by A M Lopez
Eva couldn’t help the twinge of relief that went through her. Earlier, the twins had gotten into an argument when Arthur had tripped down the stairs again. She hadn’t seen the two so aggressive before, which caused her to hide in the shadows instead of stepping in. It was only after the two rushed off in opposite directions, that she felt the guilt of her actions. She wouldn’t have felt so bad had there been anyone else to step in, but she had stumbled upon the twins in front of the stairwell alone. Seeing them communicating, even through eye contact, allowed her to let go of her guilt. However, her mind took a turn for darker thoughts.
Eva remembered how she used to be amazed by the twins’ eye communication. The duo had done it when they were planning something they didn’t want the rest of the team knowing. Since the whole team had become voiceless, talking for any reason began to annoy most members. Yet, it was only after Allison screamed at the twins for talking to each other that they fell wordless. Despite Allison’s apologies and attempts to make it up to them, Arthur and Dimitri didn’t speak unless it was absolutely necessarily. This caused them to use their unique form of communication as a way to speak to one another on a daily basis. The fact that something so pure was turned into something entirely bland made it painful for Eva to even see.
Shaking her head, she pulled herself out of her thoughts before they could consume her. She needed to be alone, now. Eva threw the gauze in the trash as she headed to the door of the gym. Hesitating, she glanced at her team one more time before walking out and heading down the hall. Her thoughts were running a mile a minute when she reached the stairwell.
The absence of voices calling after her caused a twinge in her heart. Eva and Connor hadn't had a decent conversation in weeks, and barely held eye contact. Eva groaned in frustration and stopped her ascension of the steps. Taking a deep breath in, she punched the wall nearest to her. She took a few moments to breathe and continued the run to her room.
As Eva was lost in her thoughts, she bumped into someone.
"Oof!"
She looked up and saw a familiar golden-haired boy. "Oh hello, Goldie! How are you?"
The blue -eyed boy stared down at her, a small smile on his lips. Eva stepped back from him as he brought his hands up. Signing to her, she read out loud.
"How are you doing?"
Eva gave a small laugh and leaned against the wall. "Well, you know. Yelling at people, fighting things, and stressing out. The normal."
He smiled widely. "Understandable, but make sure you don't run yourself ragged, Eva."
She patted his shoulder and walked past. "I'll keep that in mind, golden boy."
Eva walked into a hallway and faced her door. Opening the lock, she walked in and slumped down on the couch, letting the door close behind her. Running a hand over her face, she flicked her wrist and swiped the screen to call the one person who she knew could help.
"Hello. It's been a while, Eva White."
Headmistress Aurora's raspy voice came out from the speakers on the watch. Eva let out a deep breath.
"Headmistress, you have no idea how good it is to hear a familiar voice."
"I don't know if that is a good or bad thing, what's the problem?" Aurora's worried voice responded.
"I don't know either, my team is in shambles. We've been assigned the capture and execution of Richard, Connor's father. Since I came back from Accrux, we've been working non-stop and the stress has finally hit the team. I don't know how we can defeat Richard with this going on."
Aurora went silent on the other side of the line. Eva awaited her response, used to the time she took to think out her answers.
"I agree with you. These conditions are not of benefit to our cause. You need to find a way to bring everyone together, but usually this would fall upon the shoulders of the leader. However, I am aware of the Director's ways and understand why this is something Aaron has difficulty dealing with." Aurora took a breath. "You need to go back to the essence of your team. Each and every one has something that connects them to this group. Remind them of that. Remind them of the hope and the thread that joins you all together. Go back to the past, Eva White."
Eva gave a small smile. "Thank you, Headmistress. You’ve comforted me and helped me realize the path I need to take."
"Go on, Eva. Bring the light back to your team and the cause. Don't forget to call once in a while, despite what anyone thinks, I do enjoy talking sometimes." Her teasing voice sounded out.
