Renegade

Chapter One: Searching

"Once upon a time there was an idea," he said, the body of the girl he loved most dearly in his arms. "A simple concept. An inkling of a thought that has led to all of this. This idea was derived from the intention of safety," he clutched her closer to his chest as he stared at the open door, the one that hadn't even been closed. Tears welled up in his eyes as his voice began to shake. "All we wanted was for you to be safe. You and all your friends. But this is what it does, doesn't it?" A tear spilled over from his eye as the image of his wife screaming, then running out the door, played over and over again in his mind's eye. "This is what is sacrificed in the name of security," He hugged his infant daughter to his chest as she too began to cry. "Is this really how it will all happen? This idea that was meant to unite us..." Peyton asked, even though he knew Phoebe wouldn't respond. "Is this destined to split us apart?"

2209
A familiar hiss of the opening door. A dim light hitting his eyes. Byron Peters walked into the Sector Nine Control Center at just the same time as he had every morning for the past eight months. His goal never changed, and his motivation never went away.
The tyrannical government Sector Zero had claimed so many lives, many of which Byron knew personally. He had never thought that the one he cared about the most would have been made available to him again. So, he searched and searched with most of his waking hours for Veronica Garrett, the girl he had lost twice. He had held her in his arms twice, he had felt her last breath twice. His heart had been shattered twice. He should have known better when he found her alive the first time; he should've seen the Unnatural DNA harbored inside of her. He was, after all, a telepath that could see into people's minds and know their thoughts. But he had overlooked it in his joy then in his sorrow when she had been mercilessly killed again.
"Good morning, Byron," Thomas Garek, the governor of Sector Nine, greeted him as he walked into the Control Center. "Have you come to help us fight the good fight or are you here to keep looking for your past?" Thomas had been pressuring Byron for months now to help in his efforts against Sector Zero, but Byron had been resolute in his search for Veronica. Thomas had managed to recruit most of the other Unnatural to his cause, but Byron had respectfully turned each of his offers down.
"You know what I'm here to do, Thomas," Byron said, smiling a bit. "Veronica is out there."
"If you ever change your mind we've kept the Bodysuit that Sector Zero outfitted you with," Thomas replied. "We've managed to reprogram them entirely so that you have complete control over them. Mark and Phoebe are going out later today to test them if you'd like to join them." Thomas was referring to Mark Konners, a Pyrokinetic with the ability to control fire, and Phoebe Burton, a Ferrakinetic who could bend metal and create magnetic fields. The two had been slowly developing a relationship ever since the Unnatural arrived at Sector Nine eight months ago.
"As always, thank you for the offer, but I have work to do." Byron looked away from Thomas and sat down at the desk the workers of the Control Center had essentially reserved for him, and he began searching.

Peyton stared out of the glass window in his Sector One apartment. He had a great view of the city and its thriving military operations, but he never bothered to reflect on the fancy sections of the metropolitan zone. Instead he enjoyed gazing upon his childhood home, near the outskirts of the Sector. Where he had began at a humble status yet climbed the ladder of success with extreme speed. He had put much hard work and dedication into everything he ever did. He often wondered, as he stared down at where it all had begun, why had such hard work and dedication failed his personal life.
"I understand, you know," came a familiar voice from close behind Peyton. A voice that made him cringe from irritation. He turned around to see President Xandar standing in the middle of his apartment living room. The sight of the dark President, dressed in clothing seemingly devoid of color save for his bright red tie, and with the disfigurations on his face causing his skin to seem dark, juxtaposed again Peyton's bleach white furniture and wallpaper was a harsh contrast to take in even though Peyton had been getting used to Xandar coming and going as he pleased.
"You understand nothing of my life," Peyton said, not bothering to wonder how Xandar knew his thoughts or randomly appeared in his living room. "You've always been in power."
"People's assumptions will never cease to amaze me," Xandar said as he walked quietly and stood next to Peyton.
"Why are you here?"
"It's nearly time," Xandar replied vaguely.
"Do you understand that those kinds of responses are incredibly frustrating?" Peyton said.
"And those responses are incredibly disrespectful," Xandar replied, "Which I don't appreciate. That doesn't matter though; I simply mean that Thomas has gained the trust of the Unnatural and you'll be able to act soon."
"So let me see if I understand your plan correctly," Peyton said, "You had Thomas create Sector Nine and lie to the Unnatural we created, telling them that Sector Nine was a rebellion. You used my Project Zero to push them towards Sector Nine, where they're now fighting against us."
"That sounds about right."
"Those ideas were my own," Peyton said, "How did you know I would create Project Zero and the other Unnatural?"
"Project Zero was a given. I knew you would create some way to unite the Unnatural. I wasn't sure what, but I assumed that it was only natural that something like that would happen. As for your new Unnatural, that merely expediated the plan. I was able to use them as a catalyst for the central part of the plan; that is, getting the Unnatural to Sector Nine."
"To what end though?" Peyton asked. "We're wasting our resources fighting against Sector Nine, which is on our side. We could have simply drawn them to Nine and detained them, or even kept them in the Secret Service. Why complicate things like this?"
"The problem with you, Peyton, and with every other member on the Council is that you are all focused on the Nation," Xandar said, his voice surprisingly soft and low. "You all fail to see the big picture." Xandar turned dramatically to face Peyton, his bright eyes seemingly peering into Peyton's mind. "This Nation is not all that there is. Leon is very real and is waiting for us to slip up. They are at our back door hiding in the bushes for the moment we open up."
"Bu this isn't helping, is it?" Peyton said, not breaking eye contact with the President. "All of this in fighting is only making our defenses weaker. That moment draws closer the longer the Unnatural remain in the position they are in." Xandar looked back out the tall glass window, standing up straight and taking a deep breath.
"Like I said, Peyton," Xandar replied, straightening his coat. "You fail to see the big picture."