Catching a Shooting Star [PV : Etoile]

The whirring of the helicopters blades provided a steady echoing across the surrounding area as the metal aircraft soared over the Alaskan rockies. The harsh snowstorm that surrounded the helicopter lashed out against the loud hindrance, as if mother nature herself had been awoken by the noisy contraption. Ice and snow tumbled over one another in the stark white expanse below, the jagged rock faces thrust into the air as if they were trying to grasp the steel bird and force it into certain death. However no matter how hard the elements tried to deter the copter its spinning blades prevailed against the harsh wind, monstrous landforms and screeching blizzard. Nothing was going to hinder the occupants on delivering their very expensive ‘plaything’.

The howling blizzard outside did little to deter the small group of men that huddled around a single pale figure strapped to one of the large leather seats. Lustful gazes glazed over the girl's body as vulgar comments filled the metallic contraption with a particularly unbearable level of perverseness, although such remarks were not uncommon for the sniffling teenager who took the full force of the verbal onslaught and sadistic petting. One man in particular was enjoying the abusive tirade against the girl much more than any human should, he was Mr Salt...the infamous metahuman murderer. A crude smirk was plastered on his face as his men ruthlessly taunted the young female with every vile slur they could muster.

"Now isn't this a nice goodbye present!", he crowed, violently clasping her face with his hand, ignoring her yelp of pain as he planted a rather foul kiss onto her lips. She tried to shake him off but as per every vulgar form of affection he showed her the more she struggled the more violent he became and her exhausting attempts of getting rid of the taste of tobacco was barely noticed by the slobbery fellow. "Don't be such a frigid little bitch!" he hissed, tossing her head to the side without any care for her pain that was etched on her youthful face. The troopers surrounding Mr Salt laughed, one even had the nerve to jab her with the barrel of his gun as they continued torturing her muttering something along the lines of, "That's what you get for killing troops..".

She did indeed kill dominus troopers, not because she was a bloodthirsty metahuman bent on human destruction. No, she killed them because of the sins they committed against her and the countless other victims who weren't so lucky to survive their murder/rape sprees across the globe. The past week she had endured torture and abuse no girl her age should ever face, her dignity was once more ruthlessly stripped away and as each day passed she was certain she was going to die, this day seemed like the most probable day. She had no idea where they were let alone why they were taking her there...all she could see was the harsh white storm raging outside the window.

She was wearing nothing but the torn up remains of one of her formerly pristine white outfits and like her body, the fine white linen had also been through hell that week and the blood stains that painted her attire only made her torture all the more obvious. New scars ran their way across her supple pale skin, tarnishing her beautiful visage with ugly blotches of red and purple. Her sandy brown hair was no a tangled mess and what was usually a rosy shy complexion was stained with tears and her abusers saliva. A tattered skirt was all that covered her shivering and bruised legs, she no longer had the luxury of wearing her signature white leggings and shoes, her tormenters saw it fit that she walk with her newly scarred soles.

"Looks like its your time to go 'Agent;", Mr salt spat, emphasising the word agent as he yanked her out f her constraints, ordering one of the troopers to open the door midair. A cold blast of icy wind hurtled through the doorway, sending a trail of goosebumps down everyones spine. Prodding her forward onto the very edge of the now open space he held her by the roots of her hair, forcing her to stand on her the tips of her bleeding toes. A strained whimper escaped her lips as her body was subjected to the harsh elements that beckoned her to drown in the frozen wasteland.

"This is what traitors like you get. A frigid wasteland for a frigid girl.." he slurred, taking his time to enunciate every venomous word into her ears. Taking one last lingering caress against her shuddering form he let go of her, sending her violated body into the unforgiving environment below. A shrill cry escaped her shivering lips as she hurtled towards the snow covered terrain below. Before her petite body would have met a particularly gruesome death from the jagged rocks that rose up underneath her, her body transformed into its sparkling, translucent diamond form..one which was instantly masked by the harsh white storm.

Landing with a resounding thud and creating an impressive crater from her sudden impact with the earth the girl lay still for a moment, a thin layer of snow already threatening to mask her entire body. There was no pain, she could not feel the cold and the wind was nothing but a tickling sensation against her indestructible skin...but her heart hurt, she was broken...both emotionally and mentally. Her mind raced with a million thoughts. Was she going to be lost in this wilderness forever? Would she ever see Sheryll or Shayla again?

Why did she deserve this?

Arching her shimmering toes back she proceeded to flip herself upwards in one fluid motion..if it weren't for her current form her fresh scars would more than likely of contracted a new definition of pain in this horrid wilderness. She rubbed her eyes, shaking her hair as she stared into the vast unknown...everywhere she looked there was white. She didn't know where she was or why she was there...all she knew was that she had to survive, one way or another and return to the few people who loved her...

