Evolve - Chapter 15 Chapter 15

“So how exactly do we know if we’ve got recruits?” Asks Toni

Now that’s a good question. “I’m not too sure, Janice had some kind of plan on how the video slips a subliminal message into the brain that burns into the subconscious a location and time for where people who wanna get recruited would meet us.” I say

“So they’ll see all that in their dreams and wake up? What if the subliminal messages gets the wrong people?” Asks Toni

“That’s why were here so we can get the one person who can answer those questions.” I say

And the here where Toni and I are is the market place I saw from Frank’s office. Somewhere near is the building and we have to break in to break out but to do that we need to find an entrance to the invisible building.

This time though we have more than two thirds of a plan, we’re in teams of two, well with the exception of Carla who insisted on being alone. Toni’s with me, Marc and Nicole together that way it’s easier to bug out if things go south. We did still bring a car.

The market is a bustle of people and noise, it’s also got a lot of WECA cops, our advantage is that the market is big with a lot of stalls and a lot of noise so it’s easy to evade getting scanned and detected as not a Pledge by that glass technology of their. We just need to wait for the signal.

“I hope Carla’s gonna be okay.” Says Toni.

“She’ll be fine, it’s her plan after all.” I say patting him on the back in hopes it’ll convince him, because I’m convinced considering it’s not my plan so there’s less chances it goes south.

Toni’s phone rings for exactly ten seconds before stopping. The signal that Carla or Marc and Nicole have found a way in. We were just on stand by.

“Let’s boogy.” Says Toni. Didn’t know the kid had it in him to be honest, thought I was quirky one.

It takes a little longer than I’d like for Toni and I to reach where the others are since we’re avoiding using our powers, I almost forgot what a pain it was to wait for a car just so I can cross the street.

We reach what seems like a block of houses until Carla emeges straight through the walls of one house.

I’m realising now that I never really did get to see how Janice’s set up invisibility tech looked from the outside, I gotta say fake houses that’s clever.

“Took you long enough.” She says

“Well neither of us has super speed so.” I say

Toni and I follow her through. “Watch your heads.” She says so I duck as we are immediately plunged into darkness.

“Careful there’s a drop in about five more steps.” She says and sure enough there is a drop.

After the drop we enter a large near dark room, all around is a lot of spaced apart large geysers connected by what looks like pipes, it’s not completely dark because fortunately there’s a little light coming in through a few cracked painted over windows.

I can just barely make out Marc and Nicole as we approach them.

“Where are we?” Asks Toni

“In the building’s boiler room.” Says Carla

“My first time in a boiler room I gotta say, usually this is where a showdown would happen in basically any movie ever.” I say

“That’s what I said when we got here.” Adds Marc

“Alright, alright… What counts is we’re in which means Toni and Marc you are up.” Says Carla

Part of Carla’s plan is that Toni’s invisibility and Marc’s intangibility makes them the best bet to get around undetected and find Janice without a ruckus being set off. But of course we’re also here to set off a ruckus, but going with Carla’s plan it’s better to set off an outgoing ruckus than to do both an ingoing surprise ruckus and the difficult ‘lets get out of here’ outgoing ruckus.

Marc and Toni nod.

“Hey can you take someone with you when you go through stuff?” Asks Toni as they walk towards the exit.

Marc shrugs, “I dunno, haven’t tried it. Wanna give it a go?”

“Yeah.” Replies Toni

As they reach the door Marc places a hand over Toni’s arm and walks through the door with Toni following close behind and he does indeed walk through the wall Bobby and Kitty X-Men style.

“The waiting’s always the hard part.” I say leaning against one of the geysers, it feels warm.

“Got a problem with my plan?” Asks Carla

“It’s totally bogus.” I say sarcastically and with the little light in her I catch a smile on her face.

“We should have gone with my plan, beat our way through everyone find those girls and deliver a second beating on our way out.” Says Nicole folding her arms and sititng on the floor.

“Technically we are still gonna deliver a beating on some people.” Says Carla

Hopefully, I’m a little nervous about getting into a fight given recent history.

“Besides we don’t know how many people are up there or what kind of powers or how many have powers or what kind of artillery they’ve got. Good thing is we might not have to fight at all considering Marc can walk people through walls.” I say.

Carl suddenly pulls out her phone and answers it.

“That was fast.” I whisper.

Carla nods for a few moments, “Okay. We’re coming.” Then puts her phone in her pocket.

