BLACKBURN, EMILIA

SEVENTEEN

FEMALE

HETEROSEXUAL

SPECIAL

WANTED THREAT

RESEARCH

Growing up with two highly ranked researchers as parents, Emilia, or Mia to her friends, was raised to think for herself and question everything, a trait that may prove imperative in the coming days. Her parents have gone missing and are presumed dead. Last she heard they were doing some research into the cause of the potentials. Now she is being hunted as well. With no where to go, Emilia is determined to discover the truth about her parents’ research and ensure justice is served. For the past few days Mia has been hiding in the streets of the Alpha sector, being careful to avoid security and scrounging whatever food and equipment she can find. She is trying to come to terms with her parents’ death and formulate a plan. Under normal circumstances, she would be described as a considerate and ethical young lady, but her current predicament has led to her valuing her own life above others, and seeking the truth, no matter the cost. Emilia is a quick thinker and is always hatching a plan. She is physically fit, but definitely not a fighter. She can lift her 5’4”, 120lb frame and not much else. She is quick and agile with above average reflexes. I look forward to developing her personality in character and watching as she transitions from a helpless teenager to a proficient fighter and learns to defend herself. Long term, I’d like to see her learn more about her parents’ disappearance and perhaps try to expose the truth about the government or something along those lines.

Emilia can always find her way out of a situation. She is a quick thinker and can improvise to create weapons and find escape routes. She has learnt a great deal about science from her parents, particularly in the field of chemistry, and knows basic first aid procedures. Mia is also a proficient liar. She can think up detailed explanations for even the most absurd of situations and maintain her composure throughout. Her age and innocent appearance also help her deceive others. She can be somewhat manipulative and is not above tempting others to get them to do what she wants.

Emilia will stop at nothing to avenge her parents in anyway she can and has little regard for those who she believes have wronged her or her family. This can lead to her being somewhat careless, getting herself into dangerous situations that could have potentially been avoided had she thought things through a little more. Her desire to learn the truth about her parents’ research drives her, often to extremes. As far as she is concerned knowing the truth and avenging her parents will help her get over their deaths.

Emilia was taught from an early age that it was good to absorb every bit of knowledge one could, and she still lives by this philosophy today. Any seemingly trivial piece of information could prove crucial later. She applies this to combat as well. Due to her small size and lack of any real combat training Mia must either outsmart opponents or run away to have any chance of surviving, and unfortunately fleeing is not always an option. Using a combination of quick wits and miscellaneous knowledge she is often able to find shortcomings in an enemy’s defenses and use that to her advantage.

It had always been the same. Like clockwork, at 6:45 PM Mr. and Mrs. Blackburn would return to their apartment on the northern edge of the Alpha Sector, telling stories, bright-eyed of the breakthroughs they’d made that day while Emilia listened attentively and asked questions. Today was the exception. Something seemed… off. Emilia couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she knew something was amiss from the moment they left this morning. Their usual enthusiasm was replaced with a look of fear. They tried to hide it, but when you've lived with someone for so long the slightest deviations can be all it takes to know something’s up. As they made their way towards the exit, waving goodbye, Emilia rushed forward and slipped in front of them, blocking the door.



“Something wrong honey?” her father asked, a foreboding tone to his words, as if something was going to be wrong very soon if it wasn't already. As far as Emilia was concerned this confirmed her suspicions. She hadn't noticed until they came closer, but her mother was white faced and looked like she was about to cry.



“I dunno, you tell me. You guys look like you've seen a ghost.”



“No… no. Nothing…” He paused for a moment and then continued to speak, clearing his throat and straightening his back slightly. “Nothing wrong. We love you, we'll be back... later.”



That was 12 hours ago. Now Emilia curled up on the couch, seemingly frozen in time. She stared at the face of the clock, watching the hands continue their futile rotations. Any minute now they would burst through that door and begin ranting about some new discovery they’d made. Only she knew that wasn't true. Her parents were very schedule-oriented people. They had only been late like this once. There had been an outbreak of an airborne pathogen at the lab. The threat was quickly contained and after being quarantined and decontaminated they were able to return home. Being late like this without letting her know was downright unheard of.



Suddenly the tell-tale sound of the squeaky floorboard outside the apartment broke the silence and she sprang up, relieved. She jogged towards the door, a smile forming on her face. The 17 year old grasped the doorknob, rotated it and pulled the door open in one smooth motion, expecting to see the apologetic faces of her parents. Instead she was greeted by 3 stern looking men in suits. Emilia looked up at their faces as one of the men awkwardly raised his upper lip in a hopeless attempt to smile.


