12Project HALO
-Lightening Strike-
CHAPTER 1: JUST ANOTHER TUESDAY
She was a crumpled heap on the middle of the road, choking on either the hot blood in her throat or the rising rain water on the gravel. It didn't really matter which- she was going to die anyway. With a mental sigh, the girl succumbed to the idea of death as the rain continued to drench her shivering body. Death would be an escape- she wouldn't have to feel the growing pain anymore, or even the cold.
Then again, she wouldn't be able to feel the summer sun against her skin, or the wind that blew with a thunder storm. She would have jumped at the sound of clapping thunder, but it didn't make sense to be scared when she was already going to die. Taking in what should have been her last breath, she closed her eyes with no regrets.
Most people were in agreement when they decided to hate the day Monday, but Vladimir Rockingham, better known as Vlad, never understood why. He loved Mondays, not that he'd ever feel like he needed to voice that. The real day that How despised more than anything was Tuesday. Every single Tuesday in his entire twenty-four years of living was full of pain and strife.
Vlad frowned as he pressed the toe of his black boot on the acceleration pedal a bit more. Yes, he sure hated the day Tuesday and anything related to it, and though it might've been a slightly childish thought, Vlad knew that Tuesday hated him too. He knew this deep in his gut because why else would he be forced to be on look out duty when it was clearly supposed to be his training day with Di?
Vlad grunted under his breath as he flipped out a slick black cell phone and glanced at the time. It was barely nine o'clock- still three more hours until the dreaded day would end. As Vlad's eyes lazily scanned the wet road, he noticed something off in the distance. At first sight, the man thought it was an animal, but when he narrowed his eyes from behind his opaque sunglasses, he realized it was a person- a girl.
What was she doing out in this downpour? Vlad, being as paranoid as always, eased his foot off of the gas pedal, and lowered his left hand to the tranquilizing gun on his utility belt. His head lights flashed on, illuminating the figure that was now only a few feet ahead of his car's hood- it didn't move. Vlad sucked his teeth as he leaned his head back. It was definitely a girl.
For the briefest second, he considered leaving her there, but deep down, he knew that he wouldn't- couldn't. In fact, he was already stepping out of his car, lifting his arm over his head in hopes to block the rain from soaking into his gelled up black hair, though it was a moot point. The rain simply dripped down the sleek sleeve of his leather jacket and dripped into his hair anyway.
Vlad didn't worry about it too long as he neared the girl on the road. She was probably a good five years younger than he was- he could tell by her bone structure, something Di had taught him how to do. Her skin was ghostly pale, but perhaps it was because she was cold. The only thing that covered her was a thin t-shirt dress that barely covered her thighs.
Vlad made a face at the blood that stained her and wondered if she was dead for a moment- no he could still hear her heart beat, like a little humming bird with broken wings. Her breath, however, was too faint to even be considered breathing. Even Vlad had to strain to hear that her chest was struggling to breathe. The man knelt down into the rain- though he didn't want to get his designer black jeans wet- and lifted the half-dead girl up into his arms. He had to get her back to Headquarters immediately.
However, when he managed to get the girl in a bridal-position in his arms, he felt a shock travel up his arms. Vlad gasped as his hold on the teen loosened, but he managed to remain standing enough to hold her.
At the sudden movement, however, the girl's eyes flashed open- they were an interesting blend of silver and blue. Vlad knew the color seemed vaguely familiar. The girl's eyes seemed to study Vlad's face, trying to find out if he was safe or not. Vlad could hear that her heartbeat was beginning to speed up, and her breathing sounded labored.
"Are you okay?" Vlad asked. The girl blinked a few rain drops out of her eyes, but didn't seem to know how to answer. "Can you talk? What's your name?"
The girl closed her eyes as she cringed into Vlad's firm chest, shaking her head slightly. Vlad took this as a bad sign, so he hurriedly trotted to his car. It was a bit hard to safely lay the girl in his passenger seat, but he managed and hurried around to the driver's side. Once he was safely in the car, Vlad removed his jacket and laid it onto the black haired girl.
