by TR Moore Ede
We continued to help the police. As expected, they did their best to keep us away from too much action. There were times where it was unexpected, but as I was trained as an agent, I found it no different to interactions with the UIC. I hoped that my calm demeanor didn’t cause suspicion.
Most of the time our main supervisor was either Officer Geok, Officer Kegan, or Mr. Quinn. Outside of them, we did our best to gravitate toward the one with the highest rank, who was usually okay with us seeking instruction from them, if it was needed.
Granted, we were quickly able to fall into our different routines. Wave—Malissa, was mostly called for fires, and Flame—Jason, to help with the paramedics.
The rest of us didn't always have specific missions we were summoned for, but there were noticeable patterns. For instance, I, as Aim, was often called in when they assumed arresting someone would be hard. My little taser or stun blasts helped avoid damage on both sides. For that reason, Visible—Victoria, and I were usually paired up as that allowed us to enter undetected and quickly do what we needed.
Seer—Jessie, also was used more and more after or during a fight, or to look through the eyes of a person they were trying to find so they could locate them. That meant her side of things were pretty calm, just focusing on what she could see, to give clues as to where to go, and even help avoid further injuries if she saw the person lash out.
There were times she would come home frustrated, though. Just because she could read minds didn’t always mean she was believed or that there was enough evidence to act on it.
I assumed that at some point we would all fall into our usual missions that corresponded with our powers and our other gifts outside them.
Sapphire—Eve, and Visible helped in fires or instances where flying outside the building was better than having to run up all the steps. Sapphire would help when it came to disarming people as well. A quick blast to the hand usually caused them to drop their weapons, allowing the police to move in.
Flare—Irene, and obviously Flame at times, did what she could, although her strength and fire breathing weren’t always too helpful as our aim wasn’t to hurt anyone. When it came to moving heavy objects, she or Flame were called. They also incorporated her sense of smell which was as good if not better than a dog’s, and she could probably communicate what was going on.
I found it interesting how we slowly slid into our different roles and how some officers, but not all, seemed to be okay with us.
Now, I did enjoy the missions, but at the same time I missed the ones back at the Agency. I didn’t always enjoy being kept behind the officers as they tried to keep us out of danger and sight.
“You know their reasons, stop talking like you don’t,” Jessie mumbled. “We’re lucky enough that we get to do this.”
“It just sometimes feels like we’re being babysat,” I said with a shrug.
“Especially for those who don’t really believe this is real or are wrapping their head around it, or even just don’t like the idea of minors doing their job, it’s understandable,” Zack said.
I looked over at him. It had taken a little while, but he had finally been allowed to start training. I was curious to see how well he would handle it. He just seemed to have such a sunshine and flowers view of the world, that I was honestly surprised when I heard he passed the first examination.
His determination was evident, as from what I heard, he was heading to the gym more often.
“Are you okay?” Jessie asked, when he began to stare off.
“Yeah …” He rubbed the back of his neck. “A friend went missing yesterday. Just never showed up at school and no one seems to know where she went.” He tapped his fingers against the table, faster than a normal human being.
“You’ll dent the table or something,” I said. “Could she have lost track of time or something?”
Zack shook his head. “Julie’s not like that. In fact, she was supposed to head into work before school, but they said she never showed. She’s been dying to get a job for a long time. It just makes no sense.”
“And you think she’s been kidnapped?” Jessie asked.
He glanced at us, then away. “It happened to me, Malissa and Vic. The thing is, she doesn’t have anything that stands out … in a good way.”
One of my eyebrows arched. “Explain.”
“It’s not her fault, but a car crash severely hurt her arm, and now it doesn’t respond as quickly. She doesn’t use it often as the reaction time is noticeably slower.”
I nodded.
Jessie nudged me. “We’re here to be normal human beings, not investigate.”
I grunted. “Missions here are nice, but I do prefer most of the ones I got back at the Agency. I’ll suffer Terry.”