“There’s been an incident. You need to come with us.” the man in the middle spoke in a deep monotone voice, choosing his words carefully.



“No! No…. where’s my family?” Emilia began to panic. Her heart was beating so fast she felt like it could burst from her chest at any moment. The two outermost men took a step forward and reached out to grab her. As they raised their arms she caught a brief glimpse of a gun in one of the men’s suit and immediately recoiled. She looked up at their faces and saw their weak attempt at a friendly façade had completely vanished. These were no friends of her parents. She turned and felt the cold grip of the smallest man on her forearm.



“No!” she shouted as he reeled her in. Flailing her arms, she raised her knee to her chest and then shot it back into the man’s shin, stunning him. He let go and winced slightly, before reaching for his handgun tucked away in his jacket. The other men did the same.



Emilia sprinted towards her bedroom, hearing the bullets being chambered behind her. She reached her bedroom door just as the first shot came. She leaned against the inner frame of the door for a second, nursing her ringing ears. The first bullet had narrowly missed her and buried itself deep within a band poster on the far side of her room. She reached to her left and pulled down her dresser, blocking the door, pausing a moment as she saw pictures and memorabilia from her childhood crashing to the floor.



Mia desperately looked for anything to defend herself with. Her eyes scanned the room - a few pens and pencils, some books. She spotted her snack from the night before on her bedside table and rushed towards it. Fumbling around, she managed to grab hold of a steak knife and her hoodie. She could hear the men quickly approaching.



Emilia grabbed her desk chair and swung it wildly at her window. She knew that the building was wider at the bottom than the top, and the balcony below their room reached slightly farther outward. If she landed it just right she could get into the apartment below without too much hassle. The weak wooden chair collided with the window for the third time and split in half, its usefulness exhausted. She dropped it and let out a quick sigh before resuming her search for anything else to get the window open.



Across the room, on a shelf lied a bronze statue. She had won it in a track and field competition a few years ago and would have never dreamt it being used for this. She picked up the trophy and felt its heft in her small hands. As she looked down at it she heard her door beginning to fail. The hinges were on the brink of destruction. Any minute now the men would break the door down and paint the walls with her bodily fluids.



She regained her composure and threw the trophy forward with all her might. It sailed through the air before colliding with the window, smashing it into a few jagged chunks which hit the floor with a thud. She took one final look around her room before proceeding to the broken remains of the window frame.



Emilia began climbing over, but in her haste slipped and cut her palm on a protruding piece of glass. She looked down and saw her crimson blood staining the floor. The cut was fairly deep, but manageable. Emilia shook off her wounded hand and tried again, this time being careful to grasp a part of the frame without a sharp edge. She got one leg over, and then the next as the men finally broke down the door. She ducked down as bullets flew above her, piercing the otherwise silent night.



She took one last sorrowful look back before cautiously shuffling to the right and throwing herself over the railing, holding on tight. She dangled above the balcony below for a few seconds before mustering up the bravery to let go. Mia fell a few feet before crashing into the floor below. She let out a grunt before standing up quickly and shoving open the balcony door open.



Whoever lived below seemed to be asleep as she jogged through the apartment to the exit, uninterrupted. As she opened the door to the hallway, Emilia could hear the mens' voices getting louder. She shot out into the hallway and turned to see them running towards her, guns drawn. They may be stronger, but she was faster. They raised their weapons as she turned the corner towards the elevator. She continued to run forward. Her lungs felt like they were about to give out, but she was so close. The sliding metal doors of the elevator grew bigger and bigger until they filled her whole field of view. She pounded on the “down” button and watched as it illuminated. The men turned the corner towards her as the door opened. She launched herself inside as more bullets sailed past her, shattering an advertisement on the inside of the elevator. Emilia reached up and pressed the button for the main floor. It felt like the doors were taking an eternity to close. The voices grew ever louder until they were right outside, but she had made it. The thick metal doors of the elevator fused together as the men banged on the door. She felt the elevator begin to drop and wiped the sweat from her forehead.



The hell am I going to do now? she contemplated as the elevator drew ever closer to whatever was waiting for her below.

MADE BY KIROUKO OF GANGNAM-STYLE