“They’ve found them but they’re under guard, they have them on the empty top floor, Marc thinks it smells like a trap which means it’s plan B, shock and awe.” She says

Shock and awe is the plan where Nicole and I go outside, fly up to where the girls and bust in all SWAT team like and bug out with everyone. It sounds simple in theory.

“Nicole you have an enhan sense of smell in dragon mode right?” Asks Carla

“Yeah.” She replies

“Good, that’s how you’ll know you’re on the top floor just find Toni or Marc’s smell, stay together.” She says.

I’ll admit I’m like how self assured she is. Looking like a better leader than me that’s for sure. Nicole turns to leave and heads toward the hole we came in through. I grab Carla’s arm and I’m not entirely sure why.

“See you at the top.” I say.

“Yeah.” She replies with a nod.

I watch her reach the door in a flash and open it with ease, I’m guessing she augmented the lock so it isn’t locked or maybe the door wasn’t locked to begin with.

I run to catch up with Nicole who’s already half way out. As soon as we make it out she goes dragon mode.

“We gotta move fast make it as less likely that we’ll get seeing shooting up as we can… Lead the way.” I say

“Hopefully it ain’t a trap.” She says

Nicole blasts into the air at a ridiculous speed and I blast off right after her scaling up an invisible building, she suddenly comes to a stop midair and and shoots forward horizontal and explodes into the building in a cloud of debris and broken glass.

Way to make an entrance Nicole.

I follow in right after her in the hole she made and enter just as she smashes one of the two guards into the floor, I fly toward the other and come a sudden stop right in front of him then clean his clock with a hard augmented right hook.

Sure enough there is Janice and Winter but neither of them is conscious but thankfully alive and they are both bound and gagged though. Toni, Carla and Marc rush into the room.

Augmenting my strength I grab Janice and Head for the hole Nicole made then lift off and fly forward but immediately bounce right off some invisible wall now set firmly in the hole.

So it really is a trap.

Toni immediately uses his telekinesis and blows half the wall apart and Nicole tries to head out but zero luck as she bounces off too.

I hear a series of clicking noises coming from the otherside of the room we’re in.

“DOWN!” Screams Toni.

As he raises his hands the walls around us explode with gun fire, Instinctively I cover up and throw up a wall of energy which deflects a couple of bullets, out of the corner of my eye I catch sight of Janice standing Infront of Marc and Carla shielding them momentarily just before Toni’s telekinetic bubble covers all of us, but it won’t hold forever because I can see the strain on his face.

I hope her skin’s thick enough.

The the gunfire stops, I take a stance preparing for whatever’s next but instead the walls around us fall reduced back to sand and cement.

And it goes from bad to real bad, because we’re surrounded by maybe thirty people each of them carrying a gun. And right at the front with a pistol raised is Frank, standing next to Frank, lowering her hands is Becky the girl with the dragon tattoo from the tech floor, I’m guessing she’s the one who dusted the walls but who’s the one putting up the barrier stopping us from leaving, take that person out and we’re home free.

My eyes scan the people around us hoping for some kind of sign but zero luck I can’t find him or her.

“The five all gracing us with their presence, this is something,” he says with a smile, ” and I told everyone you’d be hard to kill. But I wonder how you long you’ll hold up.”

Toni flicks his hands and sends the bullets that were shot fired back where they came but all the bullets are attracted towards someone with a shaggy hair who steps out of line with a hand raised, all the bullets fall at his feet.

Holy magnito.

My attention turns back to Frank, I wish this dude had eyes and not goggles so I could somehow poke them out, but I need to buy us time while we figure a way around this, a plan C so to speak.

And I need to do it fast because I can tell everyone’s itching for a fight Marc’s body’s crackling with electricity, Nicole looks like she’s literally chomping at the bit, heat is radiating off Carla, I eye Toni who meets my eye and I shake my head slightly, not yet.

“Why are you doing this?” I ask

“You’re messing with the order of things, kid. The stuff we do here at the anti-WECA may seem inadequate but we’re chipping away the wall slowly. And you just wanna blow it up in one go there are consequences for that, the chaos that was growing from a year ago will return. Have you seen the amount of death the five of you have on your hands? You five got the Pope killed, the frigging Pope and now you’re spreading propaganda asking more people to die because you wanna start a war. Not to mention you’re all walking ability enhancements who have been caught by WECA before and might again. I can’t have that.” He says straightening up.

