When Hera arrived at training, everyone was harbouring an air of seriousness and frustration. When she walked over to Jean, she nearly got an earful before Jean realised it was her.
"Not a good time, princess," she gritted her teeth.
"What's going on here? Why is everyone pissed?" Jean's nostrils flared, and she tilted her chin towards a laughing Joel, who became visible just after tripping up two fighters.
"You guys make this too easy!" She heard him chuckling.
"Is he that good? I didn't think he had much fighting experience..." Jean just rolled her eyes, writing notes on her clipboard, muttering about cheating and fooling around. She watched him disappear again, but after gingerly sending out her energy, she could see his figure creeping behind his opponent. Theo.
Behind you, she thought, staring at his furious, cute face. Theo's eyebrows raised in understanding, and he twisted in a second, catching Joel by the throat and forcing him to submit. He may have cheated, but it was sexy. A stray thought about wanting to be dominated too entered her head before she shoved it deep down in the memory vaults.
"Hey!" Joel shouted, looking confusedly at his hands. "My powers aren't working... what did you do to me," Theo smirked and turned away, picking up a sweat towel only to throw it at Joel's feet.
"I just told your midbrain to take a nap." Everyone around them looked confused, except for Hera.
Damn, that was hot, she thought, staring at a smug Theo. She smiled when she noticed he turned a lovely shade of pink from her praise and felt herself heat up when he met her eyes. A smile tugged at her lips before she walked over to calm a furious Joel.
"Calm down. It won't last forever." He paced and glared at Theo before standing before Hera.
"It's not polite to show up people who have trained all their lives, Joel. They're embarrassed." She left plenty of space to avoid him touching her but spoke in a way only he could hear. He seemed appeased by the comment and cleared his throat.
"Guess it's our turn to spar now, huh?" He seemed excited by the prospect. Hera smirked and removed her shoes and shirt, leaving her in tights and a sports bra. She sensed Theo tense beside her, but she entered the square anyway.
She knew she looked good, and now it was time to put on a show. She reminded herself that Joel didn't know the new Hera, so he would underestimate her. He also likely didn't realise that she could see the slight imperfections in the projection he had made, and she was acutely aware of his presence moving around her.
She kept her eyes trained on the fake Joel while her energy followed the vibrations he made as he crept behind her. She took a few steps closer, and the fake Joel smiled crookedly.
"Ew." She felt bad for saying it aloud, but the fake Joel looked so fucked up. She turned to look at the spot where she knew the real Joel stood.
"You need to work on the believability of your projections." A crowd had gathered around the square, and some laughed at the quip while others gasped as Joel became visible and scowled.
"Alright, no powers then." He raised his hands and lowered his stance. Watch his face; he closes his eyes before punching. Theo's warm tone entered her head, and she smiled. Joel growled and lunged in anger, surmising he was being mocked. She swiftly ducked below his leading arm and landed a perfect roadhouse to his legs, sending him sprawling. They both stood again and prepared to engage.
They circled each other, and Joel spat out. "You think you're the hero, huh? Well, fuck you!" He lunged again with an open hand aimed at her throat, but she grabbed his wrist, pulling it past her and landed three hard punches to his ribs with the other. She felt a crack beneath her knuckles and gasped as he reared back, clutching his midsection. His eyes widened, and Hera knew he would no longer underestimate her. He dropped low, grabbed her ankle, and pulled her to the ground after a well-timed lunge. She curled her chin in to protect her head but was still slightly winded by the fall. She rolled away but not before he forced a surge of energy into her, suppressing her abilities and weakening her.
They stood again, and this time when Joel went invisible, the crowd around them murmured angrily, while others yelled, "Cheater!"
Hera saw Jean through the crowd and shook her head. They would finish this fight.
"Everyone shut up." Jeans' voice commanded the group into silence. A shuffle sounded behind her, but before she could turn, a hard kick in the back had her fall to her knees. Pain radiated up her thighs, and she gritted her teeth. She tried to remove the binding he had forced around her ability, but another kick in the back brought her attention to the fight.
There was no time.
She closed her eyes and listened to his steps as they scuffed the padded floors. She shot out her leg and clipped one of his ankles, causing him to growl. His body came in and out of view now, likely in too much pain to focus, holding the illusion. She saw his shimmering form blink, and she stepped back to avoid the punch but her bleeding knees buckled underneath her.
Get up. Theo's voice was pained. She rolled again but was winded from another kick to the stomach.
"What? Are you giving up now?" Joel came into view again as Hera sat up, gulping air down. "I was just getting started."
Joel was winded, and she could see his cracked ribs were paining him deeply. The crowd was agitated and afraid.
"We need to stop this." Someone called out, and other voices mumbled their agreement. Hera spoke up, "We will not stop until one of us can't get up. That is the rules." She wheezed out the last few words before standing and facing Joel. He was pale and sweat-drenched his clothes. She knew he couldn't hold out much longer.
This time, she went on offence, ducking under his arms and throwing an uppercut to his ribs before ducking behind his back. He screamed in pain and swung his arm at her with blinding speed. In his fist was a small blade.
Hera didn't have a chance to blink before a shock wave ripped out of her, throwing Joel across the square and the blade from his grip. The Director appeared then through the crowd and covered the weapon with his shoe.
"Arlo, take Joel to the infirmary and patch him up now. The fight is over." Joel's eyes were wide in fear and confusion when Arlo and Ivy led him away. Hera stood shakily in the square alone. Some of the crowd had been forced back with the shock and stared at her in awe.
"Everyone, take your dinner to the observatory. We will have a meeting tonight." There were some nervous eyes in the crowd, but everyone left except for Jean, Theo, and Zeke.
Are you okay? Theos voice rang out in her head, but she was too focused on staying conscious to respond. Her father pocketed the blade and moved to stand in front of her.
"Well done," he whispered just to her and then louder, "Jean, get her to her room and call for Ivy, please." She nodded with a strained expression before lifting Hera's arm over her shoulder and wrapping an arm around her waist.
"Let's get you some rest," she said quietly.
Hera felt so weak, seeing spots in her vision after every step. As they left the room, she could vaguely hear a slight commotion behind her. But she was too focused on one step at a time. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was gone.
YOU ARE READING
Evolved
Fantasy"Do you know what you're doing to me?" He leaned his head forward and buried it in her neck, inhaling deeply before peppering kisses along her sternum. She was on fire now. Her energy had a mind of its own, intertwining with his and causing them...