“You miss Terry.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Terry?” Zack asked.
“He’s like an annoying big brother.”
“Ah, I don’t have me one of those … although Vic acts like she’s older even though I am. So, tell me all about the training! I want to know everything!”
“That’s cheating,” Jessie said, shaking her head.
“I’d like to refer to it as studying.”
“No Zack,” I said. “Unless you want to get in trouble.”
He pouted.
I massaged my forehead. Why was he so embarrassing?
He smirked at my reaction, but a second later it disappeared. His shoulders dropped and he began to stare off, his head moving slightly as if he heard something. Then, he stood up.
“Are you okay?” I asked, trying to figure out what had come over Zack. I got to my feet.
He blinked a few times, then rubbed the side of his head. “My head is feeling a bit odd … Perhaps fresh air will help.” He headed toward the front hall.
Frowning, I followed.
Zack took a step back when he almost ran into Mr. Quinn. “Sorry.”
“Is everything all right?” he asked. He noticed Jessie and my look of concern and accompanied us.
“Just need some fresh air,” Zack said, pulling on his boots and coat.
“As we’re near the woods, you shouldn't go alone,” Jessie said.
“I wouldn't mind company,” he said, zipping up his sweater.
“I guess that means we’re coming,” I said, quickly pulling my things on. “Why are you in such a rush?”
“You don’t have to come,” Zack said. His head swiveled back and forth as if trying to figure out where he was supposed to go. “And fresh air is nice.”
I frowned. That wasn’t an answer, but I didn’t press it further. “How do you feel the training is going?”
“In what way?” he asked, walking at a rapid pace.
Quickly I matched it. “How well you’re handling it.”
He shrugged. “Doing all right. It may take longer as I still have to go to school and because I’m not as trained as the rest of you.” It tilted his head upward and inhaled deeply. “Ahhh, fresh air!”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re so weird.”
Zack chuckled. “I’m glad to hear things on the team are going well. They have been on your end, right?” He glanced toward Mr. Quinn.
He gave a nod. “They are.”
“Glad to hear it. And thanks for the update,” he said, glancing at me. “It’s nice to know-” He blinked a few times, then turned his gaze toward the trees. “Just a second.” He headed straight into the forest.
“Zack! Where are you going?” I called after him. I quickly caught up.
“I don’t know,” he mumbled, hurrying through the trees.
“What’s going on?” Jessie said, catching up to me.
“One of my best friends went missing yesterday!” Zack snapped. He took a deep breath, his hand in tight fists.
Grabbing her shoulder, I forced him to turn. “What does this have to do with her?”
His eyes darted around for a long moment. He swallowed. “I don’t know. Maybe nothing.” He stopped and pointed
. “There.”
I followed his gaze, then tightened my grip on his arm. He was pointing at a small house or shack that was a bit rundown. “That could be UIC.”
He yanked it away. “I know, it is. They took me here the second time I was caught.” He ran toward it before I could stop him.
“He’s insane,” I mumbled.
Mr. Quinn caught our arms before Jessie or I could move forward. “Let me go first.” The look in his eyes warned me not to argue.
I shut my mouth and allowed him to go first. I readied myself to fire a stun if there was anyone there.
Did you see Zack’s eyes? Jessie asked.
What do you mean?
She shook her head. It was just weird. It was like he was hearing something … I don’t know.
I barely noticed it. It creeped me out. I flinched when mud underfoot nearly sent me tumbling head first into it. Right, there was a pretty heavy thunderstorm the day before.
Through the double doors were couches and puddles of water. Across the large room was another door, which Mr. Quinn headed toward. There were no signs of anyone there.
Mr. Quinn pushed open the door. “Zack?” he whispered down the hall.
“I found her! I found Julie!” Zack called.
We found them in a room full of wires. A table with computer data banks was in the far corner.
