Kurai Tsuki's Story

As usual in the summer it was another hot and dry day out in the desert. Romeo didn't even want to think about what the temperature might be. It was hot enough that, from where he was standing atop the highest above ground part of the Complex, off in the distance he would see the air shimmering, forming mirages. It almost looked as if the city Romeo had grew up in was just a few short miles away, when in reality it was a few hours car ride north.

Over five years have passed since he has been back to that place, or seen his mother. The poor woman probably believes her only son is long dead by now. Maybe that is for the best. The Romeo she knew is dead and gone, and a new man has taken his place, has stepped up to become the leader of the mutants who dwell within the Compound as well as their protector. Most of those living in the compound believed that everything was fine, that the military was done hunting their kind down and that they were safe in their mole hill. Nothing could be further from the truth though. Everyday Romeo and a select few would keep watch, venturing out into the cities to keep an eye on things. Sometimes Romeo would receive a report that there was another mutant out there somewhere causing trouble, or just generally being noticed by society to the point where the authorities would be called in. It would be up to him to decide if the individual was safe to be brought to the Compound or not.

Romeo hated to admit it, but there had been a few people whom he decided weren't meant to be at the Compound. He hated it whenever it happened, as rare as it was. On occasion it had resulted in a fight to the death. There was a secret graveyard out in the desert, and he had been the one to dig each grave.

"Mirrors, could you let everyone know that it's time for a supply run?" Romeo asks, hearing light footsteps approaching from behind. "We'll leave Hunter in charge until I get back. Anyone who is interested in coming along should make their way to the main gate. Think you can handle that?"

"Sure thing Mister Margrave." Mirrors says with a salute before reaching into his shirt and taking out a fragment of a mirror about the size of his hand. After polishing it on his sleeve he clears his voice before looking into it and smiling.

The Compound was a huge, mostly underground complex that covered something like five miles cubed. There was a small portion above ground made to look like a natural rock formation, but the rest was below ground. The structure was made of stone and metal and there were tunnels and tubes and machines everywhere, supplying fresh air, electricity, clean water, and of course several entry and exit point for everyone. The main entrance as well as all the other entry points were all kept hidden by a powerful psychic who had decided to live among the mutants, so you could only find the openings if you knew where to look. Throughout the Compound there are a series of mirrors set up in corners and on walls, all so that Mirrors can use them to communicate messages throughout the structure.

"Attention all fellow mutants! This is your humble messenger Mirrors speaking, on behalf of our leader, Mister Margrave!" Mirrors face would have appeared in all the mirrors by now, his voice echoing out from them as he speaks. "It's time for the monthly supply run, and he is looking for volunteers! Anyone who is interested should report to the main entrance at once! That is all, have a great day!" By the time Mirrors ends the announcement and he turns around Romeo is gone. With his healing factor, leaping from the top of the structure to make his way back inside to wait for the others was a simple act, despite the three hundred foot drop. "I hate it when he does that..."

It was a long night for Jamison Brook. However, this wasn’t anything new. The girl never got any sleep, no matter how hard she tried, sleeping was just not natural for someone like her. Half the night, she was tossing and turning in her bed and the other half, she was up with a massive migraine. One could tell it was another sleepless night for Jamie, considering the dark shadows beneath her eyes. They were darker shades than the night before. What was this, day four without sleep? Or was it five? To her, the days just meshed together and it made it difficult for her to keep track of time. And now, as she continued to stare at herself in the mirror, she could tell the day was just going to be the same as before. Oh, was it really supply run day, already?

She covered her ears immediately at the sound of Mirrors who spoke through the glassy instruments throughout the compound. No one knew that it bothered her that much, and no one else knew that it caused the poor girl to fall to her knees and squeeze her eyes shut as tightly as she could manage. “Mmn…” She murmured, squeezing the palms of her hands over her ears. She hated, hated that form of communication.

She stared at the mirror, which sat in the corner of the room. It wasn’t her bedroom, no, but it was one of the small spaces that she could find some sort of peace and quiet. Her head didn’t hurt too bad. She just had to keep telling herself that, in order to believe it. Should she head out with the others? Would it be too much? No, she should. In fact, she planned on it. Anything to get away from Mirror’s echoing persistence.

“Aye aye capitan.” She purred, her voice soft and delegate as she squeezed herself through the doorway. It must have been some compartment for storage, but it was never used. She liked it for its petite and quaint look.

Jamison fixed the beaning atop her head and made her way to the Main Gate, or, what she liked to call it, “Gate to Hell.” She was there almost instantly. No, she didn’t fly or teleported, but she wasn’t too far from the entrance anyway. And there, she waited, with her usual water bottle and aspirin in hand.

Kurai lay on her bed looking up at the ceiling. She had rented an apartment while she was doing a story here. She didn't go to fancy hotels she found them weird. Having your breakfast in the same room as other people. Rai sighed. Se had never forgotten that woman walk through a wall. She was still working on another story but she had taken free time to investigate this one a bit too. She had gotten nowhere she wanted to go into the dessert but she didn't even know where that woman went. It was hopeless. She had just given up. There was no traces of anything.

Her phone rang. It was Mason. Her personal photographer he was two years older than her and quite nice. He obviously liked her but he didn't have the guts to ask her. The thing was she didn't feel the same way about him. She sighed again and answered her phone.
"Hmm?" she asked.
"It's Mason... Are you ok?" he asked concern creeping into his voice. She had obviously sounded a little downhearted. She normally would answer the phone cheerfully.
"Yeah," she replied," just a bit tired that's all."
"Oh, ok, I was just worried i haven't seen you in a few days and y'know..."he trailed off. Or also the fact that she had been alone for the las few days may have worried him.
"Yeah I'm fine just... Sorry I'm a bit busy at the minuet could you call back later?" she lied, she just didn't want to talk to him now.
"Well, see ya' later!" He said cheerfully and hung up.

Rai sat back down. She was hungry. Walking over to the fridge she stretched a bit. She walked over to the kitchen and rummaged through the cupboards and fridge. All she found was a packet of jammy dodgers, crisps and who knows how many chocolate bars. Rai slipped on her coat, glad for an excuse to leave the apartment. She pushed open the door and walked out, locking the door after her. The dark, dimly lit corridor stretched quite a long way. It was only lit by a energy saving light bulb and a small window at the end of the corridor. She left the block of apartments and headed to a nearby supermarket. It was quite a long walk but Rai didn't mind. She hummed a tune as she walked.