Elle Joyner
Fracturer of Fairytales
The scream of sirens broke through the deafening ringing in her ears, as the blistering sun swam into focus. A thin sheen of sweat clung to her face and her hair stuck on the back of her neck, a metallic taste like sticky syrup, cloying in her throat. Upon inspection she found she'd bit through her tongue, two neat holes right through the center. There was lump about the size of an egg, at the base of her skull, no doubt the source of her pounding headache, and her hands were scraped in several places.
Never in her life had she blacked out before, but even without the previous experience she knew that was what had happened. What frightened her was why. The smoke had cleared, but she had not imagined seeing it. Thick and so grey it was almost black, spiraling down from the sky, filling the streets in choking gobs.
She’d tried to hold her breath, tried to avoid it, but it was almost liquid in the way it poured in through her nose, poured down the back of her throat, filling her lungs.
Rolling onto her side, Virginia coughed, and brightly colored blood splashed across the pavement. She fought a wave of nausea as she rose to her feet, her legs trembling beneath her, threatening a second collapse. She managed to stay upright, however, and with a few shaky steps, started her way up the block, towards Broad Street.
She had been on her way to meet Nora for lunch at Aldo’s…
She had to find Nora.
~
The sun flickered in through the skylight above, stretched and yawned across her face, as Virgina's eyes flickered open. She’d had the dream every night for the first several weeks… woken at exactly the same moment, and with the same gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach.
It had been six months since that day… Ten weeks since Oswald Malkavich had begun recruiting for Tourniquet. They were small and they were unimpressive, but they were, thus far, the only hope for the GenMuts… The only thing standing in the way of the Syndicate’s hunt. And she was a part of that now. In many way, he had pulled her out of the mire she had sunken into and given her even the smallest amount of hope, and she owed him, greatly for that…
But now the dreams were back… and with them the torment of all that she had lost. Of all that had happened.
Sitting up, she pulled the covers to her chin. For October it had been unseasonably warm, Ginny felt chilled, shivering beneath the blankets.
Haven… Tourniquet’s headquarters was located North of Tempest Falls, a private home, built into a cliff, with a stunning view of the ocean. The high flat roof was set at a level which kept it hidden from the living room by creating the illusion that the home was surrounded by the countryside, but a triangular cut-out in the roof connected one with the sky. The choice of materials – concrete, Rheinzink roofing, wooden facades, stone and exposed aggregate concrete – allowed the building to blend into the landscape, with enough strength to withstand a missile. The upper levels were comprised of bedrooms, living spaces and a fully stocked kitchen, but beneath the structure were the labs and offices, where the majority of their work took place.
This was where she would find Doctor Malkavich.
Reluctantly abandoning the bed clothes, Ginny dressed in a pair of jeans and a long sleeved turtle-neck, before sliding on a pair of thin leather gloves, which stretched up past her elbows. They were not a fashion statement… they were a necessity, and she hated them. After pulling on socks and shoes, she made her way out of her room and down the long spiral staircase to the living room. From here, she approached the elevator that would take her to the laboratories. Swiping her security card she waited for the doors to open, then stepped inside, pressing the button for the subbasement.
Tinny and subliminal music, something by Celine Dion, played overhead and Ginny smirked. Even at a time when the world was falling to pieces around them, there could still be humor in the strangest places.
After a brief ride, the elevator came to a crawling halt and the doors slid open with a chime. Ginny stepped out into the brightly lit hallway. A swipe of the security card would send the elevator back to the upper levels, after which Ginny made her way towards Doctor Malkavich’s lab.
She had been one of the first approached by Oswald and however unnerving it had been, coming face to face with the masked man who would become their leader, over the past few weeks under his instruction, she had grown to trust him in a way she’d never thought possible, again. She had been on the brink of collapse, after losing Nora, and Oswald had, in many ways, saved her life.
Approaching his lab, Ginny raised a gloved hand and knocked, before letting herself in, clearing her throat to announce her presence.
“Doctor Malkavich…? It… it’s happening again. The dream. Could… Is… is there anything I can do down here…? Just to get my mind off of… well… off of things?”
Never in her life had she blacked out before, but even without the previous experience she knew that was what had happened. What frightened her was why. The smoke had cleared, but she had not imagined seeing it. Thick and so grey it was almost black, spiraling down from the sky, filling the streets in choking gobs.
She’d tried to hold her breath, tried to avoid it, but it was almost liquid in the way it poured in through her nose, poured down the back of her throat, filling her lungs.
Rolling onto her side, Virginia coughed, and brightly colored blood splashed across the pavement. She fought a wave of nausea as she rose to her feet, her legs trembling beneath her, threatening a second collapse. She managed to stay upright, however, and with a few shaky steps, started her way up the block, towards Broad Street.
She had been on her way to meet Nora for lunch at Aldo’s…
She had to find Nora.
~
The sun flickered in through the skylight above, stretched and yawned across her face, as Virgina's eyes flickered open. She’d had the dream every night for the first several weeks… woken at exactly the same moment, and with the same gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach.
It had been six months since that day… Ten weeks since Oswald Malkavich had begun recruiting for Tourniquet. They were small and they were unimpressive, but they were, thus far, the only hope for the GenMuts… The only thing standing in the way of the Syndicate’s hunt. And she was a part of that now. In many way, he had pulled her out of the mire she had sunken into and given her even the smallest amount of hope, and she owed him, greatly for that…
But now the dreams were back… and with them the torment of all that she had lost. Of all that had happened.
Sitting up, she pulled the covers to her chin. For October it had been unseasonably warm, Ginny felt chilled, shivering beneath the blankets.
Haven… Tourniquet’s headquarters was located North of Tempest Falls, a private home, built into a cliff, with a stunning view of the ocean. The high flat roof was set at a level which kept it hidden from the living room by creating the illusion that the home was surrounded by the countryside, but a triangular cut-out in the roof connected one with the sky. The choice of materials – concrete, Rheinzink roofing, wooden facades, stone and exposed aggregate concrete – allowed the building to blend into the landscape, with enough strength to withstand a missile. The upper levels were comprised of bedrooms, living spaces and a fully stocked kitchen, but beneath the structure were the labs and offices, where the majority of their work took place.
This was where she would find Doctor Malkavich.
Reluctantly abandoning the bed clothes, Ginny dressed in a pair of jeans and a long sleeved turtle-neck, before sliding on a pair of thin leather gloves, which stretched up past her elbows. They were not a fashion statement… they were a necessity, and she hated them. After pulling on socks and shoes, she made her way out of her room and down the long spiral staircase to the living room. From here, she approached the elevator that would take her to the laboratories. Swiping her security card she waited for the doors to open, then stepped inside, pressing the button for the subbasement.
Tinny and subliminal music, something by Celine Dion, played overhead and Ginny smirked. Even at a time when the world was falling to pieces around them, there could still be humor in the strangest places.
After a brief ride, the elevator came to a crawling halt and the doors slid open with a chime. Ginny stepped out into the brightly lit hallway. A swipe of the security card would send the elevator back to the upper levels, after which Ginny made her way towards Doctor Malkavich’s lab.
She had been one of the first approached by Oswald and however unnerving it had been, coming face to face with the masked man who would become their leader, over the past few weeks under his instruction, she had grown to trust him in a way she’d never thought possible, again. She had been on the brink of collapse, after losing Nora, and Oswald had, in many ways, saved her life.
Approaching his lab, Ginny raised a gloved hand and knocked, before letting herself in, clearing her throat to announce her presence.
“Doctor Malkavich…? It… it’s happening again. The dream. Could… Is… is there anything I can do down here…? Just to get my mind off of… well… off of things?”
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