Zack was kneeling next to Julie as he tried to untangle her from the wires. “She’s breathing.” He swallowed. “What if she was electrocuted? Julie,” he mumbled, panic clear in his tone.
Mr. Quinn knelt next to Julie, and he began helping to untangle her. “What’s her name?”
“Julie Snaggle.” He glanced at us. “Please tell Malissa and Vic we found her.”
“Sure,” Jessie said, putting a hand to her ear. We had gotten used to keeping the earpieces in.
I tuned out the conversations as I moved toward the computer data banks. “Both smart and dumb to hide them here. I wonder if we can get anything off them,” I mumbled.
“Can we focus on my unconscious friend who was kidnapped by the UIC?!” Zack snapped, making me jump.
“I’m sorry, but this could be useful to keep others out of danger. And-”
“Guys,” Mr. Quinn said.
I shut my mouth and pulled off one of the panels. I frowned to see they were fried. We weren’t going to get anything off of these. With a huff, I turned to see Julie was in Zack’s arms.
Mr. Quinn was on his phone, likely calling for help.
“We should go,” Jessie said, clearly uncomfortable. If we are caught, I’m going to blame this on you.
My eyebrow rose. Me? Zack ran here.
“We need to go,” Mr. Quinn said, hanging up his phone. “The ambulance will meet us at the edge of the woods.”
Chapter 15
Zack nodded and hurried out. He paused and glanced around, then turned to us. “Could you lead us out of here?”
“You led us here. Shouldn’t you know?” I asked.
He adjusted Julie in his arms. “I don’t. I just felt led in that direction and went with it. I’ve been working on my strength, but can we not test it while I’m holding a close friend?”
“Felt led?” I shook my head and took the lead. I had a feeling that this was going to loop around to their god if I asked.
“It was … weird,” he whispered.
“Does she look all right?” Jessie asked.
“Minor bruising and a burn on her right wrist from the wire. Her breath and heartbeat seem all right. I did make sure to check her neck and spine before picking her up,” he said, then sighed. “Julie, what happened?”
“Why would they leave her here?”
“She was tangled in the wires. Perhaps they thought she died,” Mr. Quinn said.
“Her vitals don’t show it … Would the burn imply that?” Zack swallowed, his grip tightening around his friend. “The ambulance will meet us at the edge of the woods, right?”
He nodded. “Do you need me to carry her?”
Zack shook his head.
The rest of the walk was quiet.
“I see them,” Zack said, the ambulance coming into sight. He picked up his pace.
As he passed, my eyes fell on Julie's left arm. That was the one that was hurt, right? It looked just fine to me. Just as healthy as her right. I took a mental note to ask later.
Mr. Quinn waved down the ambulance.
As soon as he was able, Zack placed Julie on the stretcher. He kept his eyes glued to her as she was taken into the back of the ambulance and driven away.
“I told them everything we know,” Mr. Quinn said. “I believe her parents filed a missing person’s report so I should let them and the station know that she’s been found. We should all head back to the house.”
It took Zack a moment before turning.
“Are you all right?” Mr. Quinn asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.
“Why would the UIC want her? It doesn’t make sense … Did they see me with her?” He rubbed his face with both hands.
“That’s your friend with the hurt arm?” I asked after a brief moment.
He nodded.
I wanted to inquire further, but I assumed he didn’t notice. He may have been observant, but he was looking for things out of the ordinary, and perhaps in the moment, a perfectly fine arm didn’t cross his mind. Perhaps Julie’s arm always looked like that but that didn’t make sense.
“I’m going to head over to the hospital, but I suggest the rest of you head home,” Mr. Quinn said, pulling out his keys.
Zack frowned. “Excuse me-”
“Zack, for sure tell your parents, but do you think your friend wants to know that you ran into a dangerous place looking for her?” he asked. “More specifically, do you want her to know that?”
He looked away. “No.”
“Okay. She’s fine, and at a glance, she seems to be in good health. She’s safe.”
