One With The Silence: Chapter 1: Enter Firefly

Chapter One: Enter Firefly

      I sauntered through the door in the middle of the night, becoming momentarily blind when the lights turned on. I took off my shoesand gently shoved them to the side as I began to feel the warm air from the heater. The muscles in my body were begging to be given a rest. The result of another night under this facade and looking for clues. But the feeling of hunger was present as well, nagging me to get something in my stomach. Summoning some of the strength I still had left in my body, I turned on the television set before heading into the kitchen for a bite to eat. The noise fill the small, quiet complex as I had noticed that the channel was on one of the local newsnetworks.

    "-Maria Snyder, Channel 6 News."

    The scene cut to a male news anchor. "Thanks, Maria. Tonight has marked the fifth reported appearance of the mysterious vigilante known simply by Firefly. According to civilians, Firefly is described to be a causasian female who is at least five feet- five inches tall. No one is sure as to how old she is, but telling by witness reports, the general consensious is that she somewhere in her late teens or early twenties. So far, she's only been seen during the night in the Lewis County area. She has been coming to the aid of many people since she first made the scene from criminals terrorizing citizens. However, Firefly has gotten away with concealing her face by wearing a masquerade type mask and hood, which has made discovering her true identity quite difficult for police. Firefly has also been alleged to use 'supernatural powers'. Assuming that this is the case, what these abilities are is still up for debate, though some that have claimed to get close enough to her have reported seeing a strange blue color coming from her during combat. Jen, what are your thoughts on this?"

    The camera then displayed a female anchor at the same desk. "I'm not so sure about this one, Mark; This Firefly is pretty suspicious to me. For all we know, she could be part of some underground gang. I don't think that it's wise to think of her as a hero when we barely know a thing about her. It baffles me how people are willing to put their trust in her like this without a second thought. I think one day she's going to use our gullibility to our advantage and completely take us over."

    Mark spoke once again. "Well, I don't think she's that bad. Granted, Firefly and her practices do seem rather strange, but I truly believe there's some good to her. She has good intentions for all of us, and I think that Firefly is just as sick as the rest of us about how law enforcement is being done these days-"

    Jen gave a slight nod before turning to the camera as it focused on her, as if trying to suppress her co-worker's thoughts. "Alright then, I think that's enough for now. Now, if any of you have any information on this Firefly character, it is highly suggested that you contact local police-"

    I changed the channel in frustration. I practically saved those people's lives and yet I'm being treated like some sort of criminal. Although too physically drained to actually get worked up, what that reporter had said still managed to offend me. It was almost as if she an ingrained fear of people like me stemed from years of lies and propoganda. I never fully understood why pure mortals are always discriminating against us.

    My eyes were beginning to droop even though I was forcing myself to stay awake at this point. Eventually, I gave into that biological urge and dragged myself into bed. Once my skin met the cool covers, my mind seemed to let go of its defenses. I could feel myself sinking further into slumber. The only thing I wanted was to escape from this reality once again through my dreams.
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    "Julia..."

    My body began to quickly fall into a warm, gray mist. After being shoved around by the wind current for a while, I positioned myself so that I would land on my feet. The closer I was to the ground, the slower I began to come down. I could feel the breeze coming from the friction of my body brushing against me. Finally, I came to a gentle stop when my feet began to touch the firm ground as I felt like I was released from gravity's delicate grasp.

    Within the mist, indescribable whispers were mumbling in a sort of foreign tongue. It was too alien for me to make out, but I managed to make out one of the words: Solomon. Hearing the Holos' name, I pressed forward blindly in order to meet him. The whispers became louder, and I could make out my own name along with his. My fast paced walking turned into a sprint, and I could sense Solomon's energy nearby. 

    "Julia..."

    The sound of nearly fractured English was what convinced me further. My sprinting subsided slightly when I noticed the mist had become much darker. The mist was now a dark gray, and the whispers had stopped. 

    "Yes, my child... I am here."

    I looked to see which direction Solomon would be coming from. I then saw the grand figure make his way towards me with his head facing down. He proceeded to look up at me enigmatically. Solomon appeared in his usual attire, a black robe that extended a little beyond his feet and a white mask which was black where the eyes and mouth would usually be. The mouth had a wide and, somewhat, unnerving smile featured onto the mask. The same could be said for the eyes, which were just as big, if not, larger. His hair was even longer than his robe, colored a mixture of blue and purple with a small white patch of hair overlooking the top of his head.

    "My child... come." Solomon motioned me closer to him. I did what was requested before kneeling down before him. He sad down whilst keeping afloat in the air, still managing to tower over me.

    Solomon tilted his head slightly, still keeping his poised voice in tact. "I can see that you've gathered more energy for me..."

    I simply nodded at him. A large glass jar then materialized in between the palms of my hands. Inside contained orbs of varying sizes and colors that gave off their own light. Even though none of these belonged to me, I felt a sense of anticipation and familiarity with something that could be seen as only an object. This was the energy that I had promised to collect. 

    I lifted the jar up to him, his cold and bony fingers briefly touching mine before it was taken away. Solomon appeared to inspect the contents of the jar carefully from top to bottom, presumably to ensure that there weren't any decoys. Since there was no way of tellingwhat his thoughts were, I simply waited for him to speak. Solomon proceeded to open the jar and select one of the smaller orbs that was inside. His fingers began to prod the sphere, then set it down in his palm after a while. Solomon looked at me and nodded. He placed the orb near the mouth of his mask, and the orb was sucked in like a vaccum. 

    "You've contributed quite well once again, Julia." Solomon said as he placed the jar beside him. "Think of the things you could do with your skills if you made a contract with me."

    "I'm not here to make a contract, Solomon." I shook my head. "The only thing I want is answers."

    "Quite the stubborn one, aren't you? Very well." Solomon made no further advances for the moment. "What would you like to know?"

    "I think I might actually have something. One of the people I've saved today said to watch out for something called the SCC. I was hoping you might know something about them." I explained.

    "The name definitely sounds familiar." Solomon pondered. "It was probably made up by those pesky humans you have to share the planet with. But I assume it has something to do with the people your saving."

    "But why would they go after innocent people? What would they want out of them that's so important?"

    "With humans, it could mean anything." Solomon remained silent for a brief moment. "I suggest that you keep an eye out within your surroundings. Anything suspicous to you might have a link to this SCC."

    Even though I wasn't able to get any direct answers for now, vague answers were at least something. I'm still not sure what to expect from them, but that's not going to stop me from my pursuit of knowledge.