Chapter 3 - Kidnapped

Point-of-View: Zoraiz Rafayet

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I don't know...this guy seems suspicious. Suspicious how, you ask? He's white. And based on past experience...I better run.

I turned my back to him and raced away at top speed, making it out of the forest and into open ground. I'll go find another hiding sp-...suddenly, I halted as a portal opened in front of me and the blonde guy stepped out of it with a look of exasperation.

"I don't have time for this, kid. Run away again and I won't hesitate to use force to apprehend you," He remarked with a sigh.

I'll take my chances, white man. I zipped away to the left, straining my legs to go as fast as possible. He won't be able to catch me now-...all of a sudden, I was facedown on the ground, a tight grip around my ankle.

"Ow, my nose...ugh, I've got dirt in my mouth...," I groaned, brushing the dirt off my face, "How...the hell...can you keep track of me?"

"What, don't tell me that you think you're fast, at that neglible speed? You have absolutely no idea how to properly use your powers as you are now, so don't even bother trying. Alright, then, let's go," He replied, dragging me into the portal with him.

"Damn it, where are you taking me!?" I exclaimed, trying to kick his hand away, but my foot went through a portal instead.

He then tossed me forward, I let out a startled yell as I instinctively closed my eyes, before landing on something soft...what the-...is this a couch?

"Where am I!? Hey, this is kidnapping!" I exclaimed indignantly, standing up with a grimace.

"What, would you rather end up in a lab in regular society and get all dissected and stuff?" He inquired dryly, "Because that's probably what would have happened if you'd gotten caught by the police or whatever."

Good point, I guess...but I definitely don't trust him, not a bit. Also, what does he mean by 'regular society'?

"Oh, yeah? And how do I know that you're not going to dissect me yourself? And again, where am I, anyway?" I responded warily.

"Well, I suppose that there's no sense in leaving you in the dark about all this, considering that you're gonna be deeply involved soon enough," He relented with a sigh, "And to answer your second question, we're in a hidden Harmony base located in India."

Wait, involved in what? I'll question that part later, I first want answers to my more immediate questions...

"India!? How!? And what's Harmony? Oh, and what were those tree monster things that attacked me?" I responded, the questions pouring out as my curiosity and bemusement swelled.

"Yes, we're in India, I used a portal to get us here. And Harmony is a worldwide organization of superpowered humans. Normally, all superpowered humans, or Meta-Humans, are descendant from certain clans that are either a part of Harmony, or a part of our enemy, Eden. But then you, a regular human came across a Meta-Orb, long story regarding what that is, but in a nutshell, it grants a person immense power upon physical contact," He informed me.

Okay, so...that explains my powers.

"So, uh, is it possible to get rid of-," I began to ask.

"Permanent power, I might add," He interrupted, answering my question before I could finish asking, he then continued, "There are eight more Meta-Orbs that were accidentally scattered across the world along with the one that you found. As for your last question, the Monsters you encountered are called Treants. They're a very common and weak type of Monster that are found in most countries. There are hundreds of different types of Monsters, of a varying range of power levels."

Oh, so Monsters are real, huh...this is a lot to take in. Also, wait, did he just call those Monsters that nearly killed me a weak type? And hold on a sec...

"Wait, you said the Meta-Orbs were accidentally scattered? How'd that happen?" I asked curiously, narrowing my eyes.

"That's, uh, not important," He replied, suspiciously averting his gaze for a second, "Anyway, make yourself comfortable here. It's a room without any doors or windows, and I'm the only one who can enter and exit, so you can't escape. Don't worry, there's a bathroom, a fridge stacked with food and you can sleep on the couch."

This room is about ten times nicer than my trailer, so it was kinda hard to complain...not gonna let him know that though...

"...this sounds like a prison cell," I remarked with a frown.

"It's not-...," He began to argue, before changing his mind and trailing off with a sigh, adding, "I'll come get you within the day, get some rest in the meantime. You're going to need to learn to control your powers a lot better, after all."

"...why?" I inquired suspiciously with a raised eyebrow.

"I did say that you're going to be involved, didn't I? You absorbed the power of one of the greatest tools we've ever created, and we can't take it back from you, so you know...you break it, you buy it," He replied with a shrug.

"What? That makes no s-."

"Well, anyway...bye."

And with that, he opened a portal behind him and left. What a dick. I guess I might as well get some sleep, I have to admit that I am pretty tired...

...

...

"Hey, wake up. You've been asleep for ten hours, kid."

Huh, wha-...? Where am I? Oh...right, now I remember...

"You're too loud, fuck off," I mumbled, stifling a yawn while rubbing my eyes.

"Eat something and then get changed. I got you something similar to what you're wearing now, but you know...better...cleaner...less worn out," He stated sardonically, as he put down some clothes.

I was wearing a worn out long-sleeved dark blue hoodie, and even more worn down black jeans, which were in way worse shape than usual after I got and used my superspeed power. As for my shoes, the soles were almost completely gone, they were pretty much thinner than socks at this point.