“Mm hm.”
“If you could tell everyone where I’m going, that would be appreciated,” he said, hopping inside.
“I can do that,” Jessie said.
He smiled. “Thank you.” He shut his door and drove off.
Zack watched until he was out of sight. “It doesn’t make sense.”
“She could have run away,” I said.
Zack’s head snapped in my direction with a mean glare. “She wouldn't! She had no reason to!”
“That you know of.” I sighed, rubbing my forehead. “I’m just exploring the options.”
He shook his head. “There’s something else.” He exhaled a long sigh. “I’m going to head home. See you later.” After a quick glance around, he disappeared in a blur.
“He is worried, considering he just did that,” I mumbled.
“There aren’t many houses nearby,” Jessie said, opening the door. “And both her arms looked just fine.”
“I noticed that, too.”
“Do you think it means anything?”
I shrugged. “Time will tell.”
A couple days later, we were at Mr. Quinn’s house. At the table, Eve tinkered with a flat round object. She was so focused that she didn’t notice us walk in.
“Hey Eve,” Jessie said, sitting next to her. “What’s this?” She gave a double take, noticing that Eve hadn’t even flinched. “Eve?”
Eve continued to putter around for a few moments before looking over. “Oh, Jessie, hi. How long have you been here?”
“Only a few minutes,” Jessie said with a smile. “What’s that?”
“My communicator,” Eve said, setting down her tiny tools. “I’m hoping to get it fixed so I can contact home. It’s not going so well.”
Jessie put an arm around her. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
She gave a small smile. “Thanks.”
“Where’s everyone else?” I asked, looking around.
“Doing school. Irene and Jason are still struggling a little.”
“That’s too ba
d. I mean, it sounds like they’re progressing well,” I said, sitting down on the other side of Jessie.
“Hello, Jessie, Jessica,” Mr. Quinn said as he passed by. He stopped to squeeze Eve’s shoulder. “Don’t forget to take a break.”
Eve nodded, but half ignored him, still attempting to fix her communicator.
“Mr. Quinn,” I said, grabbing Jessie’s arm and pulling her out of her chair, knocking it over in the process. I dragged her after him.
“Uh, bye,” Jessie said to Eve.
Eve snickered a little as she picked up Jessie’s chair. “Bye.”
Mr. Quinn stopped and turned. “Yes, Jessica, is something wrong?”
“How’s the girl? You know, the one who was tangled in the wires. Julie, I think her name was.”
“She’s out of the hospital and doing well from what I’ve heard. Zack’s likely been keeping a close eye on her,” he said.
“I’d be surprised if he wasn’t by the way he reacted,” I muttered under my breath. “What happened that day was a bit un-Zack-like.”
“It shows that he cares about her,” Jessie said, wrenching herself from my grip.
I smirked. “I should tease him about it.”
Jessie whacked me on the arm. “I’m starting to pity Zack with the amount of things you have planned for him.”
I laughed. “It’s not that much.”
She sighed. “Still, Jessica. Too soon, and it’s insensitive.”
I nodded my head to one side. “I suppose.”
“I would wait. We still have yet to fully find out what happened by the evidence,” Mr. Quinn said, folding his arms across his chest. “But you needn’t bother him at all about it.”
I shrugged. “It’s funny.”
Jessie facepalmed.
Two days later, Mom sent Jessie and I to the store to pick up a few things. One the way back, Jessie stopped, hand in her pocket. Her eyes were wide.
“What’s the matter?” I asked, as she frantically patted down her pockets and even places where there were none.
She gave a shy smile. “I-I think I dropped my phone.”
I facepalmed with a groan. “Where?”
“I was texting Miss Silver while I was waiting for you.”
“Okay.” I exhaled a long sigh, my eyes scanning the area for nearby people. Taking her arm, I led her back to where we came from. “I remember. You were sitting on a bench.”