SYNERGY

Transporter 1.

Those lip's that love's own hand did make breathed forth the sound that said, "I hate" to me that languished for her sake. But when she saw my woeful state, straight in her heart did mercy come, chiding that tongue that ever sweet was used in giving gentle doom, and taught it thus anew to greet: "I hate," she altered with an end that followed it as gentle day doth follow night, who, like a fiend, from heaven to hell is flown away. "I hate" from hate away she threw, and saved my life, saying, "not you."
William Shakespeare.

"Lucinda, you do realize the extent of what you're about to do?" Zed scratched his chin while contemplating her sitting by the fireplace.

Her long auburn hair was down to her waist covering her back.

She rose, turning slowly, her face expressionless. "It's something I have wanted for a long time, to create children," she replied chillingly and her eyes narrowed. "Haven't we suffered enough? Maybe if we share a bit of our power with the humans it will release some of our.... punishment," she sighed. "Maybe the elite will see we're not selfish beings."

Zed chuckled, "maybe you want an army of your own, so you can rule and destroy the elite," he remarked raising an eyebrow.

He had always spoke the truth when it came to Lucinda. Knowing deep down she was fueled by hatred and revenge. She hated being put on a leash by them and forced to follow rules.

At light speed she ran towards him, eyes ablaze and wrapped her hands around his throat.

He was struggling under her grip, but still managed to crack a smile.
He knew what he said angered her, that's why he'd said it.

"Ugh," she grimaced. Disgust filling her as she released her grip. She knew he liked it, Zed was a masochist who'd she'd entranced the first time they met. She also knew he was right. She bent down and kissed him, his lips cold and hers hot. Ice and fire terrestrial star children who weren't supposed to be together, not in this way at least.

She shoved him down on the bed and his eyes lit with excitement. But instead of her joining him, she picked up her satchel. It was full of different jars of DNA she had harvested from other terrestrial beings. She wrapped it over her shoulders and ran to the balcony hoisting herself up on its edge. She gave him a sickly sweet smile before jumping off and descending to earth.

Staring after her he touched his fingers to his lips. He could still feel the icy hot pain from the kiss.

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                                     ASTRID

Panic, I couldn't breathe.

I've been claustrophobic since I was a kid and the burlap sack on my head was making my anxiety kick in. Along with being kidnapped and not knowing whether or not my family was dead or alive. Oh god! I can't breathe! Two men wearing black leather and gas masks brought me here and put this damn thing on my head. I could hear the clicking of their assault rifles. Any hope of escape disappeared. The room smelled like metal and motor oil.

"Okay gentlemen remove the sack from her head." An older man's voice sounded with a bit of a southern twang.

Instantly everything brightened. I wanted to rub my eyes but the grip of the men's hands on me were like iron. The room was huge with a giant metal tank in the middle that went all the way up to the ceiling. There was a metal railing which showed a second story where there were more men in masks. Near the tank was a giant control panel. There was no natural light, and the fluorescent lights were blinding.

"So, Astrid I bet you're wondering why I brought you here?" the old man questioned.

"Well, you guessed it." I said mentally kicking myself. Now was not the time to be a smart ass especially when men with guns had a grip on you.

Surprisingly he laughed, which was much more terrifying. "You see this tank here?"

"Oh, you mean the giant one in the middle of the room?" Stop, why can't I stop.

He ignored this and kept going. "This is called an isolation chamber. I work for an organization called S.O.T.G., an organization who seeks out gifted youth through genetics and uses them for our advantage. You see we're at war here and you might be our secret weapon." He paused almost for effect.

I really was speechless at this point.

He continued, "this chamber creates 100% separation from your physical and spiritual form. The darkness and the water will simulate drowning, panic and adrenaline will set in and your instinct to survive will open up your connected consciousness to your higher self and hence your powers. We never know what we're going to get when you guys come in here so it's quite exciting." He was getting as giddy as a schoolgirl.

"Wait so what you're saying is you're going to drown me?!" Another fear of mine.

"Yes, Astrid that's exactly what I'm going to do." and with that the two men dragged me forward.

I clawed at there grip as I pleaded, "wait! No please! Please stop!" But my cries were ignored.

I looked at the man he was humming manically while heading over to the control panel. He started flipping some switches and the isolation chamber's huge doors began to slide open. Inside was a deep dark pool of water.

The men began strapping my feet to a metal base.

"Wait!" I screamed to the man. "What if it doesn't work!?"

He paused what he was doing and looked up. "Then you die." He stated with one final push of a button.

Slowly I began to sink. Water was around my ankles.... knees.... waist.... then chest. I need to stop hyper ventilating and breath! I took one last look at the man as those metal doors began to close, he was smiling. I took my final breath before my head plunged into water.

Total darkness I was sinking lower and lower until I hit the bottom. I started clawing at the straps on my feet until my fingernails started bleeding, nothing I could do would release me from this terror. Wriggling around I tried to feel for something, anything that would help me escape. All I could think about was my family. I will never know if they truly made it out alive and if they did, they would never know what happened to me.
I will die here! I couldn't bear the thought.

I tried to focus on holding my breath maybe if I black out the death won't be as painful? Slowly bubbles started slipping through my lips letting out the last of my air.

I sucked in a breath filling my lungs with water. The burning was excruciating as I started to thrash around.

After what felt like a lifetime, I began blacking in and out of consciousness focusing on the darkness the nothingness.

Suddenly there was a bright light in my head it drifted out of me lighting up the pool of darkness. With an animalistic instinct I began to mentally grab ahold of it wrapping all my energy around it.
I could see images of my life my loved ones almost as if a movie was playing around me. I took in the sight and the light began to glow brighter. There was a loud zipping sound and with a flash of light I felt like I was was zapped through space and time. I wasn't here nor there, but someplace in between. I collapsed on top of something metal and freezing.

I coughed so hard I vomited getting all the water out of my lungs. I looked up, taking in as much fresh air as I could. I was on top of an icy metal dome in the middle of a roaring river. It was snowing and the land surrounding the dome was covered in it. A high-pitched alarm went off.

"Shit, they must have realized I'm not in there."

Looking around there were three huge boulders popping out of the river. Even with the strong current I weighed my options. If I can survive drowning, I can survive this right? I'm sure I can make it. Wishful thinking is another terrible quality of mine. I ran forward jumping to the first boulder only slipping a little. I stood up taking a breath before I attempted the second, ran forward then jumped. Except this time, I was shot forward through some sort of portal spinning faster and faster the snow blurring around me. The last thing I remember is another opening of blue and green before everything went black.