Frantic footsteps quickly treaded over the ever-growing blanket of snow, a single translucent female dashed with all of her might in the hopes of finding shelter to stay in for the night...well what she assumed to be night. She had not only lost track of time ever since her imprisonment back at base but also found it increasingly difficult to find her bearings in the snowy wasteland, there was no sun, no clouds...just a howling blanket of ice and snow. The cold could not reach her, the wind barely grazed her nor did the ice burn the soles of her bare feet, she was immune to this environment and yet at that very moment she felt a lot more vulnerable than ever before.

The wind screeched in her ears, a shrieking reminder that this environment did not want her..she was but an expendable object in the wider span of things, a very expensive expendable object for that matter. Kidnapping a renowned ballet prodigy was one thing but turning her into a weapon of war was a completely different matter, Dominus simply took hold of all her rights and transformed her into another one of their infamous 'agents'. These thoughts were scrambling across her mind as she bounded through the unforgiving environment, for all she knew she could simply be running straight into the heart of the storm rather than away from it...but what would a village girl from Russia know about mountaineering?

As she blindly sprinted across the expanding layer of snow her foot collided with a boulder, which was camouflaged by a thin layer of white. Chunks of stone tore away from the obstacle as she tried to regain her balance, what would have been a fairly simple task of regaining her composure failed miserably as the inertia from her collision with the large rock sent her sprawling forward,s ending chunks of the boulder with her. A frantic yelp escaped her lips as she tumbled forward, sprawling down a mountain side as her body caressed the side of the mountain. She tumbled down the wintery land mass, stopping with a sudden 'thud' when she collided with a small, barely visible cave.

Recollecting her senses the shimmering teenager quickly brushed way the snow and crawled in all the way to the back of the tight enclosure. Here the noise from the storm was practically muted and the wind that so eagerly bashed against her body earlier was but a light breeze against the cave. Her glistening diamond body glittered within the tight crevice as she huddled her petite body in the back corner. She hugged her legs, burrowing her head in between her knees as she slowly rocked back and forth, sending brief sparkles of light in the small space. Her legs were clenched tightly together and her arms interlocked in a powerful grip...it would seem she would live on forever as a diamond in this violent snow ridden environment...never to see her sisters again.

The ballerina's depressing solitude, which involved clutching her diamond body as close as possible and singing an old Russian lullaby her mother would sing to her before she slept was only momentary. The raging ice cold winds that screeched around the small cave she huddled in was a constant reminder that she was in no way capable of returning to the life she once knew...here, all alone in a country she'd never known of trapped in its unforgiving environment was so far away from the teenager's comfort level that she genuinely believed that she would never see another human being again. That was until she heard a noise right outside the small opening.

She froze, latching her knees tight to her chest as she slowly allowed her left and to morph into a brilliantly sharp diamond blade. She was scared. What if it was a bear or another local creature merely wanting to find a safe place to stay? Her mind was racing, the various things that could walk through that ragged entrance was all to much that she involuntarily let out a meek whimper..she had never felt so exposed or frightened. All of the things that had happened to her over the past week had seemingly cumulated into this very small space of time. Maybe it was time for her to die. Time for her to meet her end at the hands of a snow monster or a scary caveman.

These were merely the thoughts of a girl whose mind was so wracked with fear that to her they all seemed perfectly logical...even if she was made of the most indestructible material on earth. With her last ounce of strength, before the fear shuts her body down she hastily spoke aloud, a definite sense of panic bouncing across the small interior of the cave..her meek and whispery voice raising to a level not even she could comprehend.

"STAY AWAY"

The distinct sound of her mother tongue replied from outside the cave, sending both a shrill panic and a renewed sense of hope through Lilia's shivering core. It was the voice of a man. But what was a man doing all the way up in the mountains? How did he know she was there? Was he Mr Salt's last attempt at breaking her mind body and soul, where no one would hear her cries of terror in the harsh winter landscape. She clutched the sides of he head, clenching the indestructible strands of diamond hair as she wracked her mind with what to do...her fear was overwhelming everything else and she could not risk the chance of further trauma.

">NO I DON'T WANT YOU HERE!<", Lilia cried out in Russian, scraping the walls around her as the heavy feeling of helplessness began to tug further onto her soul. She could not face another human who she didn't know, too many people have assaulted her innocence and humanity of the recent weeks and she had simply reached breaking point.

Staring into the blank white entrance the teenager could roughly make out the faint outlines of a human body. She clenched her shimmering toes and hugged her diamond knees even tighter as the winds around her howled and smashed against the small cave. ">...My name is Lilia Ivanov, please..don't hurt me"< she whispered in a barely audible voice, not caring that she so easily gave away her identity..she was good as dea anyway.

