Shades of Vengeance

Chapter 1: The Strange Girl

A dull hum vibrated through the sterile, cold room. A soft groan escaped the lips of a girl as her eyes fluttered open. The ceiling above was unfamiliar—a flat expanse of metal beams, cold lights casting a bluish tint over the room. She blinked several times, trying to bring her blurred vision into focus. Where am I?

As she stirred, pain shot through her abdomen, sharp and searing. Instinctively, her hand flew to her midsection, fingers brushing over the jagged lines of stitches embedded in her skin. Blood, fresh and warm, oozed through the cracks. Her breath hitched as she forced herself upright, fighting the throbbing in her head. The room came into focus—no windows, just cold steel walls trapping her inside.

Nearby, a table cluttered with surgical instruments glinted under the harsh light. Tweezers, knives, syringes—everything coated in a faint sheen of blood. Her eyes widened as she stared, the pain in her abdomen intensifying with every heartbeat. She reached out hesitantly, fingers trembling as they brushed one of the blood-stained tools. Horror washed over her.

Her reflection wavered on the surface of a computer screen across the room. Stumbling, leaving a trail of blood in her wake, she dragged herself toward it. The screen displayed a DNA strand, spinning lazily as streams of data flowed beside it. Strange symbols, unfamiliar letters, flashed in rapid succession.

"What... What is all this?" she murmured, her voice barely a whisper.

Before she could process it any further, the metallic creak of a door opening echoed behind her. She spun around, wincing as pain lanced through her abdomen.

"So, you're finally awake." A man in a pristine white lab coat stepped into the room, his smile thin, a little too eager.

Her heart raced. "Who... who are you? Why am I here?" Panic laced her voice, but the man seemed unfazed.

"My dear, there's no need for alarm. You're in good hands," he said, his voice dripping with an unsettling calmness. He stepped closer, and for the first time, she noticed the steel door click shut behind him.

"Why do I have these wounds?!" Her voice rose, anger now mingling with fear as she motioned to the stitches. "What did you do to me?"

The man's expression shifted slightly, his smile twisting into something darker. "Ah, you are something precious, child. Unique. For years, we've searched for extraterrestrial life... and then we found you. So human, yet so much more."

The words settled like stones in her chest, heavy and suffocating. "What do you want from me?" She could feel the air in the room shift, a faint tremor vibrating beneath her skin. The machines on the table began to rattle.

The man raised an eyebrow, but his smile remained. "Don't be alarmed. I only have a few questions. Simple ones. And once we're done, I'll let you go."

She didn't trust him. Everything about him felt wrong, from his too-calm demeanor to the cold glint in his eyes. But for now, she had no choice.

His tone softened as if coaxing a child. "Tell me, what is your planet like?"

Her gaze hardened, but she spoke, voice steady despite the pain. "It's like yours. But... different. Our trees glow. Our skies are filled with storms of light, constantly moving, shifting..."

His eyes gleamed. "Fascinating. And this power of yours... how does it work?"

"I don't know," she replied, a hint of defiance creeping into her tone. "It's not something I think about. It just happens."

The man nodded slowly, pulling out a small notebook. "Would you mind showing me? Just a small demonstration."

The room began to hum, an unseen force swirling around her. She raised her hand cautiously, and the tools on the table lifted into the air, spinning gently as if caught in a soft breeze.