The car ride back to the Headquarters was nothing short of silent as a grave. Vlad glanced towards the girl every few seconds, wondering how she ended up in the middle of nowhere- to the average person anyway- bloody and almost dead.
"Tuesday…" Vlad jumped a bit, and glanced back towards the mysterious teenager. Her eyes were just barely open, but color seemed to be regaining in her cheeks, as they were somewhat pink now.
"Yea," Vlad said with a shrug, "it's Tuesday." After a pause, the girl shook her head lightly.
"No…no…my name…" Vlad's brown eyes locked with the girl's silver-blue orbs. "It's Tuesday."
And right as the names passed her lips, there was a loud lightening strike that sent a chill down Vlad's spine, for that bolt of lightning seemed to light the entire sky up in its silver-blue color.
A few days later, Vlad was glad to hear that Tuesday regained consciousness again. As he headed towards the infirmary, he noticed a familiar petite Persian woman walking towards him. Her hair was a sort of hazel colored and piled on top of her head in what Vlad recognized as an 'off day style'. Her skin was a caramel color, and her brown eyes were full of curiosity.
"Where are you heading off to, V?" Di asked as she fell into step beside the older agent. Vlad ignored how Di had shortened his name- again- and gave her a little shrug.
"Off to see the girl I was telling you about," Vlad answered, a tone of disinterest in his voice. Di cocked a thin eyebrow while she shoved her hands into the deep pockets of her trench coat.
"Oh yea… what was her name… Monday?" Vlad frowned a bit. The girl said her name had been Tuesday. If so, he hoped that wasn't supposed to be some sort of irony…
"It was Tuesday," Vlad clarified with a curt nod. Di inclined her head and continued to walk beside Vlad.
"Doc was telling me all about the girl, though he never told me her name," Di began, blowing a few strands of hair out of her face. "He said that she's not human… well… her body is but that there's something about her that's… abnormal, you know." Di grinned as she nudged Vlad with her elbow. "You might've found the girl that The Boss was looking for- you're old man will be so proud."
"I didn't do it for him," Vlad interrupted sternly, before biting down on his lip. Di frowned at the harsh tone in Vlad's voice, but didn't retaliate. Instead, she silently stayed beside Vlad as he took the high speed elevator down to the health and science ward. People in white garbs were busying themselves on the large floor- it was a huge area with all white walls, floors, and ceilings. Vlad hated being down here, but spent half of his time in the area due to his many injuries.
"I like how every time we're down here, everyone stares," Di whispered to Vlad, who gave her a wry smile in agreement. Perhaps it was because the doctors and scientists hated the guns of the agency and didn't like them invading their line of field, or maybe it was because both Di and Vlad donned clothing that stood out in the white room.
"Ah, Vladimir! Darysia!" The two partners turned to see a middle aged man hobble towards them, a wide smile on his sand colored face. "You two haven't gotten banged up again have you? What is it, the fifth time this week?"
"No, Doc, we're fine," Di reassured the man with a smile.
"How's she doing?" Vlad asked, cutting straight to the point. Doc grinned again as he wiped invisible dust off of his scrubs.
"Ah, little Tuesday? She's doing fine! When you brought her in, she had six broken ribs, a concussion, and about a hundred other problems, but in the course of only a few days, she healed right up! Only a little help from me was needed! It was amazing!" Di smiled at the doctor's enthusiasm. Vlad, however, didn't show the same level of relief.
"Isn't it odd that she healed so quickly? Not even my healing factor could take care of all of that in three days." Di rolled her eyes at her pessimistic companion as she slipped her arm around his.
"Why so optimistic?" Di teased, which received a glare from Vlad.
"I trust that she is like you two," Doc mused as he motioned for the two adults to follow him. "Nothing electrical works on her… I tried to search her pulse with an EKG, but the machine nearly exploded when it touched her. So I did a few experiments… placed an flashlight without batteries in her hands and it worked!" Vlad placed two fingers around the bridge of his nose. He didn't like dealing with this much excitement- not all at once.
