C1 The past

Prologue

Professor Gerald was grieving the loss of his wife. He loved her so much and did everything he could medically to save her, but she kept getting weaker by the day until she passed away. He hasn't recovered from her loss, and now his little daughter was dying. He couldn't bear the thought of losing her as well.

Determined to save her life, he decides to use some experiments he had made but were asked by the authorities to destroy. Unbeknownst to them, he saved a few and hid them carefully to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands.

The experiments consisted of a vaccine that had the potential to give individuals special abilities, such as seeing events before they happen, having super reflexes, quicker healing, and a strong immune system. Professor Gerald had developed it for the government, specifically for twenty special agents known as Agent One to Agent Twenty. However, the experiments were hijacked by a dangerous cabal.

The government called in the military to help retrieve the vaccine, leading to a violent confrontation that resulted in numerous casualties among the cabal, military, and civilians.

In the aftermath, the government canceled the entire project and ordered the destruction of both the formula used to create the vaccine and the vaccine itself.

While destroying the vaccine, one bottle accidentally fell into the trash basket. Professor Gerald picked it up and hid it in his pocket, ignoring his colleague Edrin, who was searching for the last bottle. He reasoned that he could use it to make his daughter Nora strong and capable of protecting herself from any danger. He wanted her to be able to see events ahead of time in order to defend herself.

When he arrived home, he called out to Nora but received no response. Growing worried, he hurriedly went upstairs to find her.

He knocked on her door but got no reply, he hesitantly entered to find Nora lying in bed, breathing heavily and covered in sweat. Worriedly, he fetched a bowl of water, a towel,syringe, and a liquid. He injected Nora with the liquid and placed the towel on her head to reduce her fever.

Gazing lovingly at his eight-year-old daughter, Gerald realized she was his only hope and reason to keep going, having already lost his wife, he couldn't bear to lose his precious angel. He caressed her cheek with deep love for her in his eyes. Remembering the vaccine in his pocket, he took it out and contemplated whether or not to administer it now or wait until she was stronger.

As he pondered, the sound of the doorbell startled him. He quickly placed the vaccine on Nora's bedside table and went to answer the door. It was his colleague Edrin, who claimed to have been in the neighborhood and stopped by. Gerald felt wary of Edrin but welcomed him inside. They sat down, and Edrin mentioned hearing about the loss of Gerald's wife and the illness affecting Nora.

Gerald stiffened at Edrin's words but managed a strained smile. He felt uneasy, suspecting that Edrin had been watching him and knew more than he let on. As Edrin got up to leave, Gerald remained silent in the living room, lost in his thoughts. He realized that he hadn't told anyone about Nora's illness, which meant that Edrin must have been spying on him. Determined to uncover the truth, Gerald clenched his fists and vowed to protect Nora at all costs.

If there was ever a time he was supposed to act, it was now. He and his daughter weren't safe anymore. Rushing into her room, he opened her closet and brought out her suitcase, filling it with her clothes.

Walking to the bathroom, he packed her medicines, injections, and first aid kit, before going back to the bedside table, he grabbed the vaccine and tucked it into his pocket. He quickly grabbed his phone, transferring all his money from his bank account to another account before they could freeze it. They would wait until dark before they would leave.

Nighttime soon arrived as Gerald glanced through the window, noting the black van that had been parked outside his house for a while now. He sighed, knowing the front door wasn't an option.

The black van may not be from Edrin, but he wasn't willing to take his chances. Sighing for the umpteenth time that day, he stared at his daughter, the only thing keeping him sane. Looking at her, his eyes flashed with determination to keep her safe, glancing at the van one last time, he knew it was time.

Walking over to the sleeping Nora, he lifted her up and carried her over his shoulders with one arm, holding her suitcase in the other. He walked steadily towards the backdoor, stepping outside as the cool breeze hit his face making him shiver.

Opening their back gate, he walked for a while into the forest until he came across a car that he had parked there for emergencies. Taking out the car key, he unlocked the car and settled his sleeping daughter in the passengers seat Closing the door behind him.

he turned around and stepped into the driver's seat, started the car, and drove off at high speed.

Entering the main road, he slowed down his speed but glanced at the rearview mirror to make sure they weren't being followed.

After driving for a while, with his mind finally at ease, he felt a sudden jolt as all four of his tires were punctured as the car skidded off the road and hit a tree, coming to a halt.

Coughing through the slight smoke caused by the impact, he glanced at his daughter, who was now awakened by the crash."Dad, where are we?" Nora asked weakly.

"Don't worry, baby girl. Everything is fine. Daddy has it under control," he reassured her. Glancing up and saw headlights approaching, he immediately knew who they were.

Hurriedly stepping out of the car, he carried Nora out, opened her bag brought out a syringe and a blanket. He used the blanket to cover her and ran deep into the forest. He could hear their footsteps and voices; they were on their trail.

The sound of gunshots rang through the air, causing him to flinch. He let out a small gasp as a bullet made contact with his leg. But he couldn't give up now. He limped with his crying daughter in his arms until he saw that they were a bit far off. He hid by a tree and gently laid her down.

"Dad, what's going on?" Nora said with fear evident in her voice.

"Listen, princess, I want you to be brave for me. I won't always be there for you anymore, but just know that I'll be waiting for you. You are a strong girl," he said, his voice filled with love and determination. With that, he pulled her into a hug, carried her one last time, and kept running until he saw a man waiting for him.

"Fuck!" the man screamed upon seeing Gerald's state.

"Smith, listen to me. I don't have much time. They are after me. I want you to take her and run. Keep her safe and train her until she is ready for them," Gerald urgently instructed.

Smith nodded, determination flash through his eyes. "I promise to protect your daughter with every last breath in me," he said.

Gerald smiled in satisfaction. Dipping his hand into his pocket, he brought out the syringe and the vaccine, injecting Nora with it. When he was done, he looked at his girl lovingly before gently pecking her forehead one last time.

With tears in his eyes, he disappeared into the forest, while Smith and his daughter went off in the opposite direction.