"Thank you, I'll make sure to do so. Have a good day." With that, Eva swiped the screen once more and ended the call.
Eva let out another heavy breath. Looking down at her fists, she whispered to herself, "How am I going to do that?"
She stood and walked over to her white desk, sitting on the comfortable chair. She opened a drawer from the side of her desk. A leather-bound journal was laid on top of the desk.
"Okay, ideas." Eva breathed out, tapping the pen she grabbed on the wooden furniture.
"Maybe I could take everyone out . . . no, they wouldn't waste time with that." Eva hummed. "Or, I could just prepare . . . nope, Aaron would disband immediately."
Her watch pinged, and Eva sat up straight.
Meeting in the red office, now.
Chapter Six
Immediately, Eva shoved the journal into the drawer, slamming it shut. Briskly walking out of her room, she remade her ponytail and analyzed her surroundings. None of her teammates were in the hallway with her, so she figured they hadn’t yet returned to their rooms before the Director called. Sighing, she quickened her pace into a light jog. Eva looked around and remembered how easily she used to get lost in the building. To outsiders, the living quarters were just never- ending halls that had metal doors with numbers. To agents, they were the closest thing they had to home outside their ships. Taking a left, Eva came upon two doors. She made a beeline for the door on the right and held her watch up to the empty panel next to it. A beep was heard and the panel turned green, signaling that the door had unlocked. Opening the door, Eva quickly took the steps two at a time.
Most stairwells and elevators in the building had panels that restricted access only in the case of an emergency. Some, however, were locked at all times unless a person was given permission by the Director to enter. The stairwell Eva entered was locked down because it lead to the grey section of the medbay. The medbay was divided into parts, which were each named after a color. The red section held aggressive patients, while green was where patients who were undergoing physical therapy stayed. Yellow held those who were addicted to something and blue contained patients who had some type of mental disability or injury. The grey section held those who were “dead to the world,” such as comatose patients.
Eva sighed as she reached the top of the stairwell, hesitating only a moment before reaching slowly for the handle of the door and moved onward. She hated going through the grey section because of how lifeless it seemed, the lights shut off and the silence unbroken. Unfortunately, it was the quickest rouote she had to the Director’s office. Passing room after room, she did her best not to look inside a single one. Looking at the room numbers, Eva felt dread coursing through her veins. Every detail, from the decoration to the lights above sent shivers down her spine. She saw the light around the corner and crossed her arms, rubbing them as to provide comfort for herself. Another reason she hated passing through the grey section was because she almost always walked by the same room every time. Turning the corner, she spotted it, but today, light was coming out of its window.
Eva’s neutral expression dropped into one of sadness as her pace slowed. She knew who was in the room, but that did not make the sight any easier to see. Coming up to the window, she saw a familiar face sitting on a chair next to a dreadful medical bed. He was holding the hand of the bed’s occupant and was gently whispering to them. The female in the bed had bandages wrapped around her head and an IV connected to her arm. The only movement was the rise and fall of her chest, signaling that she was still clutching ont
o what little life she had left. Reaching the door, Eva didn’t want to interrupt Connor’s time with his sister, but she knew there was no real choice. Taking one last look through the window at the siblings, Eva opened the door and gently knocked on its frame.
Connor’s head lifted up slightly and he turned towards the door. The sight that greeted Eva killed her inside. Connor looked completely heartbroken. His eyes were red and there were dried tears on his cheeks. Even though they hadn’t really talked in a while, Eva walked over quickly and pulled him into a hug. He hadn’t moved from his chair so she had to bend down somewhat, but she couldn’t care less. Eva knew he needed this, and to be fair, so did she.
Connor moved up on his chair and wrapped his arms around her. His muffled voice came from her shoulder. "I know things haven't really been..." He hesitated. "Normal with us, but..."
Eva let go of him, looking into his tired eyes, and perched on the side of his chair. She put a hand on his shoulder, softly saying, "I know, I know. You don't have to say anything."
