Existence Is My Woven Tapestry

Hastily shuffling upstairs to Quint's floor, Rafiq stepped cautiously, his boots pressing into scattered debris. His eyes darted all over as he made his way to Quint's room which he found unlocked. Slowly opening the door, he was met with Chapter 5: A Godsend Chance screws, bolts and small pieces of metal sheets.

'He's here.' Somewhere deeper in the shadows, metal groaned followed by a sharp voice that rang out filling the air. The pitch high, trembling, and furious. "You people always come! Every time I try to hide! You just-won't... STOP!"

A rusted drum launched itself across the space. Rafiq dropped instantly, the barrel sailing over his head and smashing against the wall behind him. The sounds distinct as the barrel twisted into an unrecognizable shape that it was before.

"I don't want to hurt anyone!" The voice cried again. "But I will if you come any closer!" Rafiq crouched behind a sofa that was way out of date given the tears and foodstuff stains all over it. His heart was pounding, mind racing. He recalled about the intel he got about his target beforehand.

[{Name: Quint Padris. Age: 17. Power Level: Low-tier telekinesis. High emotional instability.]}

He rummaged through his pouch and pulled out a flat disc the size of a coin.

It was a Wave Jammer. It emitted a low-range Neuro disruptive frequency to scramble short bursts of psionic transmission however it had a limited range. Perfect for dealing with brown eyed mutants given their sphere was based off the mind.

He activated it with a tap and rolled it under the floor panels toward where the mutant's voice had echoed from. A soft hum rose, inaudible to most but disorienting to minds with strange brainwave activity found in mutants.

A second later, a loud thump followed by a strained grunt. "W-What… what is that sound?!" Quint posed however Rafiq moved fast.

Slipping around the furniture and the table that he tilted to act as cover, he was able to close the distance between the two and with his proximity could now get a closer look at his target. Young, pale, covered in sweat. Quint's eyes gave off a faint brown hue, floating bolts of scrap orbiting him. His fingers twitched, controlling their path mid-air.

But now, with the disruptor active, the bolts trembled. Some fell, his focus disrupted. Rafiq stepped forward, palms raised with his demeanor coming off as casual. "I'm not here to hurt you."

The boy turned sharply, a wrench launching itself at Rafiq's head claiming to end his life. He managed to duck but barely as his shoulder got in the way sending an unimaginable sensation of pain flaring across his left arm.

"You're lying!" Quint shouted, his figure trembling. "I can hear the lies in your voice!" Rafiq coughed as he regained his breathe before laughing, surprising not only Quint but also himself. 'Is- is he insane or a maniac? He has yet to use his skill.' Quint kept his guard up as his hazelnut eyes never left Rafiq's figure.

"I don't think you understand because I'm terrified. I've never done this before. I have no powers and no backup. Just me… hoping this plan works." Quint blinked. His telekinesis faltered for half a second which was just enough time for Rafiq to make a move.

Rafiq reached into his side pouch and threw a Neuroflare. It exploded mid-air in a burst of flickering red and white streaks or light designed to overstimulate psychically sensitive eyes and disrupt cortical focus. Quint screamed, clutching his head. The levitating bolts clanged to the floor.

The window Rafiq has been planning was now in reach. He dashed in, tackling the boy not violently, but just enough to knock him down. He pulled out a restraint cuff, one of the Lantern's newer techs. Once slapped onto the back of the neck, it released a temporary neuro-stabilizer that suppressed minor psionic output.

Quint writhed in mild pain and irritation . "Get off! Get OFF ME!" His voice booming through the room as he tried to use his abilities only to be met with a sharp pang of pain that ran through his head like a headache amplified ten times. "Quint, listen!" Rafiq gritted out, pinning him onto the cold hard floor.

"I know what it feels like to be cornered. I know what it feels like to lose everything and want to rip the world apart." A pause. The boy's resistance lessened slightly.

"Let me help you before they send someone who won't give you a chance." The cuffs hissed as it activated. Quint's breathing slowed. His body came to a docile still. The room that they were in fell silent once more.