“Better to start a war than whatever the hell this is, you have no grasp on what WECA has planned.” Not that I have too much lf a grasp either but thats why we have this team.

“Those things that killed people are barely the tip of the iceberg Frank, something bad is coming and they’re getting ready to bring that hammer down and like it or not we’re the ones prepared to hit em before they’re ready…. Call it whatever you wanna call it, you don’t need to tell me what it’s gonna cost.” I say darkly

“And you think you’re ready for that? Death? Deaths of people you don’t know? People who will look to you?” Asks Frank

The ones it’s going you might give me a chance to test the death thing right here and now.

I chuckle, “Funny thing is we wanted to raise armies world wide and put them in your hands, that was part of the plan I guess that’s been expunged, if all the other cell leaders are close minded pricks like you.” I say before turning to the people surrounding us.

“What say you?” I ask, “Don’t you want more? A quick end to this shit? Or do you wanna fight on and on for years and years winning little battles or do wanna fight the big one and win?”

It’s Frank’s turn to chuckle, “Those people who’d have joined you are gone, I put bullets in them myself last night when the lot of them approached me all excited about the prospect of joining you. The down side is I lost one of my best men, you see they were lead by Han who I believe had a soft spot for you.” He says

My eyes widen in shock and I turn to the others who look just as horrified.

This S.O.B killed Han.

My hands start vibrating with energy, Frank smiles and backs into his troops disappearing out the exit.

“Ladies and gentlemen this is your captain speaking, you have my permission as leader to go absolutely wild because we’re bringing this building down.” I say.

Then I burst forward sideways swipping my hands out firing an anger fueled blast of energy just as Toni lowers his telekinetic wall, the blast crashes into everyone infront of me sending them flying through the windows on the opposite end of the massive open space, if there were walls they’d have bee saved.

I start running, to go after Frank because I wanna rip that bastard’s beating strawberry tart out of his chest.

A couple of Frank’s try to stop me and I’m about to react when Marc walks through me mid spin firing electric shots through kicks knocking them out.

“The girls and the kid have got this, so it’s you and me chief.” He says and I nod.

I take a brief look back and its a flurry of flying bodies, fire and Carla zipping around, Toni is being a lot more nimble actually punching and kicking mixing it up with his telekinesis, and invisibility, that’s something new.

Marc and I head down the stairs running quickly, Frank ought to be on his floor, at least I hope he his. But like any classic video game there’s gonna be the small fry to fight before getting to the boss battle and sure the first few appear. A lot of the residents are mostly running and locking themselves indoors, people with families included, that kinda touches at me a twinge it’s not all bad guys there’s some families here too.

Out first encounter is with three boys standing at the base of the stairs that join hands and merge into one large muscular fellow that barely fits into the hallway, he swipes a large punch and Marc jumps over the arm and through the sideways v shape between stairs and onto the next flight below.

I augment my strength and charge landing a firm punch to the Union man’s gut which barely phases him, crap. I’m barely able to float backwards to dodge a punch that caves in the stairs below my feet. I float back and land on a step the large union man roars in anger as he gets electrocuted by Marc who’s below.

Union man spins angrily sending debris flying all around as bits of the structure break off from his movements, this forces me to throw out a few condensed energy blasts to break up some debris headed my way.

“This is taking too long and we’re not being very effective, keep going I’m going through the hole!” I say as I move and jump through the hole.

I land on the bottom flight and continue the run down with Marc.

On the way down we fight a lot of smaller fry people with strange powers, there was one guy who had the ability to conjure up small blocks of wood and throw them, that was it. Eventually we make it to the fourth floor. Where we find Frank standing waiting with his pistol pointed as soon as we come around, he immediately fires at us, Marc goes intangible and I throw a wave of energy knocking maybe one or two shots off course but one grazes my shoulder.

It hurts and blood trickles down from the wound.

He’s about to fire but cocks his head and takes a step back and into his office, then I realise that the ground is shaking but why is the ground shaki—.

A large boom echoes as the ceiling explodes and there lands Union man and he’s furious. A big hole with bits of debris trickling from it is over his head.

Wide eyed Marc and I exhange a look and I nod toward Union man.

“You’re not serious.” Says Marc.

“Boss battle bro,” I say

“Jeez, you and those references. It’s gonna be a tight space fight, go ahead.” He says

“That should be an advantage, you’re a nimble guy. Good luck.” I say.

