“I’ll humor you, but make it quick.” In his female form, Cirri politely smiled.
“Um, well it’s just why do you and Miss Rheanne parade around here in opposite genders?” Not being one for embarrassment, Gillian blushed while mumbling out the question.
“Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.” Cirri bent over and grabbed his stomach from laughing so much. All it did was make Gillian more embarrassed about her inquiry.
She got up to leave the room before Cirri could stop laugh. “Oh, no, no, no. Please come back here. It’s just that I don’t think I’ve ever been asked that before. There’s a real simple answer for it to.”
Standing in the doorway, Gillian went back to her seat next to him. “You don’t have to be so rude about it.”
“Well I thought the answer was really obvious.” He straightened up and put on his serious face.
“Well obviously not.” Her voice was relatively calm with only a hint of anger.
“My family and I are well known by the NSSH and so we take different forms to avoid being noticed. I mean, would you think that this beautiful woman standing before you was actually the man who takes down mission reports or one of the top persons on the NSSH most wanted list?” Cirri patted her head like she was a child. “I’ll be going now, but never hesitate to ask me anything.” He waved as he finally left leaving Gillian a few minutes of peace to herself.
Outside the room Justine ran into her father. She seemed frantic and Cirri lost his balance. Whatever she had told her was not good because he came back into the room Gillian was still resting in.
“Gillian, please come now and take care of the next two floors! There’s not much time left. The FPA has troops on the way and if we don’t get this done in the next several hours, we are way past screwed!” Immediately after his last word, Cirri joined Justine and Yasire who had just completed her job. They left the fifth floor as quickly as super humanly as possible.
“Everyone’s out, but people are coming back in.” Yasire ran up the cleared staircase.
“Yeah!” Justine heaved trying to keep up with her dad and aunt. “And when these Combat teams come, the FPA has their goons on the way. Tory was supposed to expose the NSSH not make them look like the victims!” She ran with her head down.
“Our contact has notified me that she and the young man are on their way to the FPA’s main headquarter, but that was over an hour ago.” Yasire looked to her brother-in-law.
Cirri had a stone cold face. His mind took in the information, sorted it, and then relayed back to his wife and son, where ever they were at that moment. “Rheanne and Trey know this now. We have to get to the sixth floor and wait for them there.” Silently, they agreed with the decision.
Rheanne could barely see from the stinging sweat in her eyes as another NSSH soldier came at her. She grabbed his arm and sent him hurtling to the ground. If they would have taken the deal for peace, then they would have chosen right. Even though her back was sore, her legs felt like they would give at any moment, and all the other aches and pains she was experiencing, Rheanne was glad they chose to fight. Inside their souls she could see their wickedness and need for punishment.
It was like she was dancing and the last standing ten guards were her partners. After one would fall she would select another and attack them until they lost consciousness. This was what she called a night out.
“Ha, ha, ha. You guys have been a blast, but I must be going.” With a flick of her thick and straight hair, Rheanne took her leave.
BOOM! She turned around.
“That’s not good.” Suddenly everything turned real. “Dang it all.” Like a disappointed child she trudged her feet along the hallway on the sixth floor.
What had her in a depression was one of the men she had just defeated set off a grenade. Eventually the shock wave it let off would ignite all the other soldier’s grenades and any other explosives in the building, including the ones she and Cirri had set up.
She sat on the ground and crossed her legs. Humming continuously and concentrating on her energy signature from the past three hours, Rheanne was able to find the shock wave and suspend it. It was not a definite solution, but it should be just enough.
Tory and Caleth could see the FPA headquarters coming up over the horizon. It looked like a beacon of all that was right with their world. The duo could not wait to get into the building and warm up with some tea and present Helina with the evidence the world needed to see.
“Finally, the NSSH will be discredited and a true government can take its place.” Caleth said those words like she had wanted to speak them for a very long time.
“Innocent people will be freed from those horrible containments and we will be a part of making this history happen!” Tory shared in her enthusiasm.
