Chapter 16 #2
Sierra, Bentley, Mercedes, Troy, Noah, Neville, Miranda, and I had only been standing in an alley off a single lane road for about five minutes waiting for the lead cargo van to be “diverted” to our location.
The guys had found a stack of milk crates for Sierra and I to sit on, but I had been too anxious to sit, plus I knew once I sat down it would be hard for me to get back up.
I reached into the cleverly concealed pocket of my mission suit and pulled out the vapor rub Micah had procured for us.
It was a necessity for us, Sierra and I in particular.
Since the temperature was in the high eighties the dumpsters were emitting not only trash but hot rancid refuse.
And if that wasn’t bad enough the whole alley also suspiciously smelled of urine.
We were just thankful that the homeless inhabitants that typically occupied the space in front of chained fence on the other side of the alley were currently vacant.
I rubbed more under my nose, hoping to stave off the revolt churning in my belly.
The babies were making me highly sensitive to the smells surrounding us and I didn’t need to vomit in the middle of a mission.
Just when I thought the nausea and vomiting were long behind me, the babies were showing me it wasn’t.
“I’m in. Driving to the airfield.” Lincoln stated.
I smiled and relayed the information to the others that couldn’t hear our silent communication.
Lincoln had chosen to give up his coms to some of the additional people we had brought into the operations.
We had already coordinated with Pops, Paul, and Kirk and they would be waiting on the other side to apprehend the people we sent their way.
In an attempt to alleviate some of the strain on Mercedes and Bentley.
Lincoln was tasked with jumping the driver of the last vehicle.
Victoria and Jaxson had joined them so Victoria could keep them invisible while Jaxson casted an illusion.
He had to make the other two occupants believe that they were still following the lead vehicles to the rendezvous point.
Terrance, Marcel, Dawn, and a few additional operatives had created a construction zone making it easier for us to separate all the vehicles.
We realized that there was a risk that someone would find the whole thing suspicious, but we hoped that if all of the other teams were synchronized it would be too late for anyone to do anything about it until it was too late.
“The lead vehicle it out of commission,” Ben triumphantly stated in our coms.
I let out a breath not realizing I had been holding it.
Missions were so tricky. I looked around at Miranda, Neville, Mercedes, and Bentley and saw the same anticipation and nervousness in their gazes.
With each mission that we attempted to complete we realized the stakes were getting higher and higher.
Troy wrapped me in his embrace and gently chided me. “Don’t lie to me. I’ve been counting your yawns.”
I leaned my head back onto his chest and placed my arms over his. “I’m just a little tired,” I protested.
I frowned when I realized we were in another puddle.
He gently shuffled me to the side knowing how I was leery of the standing water.
Apparently, it had rained here on and off the previous two days and instead of drying up like it had in most areas, due to the blazing sun of the day, it had remained in the potholes littering the alley way.
My active imagination combined with the smells made me wonder if I was standing in urine, rat feces, and leachate from the trash bags piled around the over spilling dumpsters.
“Mm hmm,” he skeptically hummed gently swaying me back and forth. I closed my eyes and yawned once more. I never attempted to fall asleep standing up, but I could easily do so now.
“Vehicle three is almost on top of ya’ll,” Deidre, the map woman, informed us in the coms.
Deidre’s gift was pretty awesome. She had “pinned” the vehicles, essentially placing a metaphorical tracker on them.
Once she pinned something she could follow them for a rather long time.
On our ride to the drop-off points she had told us how she had discovered she was gifted when she was twelve.
Her family had gone hiking and decided to camp overnight.
Unfortunately, a bear had entered their camp in the dead of night, and they had to vacate it along with their maps.
They were horribly lost, and Deidre or Dee had gotten scared.
It was then that her gifted father realized he had passed on the gifted gene.
With her gift she had led them back to their vehicle.
Her Dad had been fascinated by her gift, and they had worked on it nearly every day.
Her stamina had strengthened, and she learned the many facets of her gift.
Her mom and dad had essentially used her to track her older brother when he used to sneak out at night.
He hadn’t been happy about it, but she had fun with it and learned how to hone her skill with perfect accuracy.
The rumble of a diesel engine wiped all visages of sleep from my countenance. “Show time!” Neville informed me.
I silently related it to the others surrounding us. “Look alive. It’s them!”
The truck entered the alleyway, and it stopped abruptly.