Marc distracts him and I exit through the window by the hall to the outside and fly around the building running my finger tips along it as I fly so I don’t get lost. On the other side I use the market place to guage where Frank’s window might be the turn in hard and crash through when I think it’s about right and immediately taking cover behind his desk after I enter as he starts shooting.

“Why didn’t you kill Janice!?” I ask

“I go blind without her.” He replies just before firing his last shot.

I immediately come out of cover and jump over the table sneaking a condensed shot energy shot which surprisingly Frank dodges with ease. No matter, he was lucky.

I move swiftly turning on augmentation and swing looking to hit his jaw, but he ducks easily my fist instead breaks off a piece of wall, Frank bops me on the nose hard with an open palm strike which causes my eyes to water. With blurred vision I twist and throw a mule kill, which again Frank dodges with a side step, this time he grabs my extended leg and pulls me off balance sending me crashing into the floor face first.

What on earth is going on? Is this some kung Fu move prediction stuff.

On the other side of the door all I hear is the sound of carnage, angry screams from the Union man and the sound of electricity.

I push up to my feet and stand shake off the slight bit of daze I feel.

“You look baffled Terry,” he says as I take a street style boxer stance taught to me by Marc and approach throwing jabs which he dodges and ducks as if my moves are being telegraphed to his brain.

“Time is a tricky thing,” he says as he dodges everything I throw at him, “I can see your moves before you make them.”

Ignoring his words I mix it up and throw energy fueled jabs that have an after blow but he still dodges them.

So I’m fighting a guy who’s basically seeing time, right about now would be a good time to have some atium so I could cancel out his time seeing power but then again that’s sort of mixing in sci-fi and fantasy. Also should I really be thinking such mid-battle?

Frank connects with a series of quick punches that shouldn’t hurt as much as they do considering I have my augmentation on. My knees give out on me and I fall on all fours, Frank kicks me hard in the face.

“I’ve learned a lot things in my life including the right points to hit on a body, I’ll admit you’re powerful and if didn’t have the ability I have I would have been arse kicked the moment your burst through that window.” Says Frank.

I try to stand but my limbs are numb almost too numb to move, I use the wall behind me to drag myself up to a vertical base and stare at Frank.

I need to distract him while I try something.

“What’d you do to me?” I ask

“Something taught to me by your friend Han, rest his soul.” He says putting his hands together cynically.

“You’re a sick man.” I say

“Oh am I? And you’re misguided a child given more responsibility than he knows to use.” He says gesturing.

“Misguided?” I say stumbling toward him hoping the idea I have in my head works, and he doesn’t dodge he buys my weak act and allows me to place a hand on him.

“Says the arrogant guy with future vision who can’t tell he’s been checked mated.” I say with a smile as I push off him.

By putting a hand on him I was able to sneak bits of my energy projection power into his body and wrapped it around his heart. So I use that energy with a smile, closing my hand slowly crushing his heart within it, Frank drops to his knees as he claws at his chest in pain taking gasping breaths.

And this is probably very villain like of me but what the heck, blurred lines right?

I walk toward him and scoot down front of him then with my free hand force him to look at me.

“I wanted you to be a part of the movement that changed the world, technically for the second time, because the world has already been changed once before over a year ago now. But you chose this.” I say

“He….. Won’t….. Let you…. You….. Can’t…. Beat Carmichael…. I couldn’t.” Says Frank his face twisting in frustration.

“You were working with him?” I ask

“…. We wouldn’t…. Be…. Here…. I did it …. For them.” He says

“You know you were the coolest thing I saw after I woke up,” I say reaching for his goggles and unclippiny them letting them fall to the floor, “but I see now you were weak. I’m always criticising myself thinking I’m not strong enough but at least I don’t pretend to be something I’m not.”

Franks eyes are auburn and they are pleading as I close my fist and crush his heart, I watch as the light leaves his eyes and he collapses to the floor.

So that’s what death looks like. I’m not sure if I should feel worse than I do right now. Maybe later.

I pick up Frank’s body and exit the office into the hallway, a hallway that is absolutely smashed up to crap with a barely recognisable staircase Union man is gone and on the floor lie the three boys that make him, for a moment I think they’re dead until I see their chests heaving. Which is relief.

Seated ln the floor looking tired with a busted lip and swollen eye is Marc who stands as I exit.

“Our ticket out of here?” He asks pointing at Frank.