“Yep.” Caleth brought him closer to her. “Life is all good.”
How wrong her words were. At the top of the hill they had been climbing was the FPA and standing in front of it were three dozen FPA soldiers. They looked the soldiers right in the eye and knew the situation was wrong. Caleth scanned the weaker men’s minds and discovered the NSSH was tricking the FPA. She found out that they were the FPA’s new target.
“Run!” She clutched Tory’s hand and pulled him through the snow.
“They got to her. Were too late.” Tory wasn’t moving. Only Caleth was in her right mind and trying to flee the thirty six men and women chasing after her.
“Here boys!” Caleth whispered and in no time they were joined by a pack of wolves. “Tell the others.” She had a power over wolves. This was a power that no animal manipulator could break. “Tory, the wolves are off to tell the other animals and spread my powers to protect them. Right now I could really use you!”
Whoosh! A ball of flames crashed into a tree in front of Tory.
This was enough to snap him from his funk and use his abilities. He dug his hands in the back of Caleth’s shirt. Over both shoulder blades Tory ran one finger down them and burned his energy into her. From the two inch glowing scar he stretched that power and expanded them until they looked like wings.
“Is this sort of what you were talking about?” He grinned at the girl hoping she would not kill him instead. Tory did after all rip her shirt off and put his essence into her back.
“Next time ask for my permission first!” She bopped him on the head. “But yes. These wings will do nicely. Grab my hands!” Caleth now flying in the air, reached down to Tory. “We need to get back to town!”
Tory did take her hands, but with some reluctance. “Why there? I can assure you that our pictures are already plastered all over the news by now. Nowhere we can run, or fly, is safe.”
“If we cannot trust the government, we have to bring our findings straight to the people. I know someone who can help with that.” She told Tory as he hung from her hands as she flew across the tree tops.
“And with all your majesty and wisdom you did not see this coming?” Tory only teased.
“I gave up my foresight when I went back to the masters and regained my original form.” The sun was rising and Caleth planned on using this time to her advantage. “You can do me another huge favor by shutting up and focusing on hanging on.”
She did not have to ask twice. Tory hung there holding on to Caleth’s arms with all his strength. Not like his life or anything depended on it.
“Morning news stations are preparing for the days reports and if it’s one thing they love is raw and real footage of what the government is hiding from the general public.” Caleth shouted over the roar of the wind that blistered their skin.
“Can you read my mind or what?!” Tory shouted back at her. “That’s my plan ‘B’ exactly! But once that fails, we are so screwed.” Caleth lifted Tory so that his face met her while she hugged him tightly, just for being cute she said.
The town was coming up and the army was right behind them. Animals weren’t a problem, but snow, trees, and every other thing in that forest that was of the elements attacked wit
hout mercy. Caleth’s body was pelted with snow balls that left her with throbbing sores. The more lethal soldiers sent tree roots from out of the ground and at Tory’s legs.
“Son of a…” Tory screamed as the tree roots slowly pulled him to the ground bringing Caleth along with them.
“Can you fend them off?” She asked Tory who was still facing her.
“I gave most of my power to you, but I might be able to buy us some time.” Jumping out of her arms, Tory landed knees first on the ground.
Caleth continued on to town. “But that’s not what I meant, you dolt.” A tear froze in the air as it streamed from her red eyes. All the energy he had given her was almost gone and so was her own.
Seven armed men circled Tory on the ground. Both NSSH and FPA soldiers were there. Tory could not tell if the FPA men were on his side or why they were there in the first place
“Dudes, before we get this thing going I need to ask you something.” As a gesture to show he was unarmed, Tory held his hands above his head. “Just why are you FPA men here? I mean, several months ago, I am pretty sure you would never be able to even fathom the idea of standing with the NSSH. The same people who snuck onto you land and corrupted your government.” The soldiers did not even blink at his words. “Don’t you think it is strange that after a couple dozen NSSH officers ‘trespassed’ on your land your leaders were more than ready to sign treaty with them? Any halfwit infant could see that those NSSH cowards were just covering their hides and I have the proof.”
