Bloodgate

Chapter 5: The Past

Sierra's bag had been delivered with Caroline earlier. Jay was working on the bike when Sierra decided to go to bed. He was covered in grease and has his arm elbow-deep into the base of the cycle when she went to talk to him.

"Tell me about your friend."

Jay looked up at her, stopping momentarily. He pulled his arm from the machine and grabbed a rag.

"I'll trade you. I tell you about my friend, you tell me about how you became who you are."

Sierra thought about the offer and nodded. She sat on the edge of the table that held some tools and listened as Jay told his story.

"When I was six years old, my mother died of cancer. She was the most beautiful woman, and my father boasted about her to all of his friends. When she died, my father, through his grief, did his best to pull me through high school. He took another job and we moved to a small apartment.

I did not have many friends during middle school and I was not looking forward to high school. On my first day I tripped on my way off the bus and landed on the girl in front of me. Her nose was bleeding and yet she was still apologizing profusely. I was not good at speaking to other people and muttered a quick apology and bolted as fast as I could.

Alter that day I saw her again. She had cleaned up and was talking to some friends when I passed her. She left her friends and called out to me. I was worried that she was going to be mad at me and was preparing for the worst.

As it turns out, she was making sure that I was ok of all things. We ended up having a class together and started talking more. A couple years later we were very good friends. She would spend nights at my house when my father was out working.

I was now almost out of highschool. I was set on a path to a nice college with a bright future. Then She was diagnosed with a heart murmur. It was a bad one and she could die at any second. I spent even more time with her and became obsessed with helping her. I spent so much time trying to design something to keep her alive.

I spent every cent I had to save her, and I was too late. She was over my house after a school day and she nearly died. I left for just one second and then she was on the ground, unconscious. She was in the hospital for months, recovering from her heart attack. In order to get by I had to start using my skills in other fields.

I created a gun that could penetrate most police protective gear, and I sold it to a gang for a lot of money. I was able to support my father and myself for a while with that money. I sold a couple more of those guns and bought this warehouse.

When my friend was finally released from the hospital I brought her here, and I told her that I had the resources to heal her. She then saw the weapons, and she was against the idea. She refused my help and said that nothing comes out of selling weapons to the local gangs.

A couple months later one of the gangs I had armed robbed a bank and killed their way out. One of the victims was my friend. That was the day Bloodgate was born. I forgot who I was and became the monster that killed her.

Jay had finished wiping his hands and turned away from Sierra, putting some of his tools away. Sierra was silent for a moment before speaking in a small voice.

"I have never met my parents. My only memories are that of the Village."

Jay turned back around. He had tried unsuccessfully to hid that a couple tears had fallen. Two lines had streamed down his face, cutting the grease and grime.

"What is the Village? I heard some of the officers talking about it but I have never heard of it."

"It is a superhuman training program. The project was started during world war two to train human beings to surpass their friends and family. The patients undergo extreme training and experiences to become this advanced human."

Jay had sat down on one of his tables and was staring at her intently. Sierra could almost see his brain trying to figure out what made her special.

"The kids that survive the training are put into sectors based on their skill. There is one sector that can hold only one, the highest level member. That agent is given the name Sierra and travels around the world to assist the friends of the Village."

"So your name is not Sierra?"

Sierra shook her head.

"I do not know my name, I was just assigned a number and they used that to identify me for years."

It was Jay's turn to shake his head.

"Can you show me the special things that you can do? What makes you a superhuman?"

Jay's eyes were filled with curiosity. Sierra noticed that his finger was tapping his brace again.

"It is hard to explain I do not have any superpowers, but I have been trained my entire life to quickly observe and pinpoint weaknesses. My senses are stronger than yours and my muscle ratio on my body is borderline obscene. For example, when you get excited or you are thinking your finger taps your brace."

Jay's finger stopped tapping. A small smile appeared on his face and he laughed.

"Just how strong are you? You look more agile than strong."

Sierra stood up and took off her sleeping shirt. She had a sports bra underneath, much to Jay's relief.

"I find that it is easier to do these things when I have less friction."

She gave Jay a wink and leaped off the table. Her jump was large and she was able to latch onto the low-hanging ceiling. She held on with one hand and pulled herself onto a support beam. She took a couple steps and jumped again.

She did a full flip and hit the ground in a roll. She finished the roll with one of Jay's tools against his throat. Jay's breath hitched and then a smile broke out.

"Amazing."

Sierra flipped the tool around and gave it back to Jay. She slipped her shirt back on and sat back down on the table. The two of them continued talking for a while before Sierra decided to go to bed. She could hear Jay working on the bike when she fell asleep.

She found him asleep on the warehouse floor. He was still covered in grease and had a screwdriver in his hand. The bike was finished however. It was a glossy black, and it oddly bulky. Sierra waved some toast under his nose and Jay quickly awoke.

"Take a shower, you smell." Sierra called over her shoulder as she headed to her room, crunching on a piece of the toasted bread.

Jay sighed and stood up, the purring of the braces accompanied him as he made his way to the shower. His braces were water resistant, but he took them off anyway. He gripped the sides of the tub as he lowered himself in.

When he was done he put on a clean set of clothes and walked to the kitchen. Sierra was there looking through his cabinets. When he entered the room she turned around.

"Do you even have anything edible here?"

Jay snickered and pointed to a cabinet in the corner. She rushed over and sighed in happiness when she found a box of cookies.

"For a small thing you have a large appetite."

Sierra threw a cookie at him and continued eating. Her cell phone rung and she answered. She nodded a couple times, swallowed, and put her phone back in her pocket.

"Let's go, they will be here soon."

AN:

Sorry this chapter was a bit short, the next one will be longer.

~J