{"id":397,"date":"2024-04-27T13:40:31","date_gmt":"2024-04-27T21:40:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/shannonbarber.com\/?p=397"},"modified":"2024-04-27T13:40:31","modified_gmt":"2024-04-27T21:40:31","slug":"call-her-eve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shannonbarber.com\/?p=397","title":{"rendered":"Call Her Eve"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

quickie written this morning, the idea is an X Men type universe supervillain origin story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t go up there alone,\u201d Silver was on her knees, her bloody face turned up to him as she spoke, \u201cshe\u2019ll kill you.\u201d Experio used a piece of his sleeve to wipe blood from her eyes gently, \u201cI know. Get everyone back, if shit goes sideways, run.\u201d Before she could argue he was gone. Experio didn\u2019t look back, between him and the woman bent on killing everything nearby was a mess of smoke, bodies, twisted corpses of cars but when he turned his face up a bit he could see her eyes clearly.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scarlet Shade stood perfectly still, her face hidden under her deep hood save for those big black burning eyes, her mask glinted in the flickering light of broken streetlights and flames, she watched Experio coming, her expression unchanged. When he stopped about ten feet away, she tilted her head a little, \u201cyou\u2019re still alive E. Good job.\u201d He held his hands up slowly, \u201cScar we need to talk.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Slowly she tipped her head back to look at the broken sky then she lowered her hood and turned her back on him to unhook her mask, he watched her drop it and walk away a few feet. She patted the pockets of a dead man, pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and stepped a bit further away before she squatted, gesturing with the cigarette as Experio watched it light itself, \u201ccome on then E. You survived this long; you can make it through a smoke break.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Experio let out the breath he was holding and followed, she was looking at the ground between her feet, when she looked up at him, he felt his stomach clench, he hadn\u2019t seen her face in a decade, and she was still so beautiful. Deep brown skin, big round dark brown eyes, everything about her face was soft, elliptical and spoke of the Eve gene and fertility and the future. Her plump lips curved in the smallest smile, even with a blood-spattered face when she looked at him like that his heart stuttered.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
ai generated image of a black woman stading against a flame background. author heavily edited to present Eve using some of her powers in the image]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cScar- Ranisha, you have to stop this. Look at this.\u201d He gestured around them, and she followed his hand then offered him one of the cigarettes he\u2019d quit decades ago but took one anyway. He squatted next to her and used the little electric lighter on his belt, \u201clook at this. Why?\u201d She was quiet for a long time, he felt her rocking slightly on her feet, she moved her feet a little and wrapped her arms around her legs, \u201cwhy? Are you serious Hakeem? Why?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ranisha \u201cScarlet Shade\u201d Andrews had been presumed dead since the last time he\u2019d seen her, November 9, 1989. The team was in Berlin while the wall was coming down, things were good then weren\u2019t they? \u201cRanisha-\u201d she shook her head, \u201cwhy. Do you remember November 10th<\/sup> 1989?\u201d He thought about it and she waited for him to remember. \u201cWe were doing some clean up in Berlin.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10 Nov 1989\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEx, you all right?\u201d Gastine was still laid up at base and had been put on comms, he waited for E to answer tapping his good foot. His broken one was propped up and he glared at the cast. \u201cYeah we\u2019re good. Have you seen Scarlet?\u201d Gastine grunted and wiggled upwards, he checked his logs frowning. \u201cNot since last night. Didn\u2019t she leave with you and the Viciratis.\u201d Experio stopped what he was doing, \u201cno I left with the Beck brothers to clean up that vehicle mess.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gsstine sat up straighter, his notes said specifically that Scarlet was supposed to be with them. \u201cAll right hold on.\u201d Gastine clicked off that channel and went to the general channel, \u201call teams check in. All teams sound off, check check.\u201d After a moment teams began checking in one by one everyone was accounted for except Scarlet. \u201cHas anyone laid eyes on Scarlet since last night?\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twenty minutes later teams were streaming into base from all over the city. When everyone was together their leader of the moment Ogiccait stood in front of them looking worried. \u201cThank you for making it, everyone, what is status Gas?\u201d Gastine clomped into the room, his casted foot dragging, his twin sister walking behind him with his crutches. \u201cUh sir, nobody has been able to find Scarlet. She was supposed to leave with Experio and the Viciratis but-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ogiccait turned his scarred face on Ex who involuntarily shrank back a little. OGs face bore the deep claw mark scars of his clan that marked him as an adult, they were forever crimson and inflamed, the marks ran through one solid black eye, he was terrifying. \u201cExperio, what did you see?\u201d Experio took a breath, \u201cuh we were together at Checkpoint six, watching the crowd at around six.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