"So… she probably has some sort of resistance to electricity or something," Di guessed.
"That's what our estimates have calculated… but we won't know until she awakes again- she's currently napping." Vlad's brow twitched. He wasn't in the mood for waiting for someone to wake up. He wasn't really in the mood to meet Tuesday- after all, she was the namesake of his least favorite day of the week.
"Don't chicken out on me now," Di grunted as she tightened her grip on Vlad's arm. Vlad looked down at the woman curiously.
"And you say you don't read my mind?" Di smirked slightly as she leaned her head onto Vlad's arm, feeling the black cloth of his shirt rub against her cheek.
"I can't read minds… only emotions."
When the three entered one of the make-shift hospital rooms, they were surprised to see Tuesday, sitting up and talking to an aged man that Vlad recognized immediately.
"Dad," Vlad stated flatly at the same time that Di stuttered out , "Good Morning, Sir." Vlad's father looked away from Tuesday only to briefly nod at the three people who had just entered the room.
"Hello, Mr. Rockingham, what are you doing down in the studies lab?" Doc asked curiously as he hurried to Tuesday's side. "Oh, Tuesday, please, lay down- you might tire yourself out."
"But I'm fine," Tuesday argued, but she obeyed anyway. Mr. Rockingham glanced towards Vlad and Di, his cold eyes resting on Di for a second before turning back to Doc.
"I was just visiting this young lady my son saved… it's not every day he brings back something useful." Vlad felt his fingers twitch under the intense heat that began to circulate through his body. If he wasn't careful, he would easily destroy the room…
"I'm not a thing, Mister," Tuesday muttered as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm a seventeen year old girl! And you still haven't told me why you won't let me go!"
"Let her go?" Di asked. "Is this a prison now? She's just a kid!"
"How can you say that? You're just a kid," Tuesday indicated as she thrust a hand towards Di. Di frowned.
"No… I'm in my twenties."
"So?"
"So I'm not a kid!"
"I think we're veering off topic," Mr. Rockingham commented with a firm clearing of his throat. Di's lips locked together. Tuesday noted this, wondering why Di reacted this way, but decided that it was time to listen to the man in front of her. "Tuesday. This may sound crazy- but I want you to work for me."
"Work for you? You don't even know me!"
"It really doesn't matter." Mr. Rockingham leaned towards Tuesday in a way that practically screamed out that he was in charge and that he was going to win. It also helped his case that he wore a stiff grey tuxedo. "I'm putting together a special team comprised of girls like you…"
"Why would you do that?" Di asked. "You already have a team." Di managed not to add that The Boss had many, many teams. He didn't need any more- not really anyway.
"What kind of team is this?" Tuesday questioned as she leaned forward as well. Mr. Rockingham grinned, knowing that he had in fact already won. He knew a curious girl when he saw one.
"You may not know it, but I am the current leader of a special agency known as The Guardians. We help protect the state of the world from forces that would otherwise want to harm the world... Some ways we do that is by creating teams that protect a certain region or do certain things." Tuesday curiously waited for Mr. Rockingham to continue. "The thing is, some of our rivals are beginning to recognize the faces we've already put out… they know what to expect. I have been planning a new Squad that would be known as Project HALO."
"Halo?" Tuesday interrupted, cocking her head to the left curiously.
"Don't question the names." Rockingham smirked a bit at Tuesday's disgruntled expression. "You see, no one suspects teenagers, specifically girls." For a second the hospital room was eerily quiet as everyone put two and two together.
"So what you're saying is," Tuesday began, "you're going to use a group of teenage girls to help save the world?" Mr. Rockingham grinned.
"That is exactly what I'm saying, Ms. Tuesday."
How was that? Too fast? Too slow? Not descriptive enough? what do you think of the characters? Tell me what you think, and if I should continue! If I do, you'll get to meet the other girls later, and I think you will like them- also Tuesday's personality is a bit more harsher then I intended, so don't be surprised if she isn't as impulsive as she is now in later chapters :3
-have a good one-