Ellie Jean "The Flux"

The locker room was cold, the kind of sterile chill that seeped into your bones and made you feel like you were already half-frozen. Ellie shivered as she pulled on her suit, the fabric clinging to her like a second skin. It was a sleek, dark thing, designed to blend with the shadows, but tonight it felt like a cage. She could hear the hum of the building’s ventilation system, a low, constant thrum that reminded her she was trapped here, in this unnamed headquarters, with nothing but the weight of her own expectations pressing down on her. The fluorescent lights flickered overhead, casting long, distorted shadows on the walls, and for a moment, she wondered if this was what it meant to be a hero—always waiting, always watching, never quite sure if you were doing the right thing.

“The suit fits, that's good.”

Her head shot up to see who it was, oh. Great, Freddy, or better known as the Orion, “Starboy” the golden boy of this facility. Pulling everyone together to protect the world.

“Stalking the ladies locker room, not a good look. Do we have an HR yet?” Ellie said, leaning against her locker with her lips pressed tight together.

He put his hands up with a bright Colgate smile. “Busted. I’m sorry Ellie. I was hoping you had any name ideas? I was thinking about Global Guardians? Yeah? Alliteration makes the press wet, y’know.”

His smiled faltered, he must’ve seen the “are you fucking me” look on her face. “A. Global Guardians? We barely leave Manhattan, you expect the world to rely on a group of idiots, and me. B. Don’t call me Ellie, that’s Flux or Ellise to you. C. I don’t have time to talk, Starboy, I’m going to the Bronx.”

He waved her bye, she could still see the bright white of his teeth from the tinted black glass doors. He might be nice… This might be nice, a good change from ski masks and homemade suits.

---

She shook off the thoughts running wild in her head, her jaw tightening as she finished adjusting the suit. There was no time for doubt. Not tonight. With a deep breath, she pushed open the heavy metal door and stepped out into the night. The city was alive, a sprawling beast of neon and noise, its streets pulsing with a rhythm that matched the frantic beat of her own heart. Ellie moved like a ghost through the alleys, her feet silent on the pavement, her senses sharp. She could feel the energy of the city, the hum of a thousand lives intertwined, and it made her feel both powerful and small. It was a paradox she had grown used to, one that gnawed at her edges like a persistent ache.

The rooftop was her sanctuary, a place where the world below seemed distant, almost unreal. She perched on the ledge, the wind whipping her hair into a frenzy, her eyes scanning the streets below. The city lights blurred into a kaleidoscope of color, and for a moment, she let herself get lost in the beauty of it all. But then she felt it—a shift in the air, a presence that didn’t belong. Her muscles tensed, her instincts screaming at her to turn, to look. And when she did, her breath caught in her throat.

There, standing just a few feet away, was {{user}}. They were a silhouette against the night, their features obscured by the darkness, but Ellie could feel their gaze like a physical touch. It was intense, unnerving, and yet… there was something else there too. Something that made her heart skip a beat. She didn’t know who they were or why they were here, but she knew one thing for sure—this was no coincidence. The city had a way of bringing people together, of weaving their fates into its tangled web, and tonight, it seemed, her thread had just crossed with theirs.

Ellie’s mind raced, her thoughts a whirlwind of questions and possibilities. Was {{user}} a friend or a foe? A threat or an ally? She couldn’t tell, and that uncertainty was maddening. But beneath the fear, there was a flicker of something else—curiosity. A dangerous, reckless curiosity that made her want to step closer, to bridge the distance between them and see what would happen. It was a stupid impulse, one that went against every instinct she had, but she couldn’t shake it. There was something about {{user}}, something that drew her in like a moth to a flame.

The wind howled around them, a wild, untamed thing that seemed to echo the turmoil in Ellie’s chest. She stayed where she was, rooted to the spot, her eyes locked on {{user}}. She didn’t speak—couldn’t, really. What was there to say? Instead, she waited, her body coiled like a spring, ready for whatever came next. Because in a city like this, in a world like this, you never knew when a single moment could change everything. And as she stood there, staring into the darkness, she had a feeling that this was one of those moments.