E slowed, frowning and looking down at the ground. The memory kept slipping off of his tongue, \u201cwe were there at six, Adaranth showed up and-\u201d the memory should have been simple and clear, at the checkpoint, Adaranth but everything else seemed plastic, strange, false. \u201cShe, we\u201d he stopped talking and shook his head, it felt like his awareness stopped there then picked up with him and the Beck brothers fighting a set of self-duplicating triplets in a hat store.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OG nodded and motioned for him to sit. \u201cIt\u2019s okay E. Why don\u2019t you go with M and J, see if they can figure out what happened to your memory. Teams 1 and 2, go back to the checkpoint and look around. The rest of you spread out, keep order, keep your eyes peeled.\u201d Everyone moved and got to work. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scarlet was gone. The psychic brothers Viciratis couldn\u2019t recover Ex\u2019s memories of the night. They couldn\u2019t even repair their own memories, it was as if she hadn\u2019t even been there. E looked up at her and she was staring at him, holding the cigarette between her lips waiting, \u201cI-I don\u2019t know what happened Ranisha.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She rose and paced a little away from him, \u201cdo you know what Deprii Lighuro is?\u201d She looked at him over her shoulder as he shook his head. She went on, \u201cit is what they call it when they can\u2019t figure you out. You are Deprii Lighuro, uncontrolled, unknown, doing weird shit. That night in Berlin, they sent in a black squad and took me out in the middle of the fight at checkpoint 7.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hakeem butted out his smoke and stood as well frowning at her as she turned her back again, \u201cwho is they? What are you saying?\u201d She chuckled an it sent a shiver up his spin, \u201cI\u2019m saying Hakeem. Ranisha died in Berlin. They killed her. Ranisha had mitochondrial Eve DNA, back then they just called it wild. They took Ranisha and tested her, cut her up, took her blood, tried to take her name. Shit I\u2019m not barely Scarlet anymore, the only people who call me that are you and some of the other people form back then.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hakeem was starting to get nervous, something about the detached way she spoke, the way she moved frightened him, it wasn\u2019t battle nerves or knowing his oponent could probably kill him with an afterthought, she was so fundamentally changed, even beyond what she\u2019d already done. He looked around them at the miles of destruction, the bodies, the burnt-out cars, in the distance he could see his team retreating.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRanisha, I don\u2019t understand what you\u2019re saying. What does the Eve gene have to do with it?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She flicked her smoke away and started pacing slowly, \u201cHakeem. I\u2019m only going to tell you this now. The next time we see each other, you may have a different opinion. I\u2019m saying that all of us, we\u2019re not what they told us. I\u2019m not what they told us then and not what they are saying now. Isn\u2019t the word on the wire that I\u2019m rogue right? Take down on sight. Come on, you can tell me.\u201d Hakeem shifted uncomfortably and spoke very softly, \u201cyeah. Everyone.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She nodded and turned to look at him again. \u201cI can do anything I want Hakeem. That\u2019s what the Eve gene does in people like us. All of the mutations are in my bone marrow and when they took me, one of their experiments worked but not how they wanted. And they can\u2019t let me go.\u201d Hakeem took a step back, right in front of him her form was starting to blur as if he had something in his eye.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flames boiled around her feet and crawled over her skin, the white bled out of her eyes and they turned black as bird eyes. His own eyes widened, the flames around her danced and licked at her thighs, she tipped her head back and began to rise, arms out. She looked back down at him hovering there, around them everything stopped.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The air stilled, ash suspended in firelight, somehow Hakeem felt the sure knowledge that time itself was stopped. He could hear her slow steady heartbeat, his own fast heartbeat, hear the creak of straps around her thighs, \u201cplease Ranisha let us help. We can, we can-\u201d she smiled at him again, \u201cwe can what Hakeem? You can take me back to your base and hide me. Let Hank draw my blood? No. I\u2019m not doing that again and no one can make me. You ask Hank.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Too fast life came back and she was simply gone. In her place where the fire had been spreading from her feet, spreading like water was fresh, clean soil. Hakeem turned in place, eyes wide as the battlefield seemed to be melting away. Bodies and machines all crumbled to dirt, flames snuffed themselves out, smoke wafted away on an almost sweet cool breeze.