Connor let out a deep breath and returned his gaze to the girl, and Eva did the same. The black- haired female continued to repeat the same movements. Up and down, up and down.
"She's really pretty. You kind of look like her."
"Yeah. Although she looks more like Mom than I do." He smiled softly down at his sister, eyes showing the history behind the horrible events. "She's the older, more responsible one."
"You never mentioned her name."
Connor looked up at Eva. "Her name is Aella." He slightly laughed. “It means whirlwind. Kinda reminds me of you.”
Eva raised her eyebrows. "Aella? I like that." Eva's watch beeped, and she sighed. "We have to get going, the Director needs to see us."
Connor ran his fingers through his hair. He stood, putting his hand on his sister’s.
"I'll see you later."
With that, Eva and Connor began to head to the Director's office. Eva gave one final glance to the room before leaving, one final glance to the representation of how broken Connor was. How broken everyone was.
On the way to the Director’s office, there was silence. The conversation Eva and Connor had was enough for the day. The duo reached the Director’s office, and knocked on the door.
"Come in." A dry voice responded.
Opening the door, everyone came into view. The Director was seated at his desk, as always. The rest of their team were separated into different corners, awkwardly staring at the wall. Eva and Connor settled into their stances against it, awaiting instructions. The Director brought out a tablet from his desk and swiped his finger on it. His dark features lit up as a hologram onf the screen appeared, and he swiped again. A three- dimensional image of a purple planet appeared, and he zoomed in on a certain space.
"An energy spike was brought to attention from Libra. We don't know exactly where from. I'm sending you out there, and I hope not to be disappointed once more." His harsh gaze landed upon every team member.
Aaron's firm stance stiffened further. "We will head out straight away." She stood fully and turned to head out the door. "Team. Move out."
They headed out of the room in silence. The twins crossed their arms and walked in the middle of the line, while Connor and Eva stayed in the back with Allison and Aaron in the front. As they passed through the lobby, the office workers quieted. It seemed that everyone could feel the tension heavy in the air.
The familiar docking station came into view as hundreds of people surrounded the area. Many were rushing, working to get their own ship ready for takeoff. Ships of all different sizes were stationed in the area, but Astrolabe continued to walk down the clear bridge to where their own was stationed.
Once they reached Dawn, and Allison stepped up to the silver ship and announced, "We're here."
"Hello Astrolabe! Letting the escalator down straight away!"
Not even Dawn's perky hello would be able to thread together the team's broken pieces. They stepped onto the escalator and went through Dawn’s opening, each going their separate ways. Well, all except for Eva who was left in her thoughts.
"I need to change this. Right now, before we get to Libra." She muttered underneath her breath.
Eva quickly headed to her room on the bottom floor, closing the door quietly behind her.
"Hey Dawn."
Dawn's chirpy voice responded swiftly from the intercoms in her room. "Yes, Eva? What is it you need?"
Eva flopped down on her bed, throwing an arm across her face. "Do you know what I could do to bring the team back together again? Like a dinner or something?"
"Well, you would need to find something everyone enjoys doing together, or would enjoy doing together. Maybe a fun challenge they would need to go through."
Eva widened her eyes and sat up on her bed. "Dawn, you are a genius!”
Chapter Seven
Eva ran to Connor's room, knocking frantically on the door. "Connor, open up!"
Connor opened his door in a hurry, his brows furrowing in worry. "What's going on? Are you okay?"
Eva shoved Connor inside his room and looked around the hallway, locking the door behind her. "Yes, I'm okay, but our team is not! I have an idea."
He looked at her warily, arms crossed. "What do you mean?"
She headed over to the side of the room, where a desktop sized tablet was plugged in. "We’re heading to a mission, and when has a mission ever gone right when a team is unconnected?"
He stood at her side and nodded. "You're right. What are you thinking?"
Eva glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "Alright, here's the plan."