He had brought me a hoodie that looked the same as mine as well as the same color, though the material looked kinda different. He'd also brought a pair of black trousers, it didn't look like jeans though. And a pair of dark red sneakers.

"Well, excuse me for not having any nice clothes, I'm not exactly rolling in money, you know," I sighed dryly, sitting up.

"You did live in a trailer park, so that much was pretty obvious. Anyway, I'll be back in like a half hour, so eat something from the fridge, take a shower and get dressed. There's a closet with regular clothes in it, I brought it in earlier while you were sleeping, but wear the ones I brought now...they're made of a special material that's really durable, so they won't get worn out when you use your powers," He explained, before leaving through a portal, "Well, see ya in a bit."

And just like that, he left as abruptly as he'd arrived. I don't feel like following his commands, but...I'm at a complete disadvantage here, he could easily just leave me to starve in here if he felt like it. And besides...I could really use a bath, plus I'm hungry as hell. I stood up grudgingly and walked over to the bathroom with a sigh. Well, here goes...

...

Twenty-five minutes later, I was sitting on the couch, eating a fruit salad, having already gone through six yogurt cups, two bottles of mango juice and a turkey leg. Okay, I have to admit, I'm appreciating the stacked refrigerator. I can't remember the last time I tasted food this good. Definitely the first time I'm having food this good that I didn't have to steal.

And these clothes are pretty comfortable, plus they really do feel durable. Also...this couch is easily the most comfortable surface I've ever slept on in my life, so-.

"Hey, I'm back. Huh...wow, you really ate a lot, didn't you?" He remarked in surprise, "Well, no need to hold back, I'm just surprised because I could probably not physically eat that much in one sitting, and you're scrawnier than I am."

Aaaand...he's back. Great. Just great.

"You're early, whatever your name is," I muttered, as I finished up my container of fruit salad.

"Oh, that's right, we never introduced ourselves, did we...I'm Neo Cronje," He replied with a smile, "And you are?"

"You found me in the middle of nowhere and you don't even know my name? And why are you acting nicer all of a sudden? What do you want?" I inquired suspiciously.

"Okay, first of all, we only found you by location-tracing the news reports and social media posts about you, and none of those mentioned your name, so yeah. And...I was just in a bad mood earlier because the higher ups have put me in charge of finding the people who come into contact with Meta-Orbs like you...but I shouldn't be taking it out on you, you're a victim of this whole situation, after all," He admitted with a sigh.

I'm a little bit skeptical, but I'll accept that for now, I guess...

"Fine, then, I'm Zoraiz Rafayet. So...now what?" I inquired warily.

"No need to be so suspicious. You're going to learn how to use your powers, I'm taking you to meet your trainer. And then I'll be off to look for the next person who finds a Meta-Orb," He replied.

"...oh."

"Huh, I expected you to protest."

Yeah, well, it's becoming obvious that that'd be a waste of effort. And besides, if I'm stuck here now, I guess I might as well learn how to properly use my new superpowers...

"Whatever, just lead the way."

...

"Alright, Zoraiz, this is your trainer, Mike Barnes. Say hi," Introduced Neo, as he took me to a different room using a portal.

"Uh...hi?" I responded warily.

"Hello, nice to meet you, Zoraiz...hey, is it just me or does it smell like updog in here?" Remarked Mike with a grin.

"...really?" I replied in exasperation, raising an eyebrow.

He looked like he was in his early thirties, with slicked back black hair, light brown eyes, medium height and build. He wore a dark blue suit with a light blue shirt underneath and a red tie, along with black shoes.

" Well, I'm off now...you two get along, 'kay," Said Neo with a slight wave, opening a portal and leaving.

He always shows up and leaves so abruptly, it's kinda annoying...

"Alright, you ready to get started? I'm assuming you know nothing about Meta-Humans and their powers," Remarked Mike with a smile, before adding in a comical, croaky voice, "Train you hard, I shall."

Huh? Is he imitating something from a movie or TV show? I've seen some movies and stuff that I pirated on my phone, but I guess I haven't seen enough...

"Uh...not sure I get that reference?" I replied uncertainly, "And yeah, I don't know anything about powers or whatever."

"Hm, so what you're saying is...you know nothing, Jon Snow? Heh, get that reference?" He responded with an amused chuckle, before adding indignantly, "Also, who doesn't get a Star Wars reference!?"

Ohh, so that's where that was from...

"Yeah, I got the Game of Thrones one...but I've never seen a Star Wars movie, they're way too old for my taste," I shrugged in response.

"...damn, kid, you're uncultured as hell. Well, it's whatever, let's get started, shall we?" He suggested, as he loosened his tie.

"Sure, fine by me," I replied with a shrug, as I began stretching to prepare myself.

Well, there's no getting around it, I guess, so let's see exactly what I'm in store for here...

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