A NSSH soldier advanced on him. “Liar. Those men and women came to this land without orders and the NSSH has already been cleared by the FPA.”
“Yeah, she’s right.” A couple of the FPA soldiers whispered.
“And did you also know that the NSSH has been conducting experiments on their fellow officers to extract their powers to amplify their own? That way something like wiping and blocking minds could be easy and untraceable. I’ve got solid hardcore evidence. Can you show me yours?” His words made a little less than half of the soldiers consider what he was risking his life to say.
“Proof my butt.” Another NSSH soldier used his powers to summon a gust of wind to knock Tory off his feet.
“Yep, and right about now it should be plastered all over the Farous morning news.” Laughing to himself, he could feel the emotions of those who turned into that mornings edition of the news. Outraged and confused most of the people started calling their local government offices. “You guys thought you could take Farous to add to your collection, but after Farous then what? Neara? Then what after that? Soon you would own the world, then what? I just can’t find your logic in that.” He shrugged his shoulders.
Several NSSH guards went to grab Tory, but the FPA soldiers stepped in front of the boy to protect him.
“He’s telling the truth. I may be the only empath here, but if you all could feel what I am, you would know it too.” The tall man overshadowed Tory and he knew he was in good hands.
“Thank you Caleth.” He whispered into the morning’s breeze.
Trey reached over the top of the elevator towards Recarie. He was too heavy to actually step on the lift, so Trey had to try his best to shake her off Ian from the nearby ladder. “Go!” His rock hand just barely reached her shoulder. “Get off now or you’re going to kill him!” A wave of warm air wafted up the elevator shaft. “Crap! Hey, we need to get going!”
Recarie was still sucking on Ian’s neck. Her marks covered up the entire right side of Ian’s neck all the way down to his shoulder. “Hmm?” She looked up from her power source. By now her pupils were back to normal and she looked like a sleepy child. “Trey?” Stretching her arms, Recarie came to her senses. “Trey!”
The elevator shook and loose metal atop it started to rattle as Recarie bound over the elevator to her big brother.
“Hey! Oh my gawd! How long has it been?” Her string lanky arms wrapped around his neck. “Wheres mom, dad, sis, and auntie?” Recarie still held the Hunter in her grasp. Trey did not move and Recarie tensed. She looked up at him and backed away. “Trey?”
“It has been a few decades since you left us. We tracked you for years until you settled down in this part of Disten. Luckily for you, I was already stationed here and we have our long life span. You had all of us so worried, do you know that!” He reached out and grabbed his sister back into his grasp. “And now you are in this mess. You will forgive my actions as I tracked you, won’t you Carie?”
“Oh, yeah. I almost forgot about that. Crud!” She flung around to look at the nearly conscious Ian lying in the dust as drool dripped out of the corner of his mouth. “Ian, sweet Ian.” Recarie grabbed him in her arms. “Hey! Don’t ever call me Carie! You know I hate that name. Be back in a minute. Meet up on the sixth floor.” In an instant she was gone.
Back in her full set of mind, Recarie used her teleportation ability to leave the building and she landed in the woods not far from the NSSH headquarters. She looked down at Ian. Time seemed to slow down and tears fell from her eyes. Ian had the appearance he had been in water too long. His veins were more visible now.
“Hey.” Ian whispered out of his hoarse mouth. He lay with his chest against hers, although his face was facing away from her. “You had something you wanted to tell me?”
“Mm.” Recarie was speechless. She tightened her grip on him not wanting to ever let him go.
“Not too tight now. You’ll crush my fragile human body.” Ian smiled as he tried to stand.
