Interlude - Freya

Freya walks down the street of her town as she heads back to her uncle’s. The drunken cretin she has to stay with due to both of her parents serving aboard in the navy.

I suppose Uncle Larry isn’t that bad. It could be worse. He doesn’t abuse me at all and is more apathetic than neglectful or malicious.

Freya blinks as a woman steps out of nowhere in front of her. The woman looks like one of those Aphrodite parahumans and is wearing a spy catsuit.

Ohh %$£*. This can’t be good. A freaking supervillain just appeared before me.

The woman flickers her black hair behind her head and Freya doesn’t even notice as the woman draws a small stick device from her belt.

Freya blink her eyes rapidly as a small flash goes off from the woman’s hand and stumbles forward.

Freya groans as she looks around before recoiling as she realise where she is or rather, where she isn’t.

The room around her is has sleek white walls, floor and ceiling and is blank except for herself and the woman in a catsuit.

Freya coughs as the woman sprays her with something.

“What was that?” demands Freya as she takes a step back.

“Insurance,” replies the woman, “My name is Oracle Miss King.”

“What do you want?” asks Freya as she tries to take another step away from the supervillainess, but body locks up and doesn’t respond.

“A test subject who won’t be missed,” answers Oracle as she slowly saunters towards one of the walls, “It is a Friday night. Your uncle won’t realise you never returned home, your parents won’t contact you until Wednesday evening. Your classmates and teachers won’t realise you’re missing until Monday and it won’t be until Tuesday that somebody puts the pieces together and figures out you’re missing. And by then, it will have been three days and it will have been more than enough time for our purposes.”

“You don’t know that,” protests Frey fearfully.

“Sure I do,” replies Oracle with a slight chuckle, “It’s my power after all.”

A portal appears in front of her and Oracle steps into it. As the portal closes, leaving Freya alone in the barren room, Freya feels her control of her body returning.

As what has happened to her finally hits home, Freya breaks down into tears. She doesn’t even realise what is happening to her body as she loses consciousness.

Why me? Does this have to happen to me?

***

“Test Subject 3-028-F16,” says a mechanical monotone voice as Freya regains consciousness, “Wake up.”

“What, what is going on?” asks Freya as she sits up.

It comes back in a rush as Freya realises she is still in the barren white room and she whimpers.

It wasn’t a nightmare.

“The tests have been completed and the Ascendant is coming to speak with you Test Subject 3-028-F16,” says the voice.

“Test subject 3-02-what it is, is that what I’m called now?” mutters Freya as she curls up. 

“Not at all Miss King,” replies a gentleman and Freya looks up to see a man exiting a portal.

The man is late middle aged with short and well-kept black hair streaked with grey. His skin is slightly wrinkled while his face looks concerned and caring.

“Who are you?” asks Freya.

“I am the Ascendant,” answers the man as he knees down so he can look Freya in the eye, “I’m sorry about how my associate Oracle has treated you Freya. Do you mind if I call you Freya? Anyway, Oracle isn’t much of a people person and since her power told her you wouldn’t join our organisation, she saw no need to treat you decently. Not that it excuses what you gone through at all. So my apologies for that.”

“Umm, you’re welcome,” replies Freya.

He doesn’t seem so bad.

“Would you like to know what is going to happen to you?” asks the Ascendant kindly.

“Yes please sir,” replies Freya.

“Splendid,” says the Ascendant cheerfully, “Just come with me then.”

He helps Freya to her feet and leads her over to the wall just in time for a portal to appear in front of them.

“Just this way dear,” says the Ascendant as they both step through it.

Freya looks around the room they appear in. It is a pleasant, fancy office feel to with wooden walls and door in addition to traditional wooden desk. A soft green carpet covers the floor while the desk as a computer on it with three different screens. Behind the desk is a large fancy armchair with a tall back.

“This is my office,” says the Ascendant, “I hope you don’t mind standing. I would have another chair, but it is extremely rare for me to have guests so I haven’t gotten around to it yet.”

“Not at all Mr Ascendant,” replies Freya as she looks around, “This is a very nice office you don’t mind saying so.”

“I’m glad you like it,” replies the Ascendant as he sits down at the desk, “Now if you just like to stand behind me and I will show you some things on my computer here.”

“Okay,” says Freya as she does as the Ascendants says.

“Take a look at this,” says the Ascendant as one of the screens shows a bar chart.

“What is this?” asks Freya as she looks at it.

­Red - 19

Blue - 3

Black - 19

Purple - 5

Yellow - 8

Pink - 3

Green - 11

White - 8

“What do all of these mean?” asks Freya.

“These are the colours of the Shard that my organisation will insert you with,” replies the Ascendant.

“The Shard?” asks Freya nervously.

“A form of power, one of several types,” answers the Ascendant as Freya feels her body freezing up again, “I would ask you if you mind this happening to you, but that would imply you had a choice and the only purpose of your answer would be to make me feel better. And so I won’t give you a false choice to make me feel better.”

The Ascendant is silence as he draws a hi-tech tube containing a silver liquid inside.

“And I will apologise in advance for changing your memories of this day and the last one,” says Ascendant, sounding genuine to Freya as her world goes black, “We can’t let you retain the knowledge you have gained about us if you’re not going to join us.”

***

Freya groans as she wakes up. She looks around, realising she is half submerged in the local river on the outskirts of town.

She pulls herself out of it easily before evaluating the situation.

Let’s see, I got a completely different body, no memories of the last two days, but I don’t feel tired at all. Not only that, but I can sense this water, the liquids in my body, the liquids in all the plants. How is sensing all of that not driving me insane? How I am not freaking out? I just feel...so calm and serene.

Freya looks around her body.

I got big breasts, a nice butt and a very good figure. And my clothes are still intact somehow. They’re still no longer fit to wear, but at least I still got some modesty. To be honest, I would have expected them to fall if not be completely destroyed. I mean, they should be. I should count myself lucky.

Ha! I’m lucky indeed. I got *&%#ing superpowers and what I bet is one of those freaking awesome Aphrodite bodies as well.

Now all I have to do is get back home and prove to people who I am. Which will be harder since no one saw my manifestation.