I could hear the brakes lock up on the vehicle and it shook violently.
I heard muffled screams and was distracted momentarily by the pure terror in it.
We didn’t know how many people they had illegally smuggled into the country, but we knew it had to be a significant amount.
“Some of them are above us!” Neville cried out in distress.
It took me a second to understand what Neville was so perturbed about. Above us dark shapes were descending. I silently cursed wondering if they were trying to get a drop on us.
“Aren’t we cloaked?” Bentley asked in consternation.
Miranda looked panicked. “We’re still cloaked. I don’t know how they ‘see’ us?”
I knew we couldn’t just rely on the cloaking especially since the twenty or so people above us seemed to be coming straight toward us.
I immediately created a barrier above us seconds before I heard the impact their bodies made on my shield.
I wondered what gift allowed them to fall from roughly forty feet above us with minimal impact.
Neville made a hissing sound. “They can’t, but they have someone that is an olafactor. They can smell any gifted person, and this one is freakishly strong.”
“So, like a blood hound of the gifted world?” Bentley cursed out. “Why aren’t we learning some of this shit? I would love to study a gifted rolodex.”
“It’s not a—”Mercedes began to agree when a cracking sound brought our attention back to the shield I had erected around us.
I frowned when I realized one of the dark figures above us had a laser-like beam originating from their fingers. While I was distracted by the people above us, Troy formed a few balls of fire and suspended them from above us.
“Since they know we are here there’s no use remaining blind.” Troy unapologetically explained.
I wished he hadn’t. The people attempting to break in seemed to be gifted, yet a few of them looked… wrong. There was no other way to describe them. Their features were unnaturally misshapen and almost seemed like—my thoughts were cut off by Neville’s sound of disgust.
“They’re the experiments. They’re the nons Horatio was attempting to make into gifted.”
“He really is a reprobate of a man,” Mercedes cursed.
Sierra suddenly barked out. “Blake, lift us!”
I turned my head in time to see someone had exited the cargo van and was sending an electrical current our way.
It wouldn’t normally be that concerning but I could see it traveling through the puddles surrounding us.
They were going to fry us through electrocution and from the sparks I had a feeling it wasn’t going to be a gentle shock.
I lifted us just in time to see the sparks arch toward my forcefield.
I was momentarily distracted from the a-holes attempting to break into my barrier.
I was brutally reminded of their presence when a gelatinous substance tripped through the cracks coming from the ceiling.
Neville cried out in pain, and I turned to see why.
I hissed out in sympathy seeing the angry red welt on his arm.
It looked like it was bubbling as we watched.
Noah reached for him at the same time our forcefield began to vibrate and shake.
Water began to fall from the opening above us.
Troy immediately pulled me into his arms as Bentley dived to grab Sierra just in the nick of time.
The water poured at a rapid speed; it battered against our feet making me feel like I was in danger of falling at any moment.
The water filled at an alarming rate. I tried to expand the forcefield but it only seemed to widen the crack above us.
I became filled with dismay once I realized it was nearly over our shoulders, and I knew we were in danger of drowning.
I had to attempt to stop them and pray that my compulsion could reach all our enemies.
I closed my eyes and imagined all the evil people in the truck as well as the enemies above us. “Stop!” I silently screamed.
I imagined them all like statues and commanded them to silence.
Immediately the attack stopped above us, and I dropped the forcefield in an attempt to save us from drowning.
Troy barely caught me from collapsing on the ground.
Water poured off of us. I almost laughed in relief at the drowned rat appearances.
I lifted my head smiling once I realized we all seemed to be alright.
I noticed the enemies that were attempting to break into my forcefield all seemed to be frozen and sprawled out in various states.
My immediate response upon seeing one of the guys was sympathy.
His arm was twisted at an awkward angle.
Then I remembered they had been attacking us, and my empathy soon dashed away.
Troy and Bentley helped Sierra and I up. I couldn’t help but notice Sierra’s wince of pain. “How are you doing?”
She took a shuddering breath in. “All that shaking made me nauseous.” She admitted.
“Blake!” Mercedes suddenly shouted.
I turned in time to see a girl standing ten feet away from us with a wicked smile curving her lips. By herself she wasn’t much of a threat but with the twenty people standing behind her I felt my stomach drop.
“Hive mind.” Neville cursed.
I didn’t know what he meant, but it couldn’t be good.