A Shield from the Spectrum

Ch. 23

Kitty stumbled back to find an older girl with a younger boy standing there, wrists in chained cuffs.

"Thanks," Kitty said tiredly before turning and jogging back to the ship.

"Wait!"

Kitty stopped short. Were they calling for her? She turned to look at them expectantly.

"Please. Take us with you," the girl pleaded with pained eyes. The little boy stood behind her cautiously.

Kitty took no time hesitating. "Come on then."

Their eyes lit up and they ran after Kitty towards the ship hurriedly. Once inside, Kitty jumped up into the control seat and pushed the steering gauges forward, jumping a little when the ship jerked forward awkwardly.

Pushing a few more buttons and switches, Kitty drove the ship faster out the hangar door and into the cold heart of space. She pushed the thrusters to auto mode and jumped from the seat, quickly running to the boy and girl.

"Okay, I'm going to be completely honest with you, but this is going to feel really weird," Kitty warned as she spread her palms.

"That's alright. We're pretty used to it," the girl said with no expression on her face.

What did she mean by "used to it"? Kitty shuddered at the endless responses her brain supplied her and held her palms out towards them. Kitty winced when the sound waves collided with the girl, causing her to scream in pain. Chip detected.

Without another warning to the poor girl, Kitty shifted to dark energy and quickly yanked the chip through the flesh in her ankle before the girl could protest. Tearing the chip to pieces, she turned to the smaller boy and grimaced.

She didn't NOT want to do this to him; he was too small and vulnerable.

Nevertheless, Kitty spread the sound waves through him and shed a tear when he started crying in pain.

No chip was detected though. He was safe. Kitty let off the sound waves and exhaled slowly. She had never felt pain from her own energies, but maybe that was because she had had them for so long. Did they always hurt people like this?

Kitty grasped aimlessly at her wrist for a ponytail holder that wasn't there to tie up her unruly mane of hair. "Damn," she muttered.

"You need one of these?" the girl looked towards Kitty and smiled, a ponytail holder in her outstretched arm.

"Uh yeah, thanks," Kitty said awkwardly as she tied her hair in a braid. In an almost poor attempt to keep a conversation running, she sighed and looked at the girl. "So, you were one of Thanos's guinea pigs too?"

"Mhm. Only for 3 years though. You were a legend around here, by the way. We heard stories about how loyal you were and how efficiently you completed your missions. When we heard you were apprehended again, everyone wanted to meet you," the girl said excitedly.

"Wait... you mean there are more people here?" Kitty was baffled at the thought of more people in this very base. She has always been so isolated that she had figured it was just her as his slave. Were there more people like her? People with powers that tore them apart just as hers had?