The Prototype

Chapter 22

Maia's face twisted into a mask of pure hatred. "And all this time, you hid it? You walked around pretending to be one of us—one of them. While your father sat at the top, pulling every string?" Her voice grew louder, shaking with fury. "Taking everything away from me. Do you know what he's done to people like me? To WOMEN like me? How he's used us, betrayed us, treated us like experiments?"

Solace took a step back, overwhelmed by the depth of Maia's anger. "I... I didn't know. I didn't know what he was doing to women like you Maia. I know my father can be selfish sometimes... cold, ambitious even. But I didn't think he would ever stoop so low like this towards you.. or any woman!"

Maia's laugh was cold and hollow. "Of course you didn't. Why would his precious little princess know anything about the suffering of her father's test subjects?"

She raised her hands, dark energy gathering at her fingertips. "You're just like him. Aren't you? You only ever think about yourself and what you need to accomplish and get even if it means lying and cheating your way out huh? Is that you?"

Ethan moved in front of Solace, his face hard as stone. "Maia, this isn't her fault. She's not responsible for her father's actions."

Maia's expression darkened even further, her voice dripping with venom. "Then she can pay for them in his place." Her gaze now directly on Solace. "An eye for an eye."

With a fierce cry, Maia hurled a bolt of energy directly at Solace. Ethan reacted instinctively, pushing her out of the way, but the energy blast grazed his shoulder, sending him staggering backward.

Solace cried out, reaching for Ethan as he fell. "Ethan!"

Rowan finally managed to get to his feet, his face contorted with pain, anger and desperation. "Maia, stop! Hurting Solace and Ethan won't change anything. You're being consumed by this power!"

But Maia was beyond reason. She raised her hands again, the energy around her intensifying. "I've been betrayed my whole life—lied to, manipulated! And now you expect me to forgive and forget? To just get over it? To just let it go?"

Nathan, floating a safe distance away, called out to her. "Maia, listen to me! There's still time to step back from this. You're stronger than your anger. Don't let anger be the reason you still don't get your credit. Violence is not the answer Maia. And you know it."

For a split second, Maia's gaze softened, but then she shook her head, her face hardening. "No. I'm done listening." With a surge of power, she sent a shockwave outward, knocking everyone back.

The winds around them grew to a fever pitch, lightning crashing down as the countdown on their watches dropped below the ten-minute mark. Solace lay on the ground, her heart pounding, guilt and fear swirling within her. The truth was out—and now she had to face the consequences.

Ethan groaned, clutching his injured shoulder, and glanced at Solace with a look of fierce determination. "Solace, listen to me. This doesn't change who you are. Your father's choices don't define you. You're still the one who's been fighting beside us all along."

"This is my fault Ethan..." Solace says gripping her stomach as she looks down to the ground in guilt.

"No Solace. Listen to me. This is not your fault. You are not responsible for your father's actions nor his words of choice."

"I could've changed his mind. I could've done something. He would've listened to me." Solace says to Ethan feeling guilty as Ethan looks at Solace in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" Ethan asks her.

"When I came back to New York. I came back earlier than I claimed I did. I went to visit my father, when he first got the phone call from a company willing to give him the loan for a project or "prototype" as he called it." Solace tells Ethan looking into his eyes.

"My Father told me about wanting to make you the head of your creation and wanting to take Maia off because he felt if a man was in power of this prototype that it would make Biotic Innovations look more appealing. Because men are known as the groundbreaking trend setters. At least that's what he told me."

Ethan looks at Solace with an angered look on his face. But not towards Solace. Towards her father. He knew he couldn't blame Solace for his actions. Even though regretfully, a part of him secretly wanted to.

"He didn't think Maia had what it takes because he thought she would be distracted by her being in love with you. By her love for you being more important than a new generational outbreak of a once in a lifetime invention. I didn't know who you nor Maia was at the time I... I didn't stop him. When I could have, I didn't say anything. And I didn't defend Maia at all..."

Solace tells Ethan her guilt making a deeply painful pit in her stomach.

Ethan touches Solace's shoulder before helping her up on her feet.

"You're still not responsible for him Solace. You may have been there. But you weren't able to predict his selfishness. His heartless behavior or his sexist attitude."

Rowan joined them, his voice strained but unwavering. "Besides everything I heard. I agree with Ethan. It's not your fault Solace. And we don't see you any differently. You're not your father. You're you. You're Solace. We know who you are."

Solace looked from Ethan to Rowan, her heart swelling with gratitude—and guilt. She nodded, steeling herself. "I know.."

Nathan then strides over to the three of them.

"I'd hate to interrupt this fortuitous moment. But Maia is creating a giant vortex and we're running out of time. We need to stop her. Nathan says to them gazing down at his watch.

"We only have 10 minutes left."

But as they rose to their feet, they saw Maia rising even higher, her energy swirling into a massive, concentrated sphere above her head. Her expression was cold, devoid of the person they had once known.

"If you won't let me have my justice," she said, her voice echoing with dark power, "then I'll destroy everything."

The clock continued to tick down, the seconds slipping away as the storm grew to an unbearable crescendo.

And just as they all let their guard down...
Maia sends a surge of energy gripping tightly onto Solace pulling her into the air along with her.
Trapping her with a powerful force of..

Pain, Anger, Sadness, and Hate.