Something peculiar happened, something the diamond girl could not see but a moment of silence after she screamed at the man had strangely procured the response of a woman. Lilia raised her head in surprise and furrowed her brow, what a curious turn of events...a woman was less likely to force bad things onto Lilia and the fact that she called her 'darling' in her mother tongue cause the girl to let out a silent gasp...that was what her mother used to call her. Pursing her lips and tensing up her body the teenager cleared her mind of all irrationality...that was only going to heighten her paranoia and fear. After the moment of shock and contemplation finally melted away once the ballerina came to a decision. She was going to let the woman in. "...you promise you won't hurt me?", she said out loud, shuffling her feet together as she allowed the woman to respond. The very fact that her body was currently in diamond form should of held the teenager's mind at ease, but even then there were cracks in her impregnable armor and there was always a chance that this stranger could break her even further.

The tense atmosphere stayed frigid as the woman slowly dipped her head into the cave, the funny hair colour taking the meek ballerina of guard. The woman was older than Sheryll and looked significantly more professional. Lilia shuffled in her place, still clasping her knees as she stared wide eyed at the woman, the bright sapphire eyes yearning for a friend and protector in this woman. Her glittering diamond skin was probably enough to catch the woman off guard although unlike many othe people such a display in owed had not sent the woman running. "...what do you want with me?", she said in her melodic voice, folding her head to the side as she further stated at the woman...hopefully it was something good...

The woman was nice, well appeared to be nice anyway. She had presented no threat and was not glaring monster aiming to snatch away Lilia's virtue. She spoke fantastic Russian, the crisp sounds of the teenagers mother tongue were both comforting as they were slightly alarming...how does a random woman out in the mountains know her name and speak her native language. Before Lilia could shuffle further into her corner in a mild attempt to shield herself the woman, once properly fitting herself into the cave, commented on the glistening diamond skin that illuminated the small space. It was nothing unexpected..her ability often had people awe struck with its sheer beauty...she was a living gem, the most expensive piece of jewelry on the planet.

"If I go back to Dominus...they'll force me to do bad things..." she mumbled, referring to the frightening plans the metahuman hunting agency was planning. Most important members of the organization knew, this woman probably knew more and if she did then she was more than likely agent level like Sheryll or Shayla. Clenching her jaw, Lilia glanced away from the woman...watching pieces of stone crumble off the interior of the cave as he dragged her finger alongside the wall."...if you help me you'll get hurt and get told off by daddy..", she explained, crossing her bare feet over one another as she mentioned her 'daddy'...the big boss of Dominus who on more than one ocassion had disciplined her for her disobedience towards Salt.

A silence crept across the cave, the howling winds from outside providing a haunting background song that threatened to tear the very life from the two female's lips. The woman started small talk, maybe to pass the time or maybe to gain Lilia's trust, but the questions were helpful in taking the teenager's mind off her recent torture. "...No I don't feel any cold, or any hot or any pain while I'm a diamond. I feel nothing but my heart still hurts..", her voice cracked into a whisper as she opened up to the woman..it had been a while since she had spoken to someone like this.

Clenching her jaw, she brushed shimmering strands of diamond hair out of her eyes before turning her gaze towards the woman. "...Aren't you scared of me?", she whispered, scraping her hand alongside the wall once more...

A whispery gasp escaped Lilia's shimmering lips as the woman revealed her ability...she could transform. Although the young agent was all too used to superpower and the like the mere thought of being able to change ones appearance always fascinated her, spiking her somewhat childlike curiosity resulting in more than a few scenarios to pop into her consciousness; she could transform into a bird and fly away from all of her troubles, the demons of her past and present would never catch her if she's gliding in the heavens. Lilia blinked her glistening sky blue eyes, listening as the woman presented her opinions on the matter at hand. Not only was she not afraid of the diamond ballerina but it seemed she aimed to help the girl out of this situation...which although welcome was exceedingly coincidental..

Pursing her lips, Lilia stared at her toes and wiggled them, resulting in brief flashes of light to bounce off the little digits. She did not like talking about Dominus, what slave would possibly want to speak of her captors? But it all somehow seemed necessary if this woman intended to help her so Lilia finally revealed her answers in a meek voice..her eyes never leaving her feet. "Dominus took me from my Mama and Papa when I was 14...Daddy and mr salt take care of me..", she whispered, not daring to reveal the abuse she experiences unde the hand of her perverted handler. "...I don't know Daddy's real name, I've been ordered to call him that, but he's the boss of Dominus..." she shuffled uncomfortably, merely speaking about Adam Paxton caused the girl to shudder in fear. Although he did not subject her to Salt's brand of torture he has, on more than one occasion, released his wrath onto her petite body.

The mention of Gossamer caused a strange feeling to simmer underneath her indestructible surface. Agent Gossamer, otherwise known as Sheryl Paxton was the angel of a chapter gone by...a shinin remnant of her brief freedom experienced outside of Dominus' jurisdiction. The numbe one agent had mysteiously disappeared and ever since then Lilia heard no mention of the agent..fearing she may have died. Although the way this mysterious agent talks about Gossamer told the teenager that Adam Pacton's daughter was very much still alive. The thought of Gossamer made the ballerina smile..hopefully the transforming woman knew of Sheryl's location..