on, as usual, probably doomscrolling on social media. Screens everywhere project advertisements and movie trailers. Venessa walks past an eighties-themed bar and sees a man pull a gun from his belt and aim it at a woman walking by.

  Venessa:(to the woman) Duck!

  The woman ducks, but before the man can shoot her, Venessa causes his gun to explode in his hand. The man yelps in pain. He then turns to Venessa.

  Man: You did this!

  Venessa: I don’t know what you're talking about. I was minding my own business when your faulty gun exploded.

  The man begins to chase Venessa into a dark alleyway. Venessa is cornered. Suddenly, a hand reaches from the shadows and pulls her away. She sees only blackness for a few moments before emerging in an eerie, dimly lit place. No sunlight comes into the room. A voice speaks from behind her and startles her.

  Refraction: Venessa Maria Teller…

  Venessa: Who the heck are you?!

  Refraction: Age fourteen. Female. Multiple foster homes…

  Venessa: WHAT’S GOING ON?!

  Refraction: Fears becoming dangerous. Oh, and she has destructive telekinesis. I’ll take care of that.

  Venessa feels a chill on the back of her neck. She tries to break something in her captor, but she is unable to. Her powers seem to have disappeared.

  Venessa: What did you do to me?!

  A woman’s voice in Venessa’s mind: QUIET! You ask too many questions!

  Venessa: Who said that?!

  Wyverna: DID YOU NOT HEAR WHAT I JUST SAID?! I like my humans silent!

  Venessa: Well, I’ll just keep talking then!

  Wyverna: No you won’t!

  Venessa feels another chill on the back of her neck. Her mouth is frozen in place. She then hears a machine.

  Machine: Maximum force exerted! Maximum force exerted!

  Venessa’s mouth is released.

  Wyverna: Bring me the child!

  Venessa: I’m not a child! I’m fourteen!

  Wyverna: According to the Missouri state law, you’re a minor. Compared to me, you’re still in your infancy.

  Venessa: Oh, shut up! Who do you think you are?!

  Refraction grabs Venessa and brings her into a room. In this room, there is a tank filled with cloudy fluid attached to a machine monitoring things like “vivacity” and “recovery”, the second of which is at 96 percent. Inside the fluid, Venessa can barely make out a human-like form. Her lip begins to quiver. The form in the tank moves slightly.

  Wyverna: Perhaps I lied when I said that you asked too many questions. You simply don’t ask the right ones. Oh, are you going to cry?! Am I so unsettling to you that you have lost control?! I figured so!*She laughs*

  Venessa gets a hold of herself: Why are you in a fish tank?

  Refraction holds back a snicker, but Wyverna catches him.

  Wyverna: Don’t think that I cannot see you! Don’t think that I do not know how to make you bleed!

  Refraction is silent.

  Wyverna: This is not a fish tank, this is my recovery chamber!

  Venessa: Why do you need a recovery chamber?

  Wyverna: Ugh! Do you want to know?! DO YOU NEED TO KNOW?!

  Venessa nods: Of course I need to know!

  Wyverna: I am a goddess. I had different ideas than the other gods. All I ever wanted to do was help the creatures below me be free and do as they pleased. But the others were evil! They wanted the creatures to be their slaves! I wanted humans, like you, Venessa, to be freed from the confines of what abilities were given to you. That’s why I gave you powers. All I ever wanted was what was best for humanity. But the gods wanted me dead, so they injured me in battle! Now, I’m here in this recovery chamber.

  Venessa: A…goddess?

  Wyverna: Yes.

  Venessa: And you want humans to be…

  Wyverna: Free! Free to do as they wish!

  Venessa bursts out laughing. Everyone else is silent.

  Venessa: You expect me to believe that you want people to be free?! After one of your goons captured me and brought me into your…I don’t know…Fluorescent Underworld? Yeah, that’s a good name for it!

  Wyverna: Maybe if you saw what I really look like, then you would be convinced.

  Refraction forces Venessa against the edge of the tank. Suddenly, someone appears out of nowhere in the room with them. He fights off Refraction and grabs Venessa.

  Dortor: Back away from the girl! If you fail to comply, there will be harsh retaliation!!!

  Wyverna: We shall see if…

  Dortor: Be silent or I shall seal your lips for you, infection of the Vast!

  Venessa is trying to decipher what they’re saying. It sounds like Shakespearean Old English to her. Venessa blinks and when she opens her eyes, there is a new scene before her. Sunlight enters the room of what appears to be an immense, circular building. People are rushing everywhere. An unfamiliar woman in navy blue clothing comes up to her and Dortor.