***

"You let a civilian take down a volatile mutant all by himself. We have protocols for a reason Renald." The voice was sharp and cold, the atmosphere denser than mercury as different sets of eyes were cast on Renald.

Some with curiousity, others bore disappointed on their faces. "He was capable of executing the mission with ease. No casualties or reinforcements. A personal test to gauge whether he was worthy of being a TorchBearer."

Renald looked at the source of the voice in the board room that he was in. The table oval as the individual on the farthest end had a eyes that could decipher anyone with a mere glance. Her eyes were crimson similar to Renald's, the rest in the room were either blue or brown.

"I know the reason as to why you let him go on that mission, Renald. It's not that we disapprove of what you're doing but it is at the rate at which you have chosen to take it is the problem. There's no reason having a regular civilian with no prior experience in the field or exposure to mutants.".

"Not only is it a risk to Rafiq but also poses as a threat to our projection to the higher ups and those working with us as well. If he wants to execute his revenge, then let him but in due time. He can't be rushed." Callus mused, her words never faltering from her professional tone that she had around her.

It felt like she wore it rather than tried to wear it like a mask which made her all the more intimidating and difficult to deal with. "I understand and I apologize Callus. It was clear that I was blinded by irrationality. A mistake that won't occur again."

Renald apologized however it would seem that those present weren't all that mad at his actions. After all they could understand as to what he was doing and what guided him to do so. "Very well, it is imperative that you reflect on this and learn from it." Tina concluded.

The air was dense, no one dared to talk while Tina spoke usually out of respect that her mere presence demanded. With a nod, she shifted the subject. With no words, each of them were handed a tablet and a video played out.

Renald with a single glance could tell who the lady on the screen was. She was one of the three mutants on the entire planet with golden eyes. She along with two other astronauts went on a space expedition only to be exposed to the sun's radiation.

Rather than cancer, the three had their entire genetic structure completely rewritten and with it they were capable fo accomplishing impressive feats. From there cosmic radiation would peer through and grant people with skills as well however no other people could gain golden eyes.

There were people with different shades of color schemes eyes such as brown eyes that had relations with matters relating to the mind and body similar to quint who was capable of telekinetic feats though small.

‎

People with red eyes had elemental affiliations with fire, blood and red lightning. Those with blue eyes are related with elemental affiliations about water, ice and blue short sparks of lightning however this was extremely dependent on one's luck.

‎As for grey, the elemental affiliations related to it were metal and air however along with those individuals with green jaded eyes whose elemental affiliations were related to nature and healing, they were extremely rare.

‎As for those with golden eyes they had elemental affiliations such as Invulnerability, Technological manipulation, light control which the three astronauts had.

The three were seen as the first frontiers for the next new birth of mutants however with their emergence came problems. Governments all over the world were having a hard time keeping such individuals in check.

Crime rates soared and with one of the three mutants deviating to evil and birth the Dark Hold, it only made matters worse. After pressing play, Renald saw Ophelia Armstrong in a distress state as the walls around her were scribbled with what he could think of as gibberish.

Her sanity would waver from time to time, she would converse with a person normally in one second then start hollering the next. Because of this she was under strict monitoring from the Golden Lantern. However this time it would seem that she was sane however her demeanor was fidgety, beads of sweat forming on her temples as she lightly whispered to herself.

"The end! It's here!" She suddenly shot up, looking at the camera. Renald could see the bags on her face, the way her back arched. It was clear that she hadn't slept in weeks. "What's here? Ophelia..?" Another voice rang through however the source was out of the camera field of view.

"Our demise as mutants and the end of this world altogether. Cracks will form all over the sky..." Her breathes grew frantic, her chest heaving heavily. It was clear that she was getting unstable by the second. "People... we'll all die... he tortured me by letting me know what's to come. Death... that's the only way out..."

The voices behind the camera grew more concerned with how she developed. "Who's he Ophelia?" The lady donned in a lab coat fell silent as if turned off. "He, the one responsible for our birth and death."

*Whoosh*

The sounds of sizzling could be heard as the camera went to static before the scene could be seen. Ophelia was now slumped on the floor but not in one piece. She had split herself in two using the lights that illuminated the room ending her life on the spot. The camera was turned off.