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Downfield his team stopped moving and all watched in terror and awe. The mingled scents of terror and war faded to clean dirt, the most perfect natural blank canvas. Hakeem looked up, high above he could just see her as a black speck against a troubled sky. She was looking at him, he could feel it. He heard her voice in his ear as distinct as if she was standing there, \u201cevil is in the eye of the beholder Hakeem. Tell them to call me Eve.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With that she was gone. Hakeem Experio Ramirez fell to his knees. He started to shake, once when he was still just a tiny kid, his Meemaw who\u2019d been the one he got his abilities from had told him while she was teaching him to manage his speed in front of people, \u201cnow baby. Being able to do things isn\u2019t bad by itself, some folks are gonna treat you real nasty if they find out.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They were running together, his heart wanted to smile at the memory. During their run Meemaw saw a man dragging a little girl into a cornfield and before Hakeem could ask, she ran almost full speed that way and he followed as quick as he could. By the time he caught up his little Meemaw was holding a man with his pants unbuckled by the throat over her head, \u201cHakeem honey make sure she\u2019s okay.\u201d He went to the little girl, she was so small like his sister. He got so angry he wanted to kill the man but knew better.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meemaw shook the man like a ragdoll in one little fist then threw him on the ground. \u201cListen sir, I know sometimes it can be real hard to do the right thing and all but, this time I\u2019m gonna help you out.\u201d Hakeem held the little girl with her face in his chest while Meemaw dragged the man into the corn and beat him within an inch of his life. When she walked out Hakeem and the little girl were terrified. She smiled, checked the little girl over and kissed her cheek. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later after they\u2019d walked the little girl home and spoken to her mother Hakeem had been a little afraid of his Meemaw. She knew and when they got close to the house she sat down on a rock so they could be eye to eye, \u201cremember Hakeem. Evil is in the eye of the beholder. Ask who lookin\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hakeem returned to his team and they managed to easily get the wounded back to base. None of them had been killed, in the med bay after Hank had seen everyone, Hakeem went to him and told him everything. Hank looked at him with his narrow yellow eyes, \u201cit means someone fucked up.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It only took a matter of days before officials came and took Hakeem away. They hadn\u2019t tripped a single alarm, no one saw them get in and no one saw them get out. When Hakeem opened his eyes in bright white sterility, he understood how right she had been. The questions were easy enough at first but then they got serious. When he told them nothing, things got worse.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The last words Hakeem Experio Ramirez ever said were preserved forever in sharp digital relief.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCall her Eve.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

quickie written this morning, the idea is an X Men type universe supervillain origin story. \u201cYou can\u2019t go up there alone,\u201d Silver was on her […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,28,29],"tags":[15,22],"class_list":["post-397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-experiments","category-fiction","category-short-fiction-1k-words","tag-short-fiction","tag-writing-exercises"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":"","thumbnail":"","medium":"","medium_large":"","large":"","1536x1536":"","2048x2048":"","gbox-medium":"","gbox-large":"","gbox-vertical":"","gbox-horizontal":"","gbox-hlarge":"","slider-bg":"","card-grid":"","card-list":""},"author_info":{"display_name":"Shanz","author_link":"https:\/\/shannonbarber.com\/?author=1"},"category_info":"experiments<\/a> fiction<\/a> short fiction (+1k words)<\/a>","tag_info":"short fiction (+1k words)","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shannonbarber.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/397","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shannonbarber.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shannonbarber.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shannonbarber.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shannonbarber.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=397"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/shannonbarber.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/397\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":399,"href":"https:\/\/shannonbarber.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/397\/revisions\/399"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shannonbarber.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shannonbarber.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shannonbarber.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}