Bea piped up. "I suppose the quicker I get to the point, the better. Ayako, my company, so to speak, specializes in the study of Amplifiers, and we are almost finished on my latest project, which is figuring out how to transfer powers between individuals. We are called the Shaded Organization, and we have been tracking you-"

"Tracking me? You creep! Just let me leave now!

“Just let me finish, please. We have been tracking you because we want to offer you a spot in the Shaded Organization.”

“And what’ll I do, kidnap people?”

“Sorry about kidnapping you and all, but no. You’ll be, sort of our poster child.”

Archie asked, “Can we show her the, er, classified information?”

“Yes, I think we can, it’ll help to persuade her to join,” Beatrice answered.

She led us up the stairs from the room James and Azar left.

The room was dark, but two cage-like things stood in the corner. Wires were strung all around, and charts and graphs were strewn on tables and counters.

As I approached the cage, I heard a mutter.

Something was inside. Listening closer, I deciphered the mumbled words.

The man in the cage was saying “Help me”.

I turned to the group. “What is this?”

Beatrice smiled. “Our group has been in charge of the kidnappings of high powered individuals. We’ve been taking them because we are examining their powers to see if we can extract them and, well, place that power inside ourselves.”

“What?!” I gasped. “And you wanted me to join you?”

“Well, coming from an important family means that, if hired, our group will seem more professional, so to speak,” Archie said.

“And you thought seeing this would encourage me?! You’re all crazy!”

“Well. if you say that, Ayako, we can’t let you leave.”

They surrounded me, pushing me into the wall.

I glance at the door, imagining ways I could make my escape.

But it seemed as if I was going to get help with that.

A small girl was slowly opening the door, and luckily, she was going unnoticed.

I stared at her, she seemed to be talking to herself.

When Beatrice and her lackeys were about to close in, a bright, white light filled the whole room, and Beatrice fell to the ground, followed by everybody else but me and the girl.

“C’mon,” she said. “They’re stunned, so unless you want to get trapped again, follow me.”