[center][color=deeppink][h1]Meleena Steele[/h1][/color][/center]

[center]Morning, Training room 1A[/center]

[i]"Hostage damaged. Simulation failed"[/i]

A cry of anger and a loud slam echoed through the now empty white room, projections and holograms fading into the background as the blonde haired bombshell took a few deep breaths. Dressed in her skin tight hero costume, her hood plastered to her back, and a few beads of sweat dripping from her brow, she had been running this simulation over and over again. When she wasn't in here practicing, she was running the scenario in her head through classes. Those robotic words and the fading of holograms was all to familiar to her, and it ripped her insides to bits thinking about it.

Meleena was no stranger to tests and exams, especially for hero work. She passed most with flying colors, an experienced and passionate hero, there were almost no obstacles that could stand in her way, no mountain she couldn't climb over. Or, in her case, bast through the walls that bogged her down. Nobody dared duel her now after the countless attempts before ending in hospital visits for the other students. As a foe, she was quite the menace. But not all missions required brute force...

[center]One Week Earlier, Mission Briefing[/center]

Kane Anderson and Meleena Steele were assigned to take down a small criminal base located in New York, which happened to be part of a long series of investigations that Kane worked on in the future. At the time they didn't know that this would lead to something so large. It was your normal, run of the mill sting operation. Beat the bad guys, arrest them, get out of there. Simple enough, and something that Meleena was especially good in. Kane could hold his own in a fight, but having that much fire power on your team was always a good thing. 

They both normally worked solo, but when a partner was necessary, they normally chose each other. While their powers contrasted greatly, they also complimented each other well. Meleena was very powerful, but sometimes unstable, and sometimes others would be caught in the cross fire if they didn't get the hell out of the way. Kane could be in the thick of the fight and easily avoid her attacks, phasing and unphasing through them. This way, Mel could go all out and not have to worry about her teammate. Likewise, Kane could appreciate her offensive power being a great distraction, so that he could easily weave through the battlefield and take out unsuspecting victims. Also, it was very common for Kane to keep her out of trouble, phasing her or others that were in harms way. It was an unlikely duo, but there was not much they couldn't do together. They weren't a famous duo, more respected and well known for individual feats, but they weren't a bad team for not working with others.

Except, this mission quickly turned sideways. New intelligence came in, and it seemed like there was an underground slave trade going on, and the place where they were about to raid had them inside. This was now a hostage situation, and they needed to extract them without putting them in harm's way. This complicated things quite a bit. There was a lot more steps and precautions involved now to assure the safety of the victims involved. 

"Supernova... I'm sorry to say, but due to the nature of this mission, I'll have to ask you to step down." The mission leader said, keeping his face straight and his voice stern. He knew how this was going to go.

[color=deeppink]"Are you fucking kidding me?"[/color] the super heroine said, getting out of her chair and looking at him face to face. [color=deeppink]"I can handle this, I am one of the best heroes in the academy. Just because there's civilians at stake doesn't mean I can't handle it. I could do this entire thing by myself, no thanks to your sorry ass."[/color]

[color=cyan]"Mel..."[/color] Kane said, putting a hand on Meleena's shoulder. She tensed up, then slowly relaxed and breathed slowly. [color=cyan]"Look, I know it's hard for anybody to tell you no... especially me. But he's right. Sometimes it's a little bit dangerous, for everybody, when you're involved. But that's not your fault, you're still controlling your powers."[/color]

Meleena turns to him, her face going from angry to sad as she looked up at him. Her "big brother", who she looked up to all the time, now telling her that she couldn't do it either. [color=deeppink]"I [i]can[/i] do it. I've been practicing! Just give me a chance Kane. I promise I won't let you down."[/color]

[color=cyan]"You never let me down."[/color] Kane smiled, holding both her hands in his, looking down at her. [color=cyan]"But sometimes people are good at different things. I'm good at spy work and hostage situations, and you're good and ass kicking. I know you want to do this, but you have to trust me that I'll do a good job too. Come on, don't you have faith in Ghost?"[/color]Kane laughed, tucking some blonde hair behind Mel's ear.

Meleena simply nodded, tears welling on her cheeks as she buried her head in his chest. The two embraced, and Kane slowly brushed her hair as she quietly sobbed into her supersuit. She was frustrated and upset, but she understood what he was saying... but that didn't mean she liked it.

She looked up, wiping away one of her tears. She smiled back too, punching his arm. [color=deeppink]"You better do a good job, or I'll use those ass kicking skills on you."[/color]

[center]Present Day, Training facility[/center]

After a few deep breaths, Meleena sighed and cracked her knuckles. She had to do this for him. To prove to him and everybody else that she was in control. That she could [i]save[/i] people. What good was being a superhero if you couldn't even save the people that you're sworn to protect? If she ever wanted to be a good superhero, she needed to save people. She needed to not be a danger to the people she was protecting. 

[color=deeppink]"Run the hostage simulation again."[/color]


[i]"This is the 137th time you are running this simulation. Are you sure you want to continue?"[/i]

Meleena flipped her hood, her hands glowing red with energy, sparking and crackling. Her eyes turned a blood orange color. She smirked.

[color=deeppink]"I [i]said[/i] run the damn simulation. Don't make me tell you again or I'll scrap you for parts, you metallic excuse for a robot."[/color]