Hope

Prologue

A woman sat on a stiff metal chair, her limbs bound to the arm rests and chair legs. She was an utter mess, her shirt had dirt and sweat stains all over, her tired eyes that haven't slept for days were engulfed in darkness by a black blindfold, her chapped lips that haven't had a sip of water in hours kept her mouth sealed, and the grease in her hair from a lack of a proper shower made her hair slick and shiny beneath the low hanging lamp. The woman swayed in her seat as she felt her muscles ached from the prolonged seating. Hanging her head she slowly closed her eyes hoping to get a wink of sleep.

In a quick and rough motion the blindfold obstructing her vision was violently pulled off her. Her head swayed along as if her neck didn't support her head, her eyes facing the wall behind her as she tiredly swung her head to face the people before her. Two men in army green uniforms stood before her, their uniforms adorned with medals of valor and courage. Unmotivated to move, she glanced at the soldiers with her head down, her expression almost seemed murderous. "Please stay awake, Ms. Amous." a man with the most medals spoke, a soft smile on his wrinkled face as he handed the file to a subordinate.

"Ms-" "Doctor." The woman and superior spoke simultaneously as they both gazed at the subordinate with sharp eyes. "Doctor." The subordinate corrected as he nervously continued his report. "Dr. Hope Lita Amous aka Hope. Age-" "It's rude to talk about a lady's age." They corrected simultaneously again, leaving the subordinate trembling in his place. "You're doing great, honey." Hope teased as she had a mocking smile on her lips, her cheek resting comfortably on her shoulder. The subordinate gaped at the woman as he turned to his entertained superior who shook his head and waved his subordinate away.

"Cute kid." Hope commented once he had left. "My nephew." he informed her while sitting comfortably across from her. "Ah, has he done you proud?" Hope smirked, hopping in her seat to get closer to the table. "He's still getting there." he shrugged, lighting a cigarette, offering one to her. "No thank you, you know that's not my kind of poison." she pointed out as her eyes gleamed at the sight of the familiar brown packaging peeking out of the man's blazer. "If you want one, you're going to have to give me something here, Doc." "Come on..." Hope groaned as her head fell onto the table, her lack of energy leaving her downfall to the mercy of gravity as a loud thud echoed throughout the metal walls. "Ow." Hope silently muttered in embarrassment.

"Hope..." the man called like a concerned father, his mustache twitching at her reluctant form. "General." Hope casually replied, facing the man, her chin resting on the table. "I'm being serious here! Your clients are villains! Without their identities, people will die!" The general exclaimed as he slammed his fist into the table, the swift motion caused the table to shake and jump, sending painful vibration through Hope's jaw as she sat up and gaped her lips, messaging her own jaw with an irked pout. Yes, they live in a world filled with heroes and villains with outrageous superpowers, but villains need proper maintenance as well and no one should take away their rights and violate their privacy just to stop them.

"So am I. It's called a strict patient-doctor confidentiality agreement for a reason, General. Besides, I've told you the first time, no amount of money, protection, honour or fame is going to change that." Hope insisted as she cracked her neck and rapidly blinked her eyes awake.

"Then you leave me no choice, Dr. Amous." he sighed, his voice bearing a hint of sympathy and regret. Hope could feel the onset of fear crept into her, and if she ever learned anything in life, it's to believe her gut more than the people around her. She could tell he wasn't playing games anymore, she couldn't buy more time, he was under too much pressure to let her. Whatever he had planned, it's definitely not pretty. Hope struggled in her restraints as she tried to hop her way to the door, although it looked stupid and seemed futile, she had to do something! As she hopped for dear life, she could hear the general tapping around behind her preparing for a more serious interrogation. There must be an illegal element to this! Hope thought as she hissed in frustration.