“Something like that, I figure the whole monarchy is down stol fighting thing could work.” I say

Marc nods thoughtfully looking at me, I can tell he has something to say through his one non-swollen eye but he says nothing.

“Think you can grab my leg and hang on?” I ask, Marc looks at me then looks at the hole in the ceiling that goes all the way up.

“That’s crazy.” He says

In response I float up above the hole and wait, Frank’s body still slung over my shoulder. Marc swears under his breath then hangs onto my leg with both arms and I shoot straight up through the hole. Then come to a stop on the floor where we first met Union man.

I continue running up the stairs and reach the top floor.

It’s silent. That could be bad

I turn the corner to find the Carla and Nicole are sitting in a mostly empty room apart from a bunch of bodies sprawled out all over the place, Toni has his gaze fixed outside, I can’t tell if the bodies around them are knocked out or dead. Hopefully the former.

Speaking of which I wonder how it’ll hit us the ones we murdered, they may have been crappy people but they were people and quite a few of them plummeted to their deaths by being chucked out windows. Come to think of it the only person who might not have killed someone today is Marc, those kids were still breathing. Maybe I could have stopped Frank without crushing his heart, heck we could have won the fight without throwing people out of windows. But then again did we have a choice, right?

Janice and Winter are still unconscious but they’ve been untied. Nicole, Carla and Toni turn as I approach all of them look a little puzzled to see me carrying Frank over my shoulder.

“I figured if you guys were still fighting he’d serve as motivation for them to give up.” I drop the body of Frank on the floor and approach Janice then cradle her head.

“Is she okay? Are they both okay?” I ask my eyes darting between Carla and Nicole.

“They don’t have any internal injuries or anything Toni checked, my guess is it might still be whatever they drugged them with. Then again none of us have any medical knowledge.” Replies Carla.

“Did you try to wake them?” Asks Marc as he scoots down next to me.

“Obviously,” Replies Nicole, “Janice sort of woke up for a few seconds.”

Looking at her only now do I notice that Nicole has a few circular bruises on her arms and exposed torso.

“What are those?” I ask pointing at one.

Nicole looks down and pokes one wincing slightly, “It’s from the bullets earlier on, they kinda hurt but they aren’t serious.”

I’m glad It’s nothing serious.

“Hey Terry, I just realised something. That Jacob kid, he isn’t here.” Says Marc

I completely had forgotten about him, that dude would have completely changed the fight if he were here, hell we might still be knee deep in undead zombie ghosts.

“That’s right.” I say slowly.

Come to think of it Lerato was missing too, her teleportation might have been tricky so was Burly 1 & 2. Were they killed with the people who were willing to join us or did something else happen.

“Hey did you guys by any change have a show down with a dude that had a large afro samurai type of afro?” I ask

“Not that I can remember.” Says Carla glancing at Nicole who shakes her head, Toni does the same without turning.

Damn, where could he be? And considering Frank had some sort of twisted friendship with Euroc that could be a bad thing if he sent Jacob that route.

“Hey guys we got company, we need to get going.” Says Toni.

Joining him by the window I see what he means, authorities are gathering at the bottom where the plummeted bodies are, the building could soon be visible probably a matter of time.

“Marc you ride with Nicole, Nicole can you carry Winter too?” She looks down at Winter contemplating then nods. “Good, Toni you’re with Carla, I’ve got Janice. Get to the car and get to the base a.k.a home, I’ll meet you there.”

Everyone nods and do as told, Nicole turns dragon and scoops up Winter. Marc almost reluctantly climbs on her back before she jumps out the window and takes flight. Carla gets ready to carry Toni and run.

“Careful on the way down we made a bit of a mess.” I say to Carla.

To which she smiles, “Second time today you’ve told me to be careful.” She picks up Toni and zips away.

“What can I say, I care.” I say after she’s gone

I pick up Janice and jump out the window flying as fast as I can to avoid being seen by people below, I wonder what the chances of getting spotted are. Probably a lot since I’m much bigger than a bird.

“You came…” She says, she’s awake that’s good.

“Of course we did, what’s a team without the person behind a screen telling them stuff.” I reply with a smile.

She just woke up but the moment we get home I need to know what happened to Jacob, Lerato, Burly 1 & 2 and I’m hoping she has an idea. And if they were sent to Euroc and WECA…. There could be a very bad day on the cards for us very soon.

That being said we need Janice to get the first recruitment gathering on.