Recarie helped him stand up. Her hands cupped his elbows as the barely visible NSSH headquarters served as the background. Nothing was said and Recarie turned to leave. The moment she turned Ian brought her to his chest. It was a great embrace, besides it giving her the feeling that it was the kind of embrace you give someone you’ll never see again and you want to remember that moment for the rest of your life, kind of embrace.
“I am not going to make you stay.” His mature voice floated into her ear.
“Ha, ha, ha. Good.” She chuckled between her tears. “That is going to make this a lot easier.” Recarie’s eyes met his sparkling blue eyes. Standing on the tip of her toes, Recarie leaned towards him and Ian leaned towards her with his eyes shut.
Several seconds passed and still Ian had yet to feel Recarie’s lip. Instead of a kiss, Recarie gave Ian one of those goodbye embraces before disappearing.
Ian tumbled and fell back against a tree before crashing to the ground. He rustled his hair with his dirt covered hand. “Is this really happening?”
“Are you really just going to sit there?” His mind answered back.
A cold wave of the early morning air brushed his neck. Ian knew what he had to do and tried to stand. A short attempt that was followed by him crashing back to the ground. Still determined to be at Recarie’s side, Ian pressed his hand against the skin cutting tree bark and tried to stand again.
On floor six, Trey, Justine, Yasire, Cirri, and Rheanne braced themselves for the hundreds of soldiers approaching them from all sides. They could have left, but there was never an option for the group.
“Oh gawd, oh gawd, oh gawd.” Justine had never been up against the amount of opponents that were gathering around them before. “Mom!”
“It is going to be fine.” Each of them standing back to back, Rheanne grabbed her daughter’s shaking hands.
“Oh.” She calmed as her mother’s cold hands reminded her of her childhood and happier times. “Good.”
“Anyone else want to freak out before this happens?” Trey tried to lighten the mood. Gillian was not present. He had said she could sit this battle out and Gillian now waited for him outside the building.
“We are going to be fine.” Cirri calmed the team.
Surrounding them were over two hundred soldiers from all branches of the NSSH military. Some were normal humans without any abilities at all, except maybe being a great shot. Then the other eighty percent were the ones that used natural born talents.
“You ha
ve the chance to leave now!” Yasire shouted above the howling wind. “All of this can be avoided and finally you and your families can be free!” Her hands gripped Rheanne’s and Justine’s tighter.
One of the normal humans shot a bullet off at them. It was blocked by a force field Cirri created. “Ugh!” The soldiers shouted as they charged the family.
Water was stripped right out of the air and made into strong serpent looking blue creatures. Some of the Combatants sent charges of pure energy at their targets. Safe inside their bubble, Cirri was the one to absorb the damage. Rheanne held her husband’s shoulders and whispered naughty encouragements into his ear.
“Wait for them to exert more energy. We need them to weaken before we even stand a chance of lasting five minutes.” Yasire still held on to her niece and nephew.
Off in the far corner of the room where the door was, several of the soldiers were seen being thrown in the air. The other’s caught sight of this.
“Recarie!” Rheanne shouted before seeing the wave of violet flames that drifted over the hoard and exploded in the shape of a heart in front of Trey.
“He, he.” The golem chuckled and blushed slightly.
Gillian came in swinging. She was able to penetrate some of the nearby men’s minds and turn them against their team mates. This allowed her to fight her way to the center of the room where her family was. Every time she moved, it was like time slowed for her. Even with dirt and sweat smeared all over her body, Trey thought she never looked more beautiful to him.
Trey could not wait for her to make it to them and rushed out of the force field. He pushed past anyone who came near him. Any water based attacks were evaporated by his self-made chain of flames. Bullets did not make it past the first layer of rock and he was able to punch out anyone using energy to strike him. Once the soldiers were knocked out, Trey made sure that they would not be getting back up any time soon.
Drop kicks, upper cuts, and whips of fire made Gillian’s heart beat faster. Her body was hot and sweating. With all the discomfort, she actually felt pretty good and Trey was getting closer which made her exceptionally rash.
Misery Saves the Night Page 25