~
Eva stood in front of Aaron's room, using her capabilities to not make any sound. Crouching down, she slid a paper underneath her door and knocked on it. She quickly gathered momentum and ran up the wall, climbing back into her spot in the open vent. Hearing the door open, she stilled her movements. Aaron's curly hair flopped over her face as she read the note. She looked down the hallway and raised a brow, going back inside her room. Mischievously grinning, Eva scurried through the vents, heading to the next room. Reaching a vertical vent, she slowly climbed down it to the next floor. Navigating through the vents, she found the next grate and opened it. Lowering herself, she landed in front of Connor’s room. Moving left, she tried not to snicker as she reached Arthur’s room.
Eva remembered asking everyone how they chose their rooms and got decent reasons from everyone but Arthur. Apparently, he chose his room because it was the only one without a vent almost directly in front of it. He said that he didn’t want to get attacked by ninjas who came from the vents. When Eva broke out into laughter, Arthur tried to defend himself but only made the situation worse for himself.
Smiling at the fond memory, she gently slid the paper underneath his door and knocked like a madman. When she heard no movement from the other side of the door, Eva sighed. She walked back to the vent opening and climbed inside. Shuffling her body, Eva leaned slightly out of the vent so she could see Arthur’s door. Throwing a sound device, it let out a faint beeping sound and she waited for it to go off. When it did, the device blew up and a loud noise rang out through the hallway. Suddenly, footsteps were heard and Arthur’s door opened. He was in such a rush that he fell, causing a loud crash. Eva winced.
Arthur groaned and stood up slowly. His eyes widened when he turned around to see what he slipped on. Dimitri rushed out of his room a second later, having heard the sound and feeling worried for his brother. Bending down, Arthur picked up the paper and read what was on it, Dimitri looking at it over his shoulder. He and his twin raised a brow and looked down opposite sides of the hallway. Eva pulled herself inside the vent before they turned to look at her. She heard him hum and then the sound of Dimitri protesting. Smiling, Eva glanced out of the vent quickly and watched Arthur drag Dimitri into his room, the door closing behind him. She replaced the grate and moved on. Getting to another vertical vent, she dropped down. At the last second, she threw her li
mbs out and caught herself before quietly landing in a horizontal vent.
Quickly shuffling through the vent, Eva dropped down in front of Allison’s room. Sliding the paper underneath her door, Eva rushed to get into the vent. Pulling her leg in, the sound of a door opening caused her to freeze. She heard the paper being picked up followed by silence. After a minute of nothing, she heard footsteps walking away and a door closing. She let out a sigh of relief and headed back through the vents to Connor’s room. As she was making her way there, she couldn’t help but remember how aware Allison was of everything in her room. Eva had known she would only have a few seconds before Allison saw the paper and opened the door, but that was quick even for her.
Eva’s thoughts were interrupted when she reached the vent in front of Connor’s room. Dropping down, she gently knocked on the door. When Connor opened it, she nodded at him. After she entered the room, Connor quietly closed the door behind her. As he turned back to her, their eyes caught and the two shared a smile.
~
The room was dark and silent when the twins, Allison, and Aaron walked in. Dimitri and Arthur unconsciously stepped closer to each other as they quietly inched further into the room. Aaron walked forward slowly, letting her eyes adjust to the lack of light. Trying to look around the room proved fruitless, causing Allison to let out a groan.
“Why the heck were we called here?”
Suddenly, four spotlights turned on, each illuminating a stool. On each stool was a helmet, a gun, and a card. Cautiously walking toward the stools, the four shared a look. The first things everyone went for when they got to the stools were the cards. All four cards said the same thing, ‘Put on the helmet and choose your abilities.’ Aaron raised a brow and Allison tilted her head before the two shared a look. Aaron opened her mouth to call into the darkness when she heard two gasps. Snapping her head to her left, she saw the twins with their mouths hanging open and on their heads were . . . the helmets.