Turning back to the room she picked up a bag from the floor which held all their gear, giving it a vigorous shake. She heard the credits, guns, spare ammo clips and three broken radios rattle against each other. The credit coins making a nice gentle sound as they pinged off the guns and radios as the bag came to a rest.
"Definitely going to trade this in the morning," she spoke aloud. Her back to the windows as she turned and headed to the small storage cupboard. As she turned her head, Alice did not notice in her peripheral vision the shadow of a person hidden and watching from the top floor, where the fire escape was solidly attached to the building.
Their face briefly illuminated by a phone’s screen, casting their gaunt and bearded face in stark relief. Someone was watching the building, not necessarily for her but for people who were in hiding from the authorities. The building Alice was in should have been empty. Oblivious to the watcher and their call, she placed her hand on the side of the door frame for a second. Her lightning gift gently pulsed, before a blue light run around the edge of the door, followed by a soft yet audible click. The electromagnets released the three catches as the door swung ajar.
:I remember when I first started getting my gift,: she thought, :that pulse would have been more like a full-blown, leave a trace on your retina, bolt.: Gently laughing to herself she entered the small room and closed the door behind her.
Alice reached up to the top shelf of the storage unit, unclipping then climbing the dangling knotted rope. Easing through the neatly burnt hole through the concrete, exiting into her workshop and living compartment.
Secure Room
Pulling the rope up then dropping a trapdoor cover over the hole, Alice went to her workstation and turned on the computer system. While it was booting up, Alice took a bottle of fresh and treated water out of her small fridge, quickly glugging a few mouthfuls. The refreshing cold water carried a shiver with it, making goose pimples raise up on her arms. Licking her lips Alice finished the bottle, placing it with three others that needed refilling before grabbing a handful of energy bars and an open tin of some pasta meal.
A soft ping alerted Alice to the computer finishing its boot up sequence. Seating herself on what Alice assumed was once a high-quality office chair, spoilt only by the three bullet holes in its faux leather back; along with the blood stain on its seat cushion. Entering her login details Alice first checked the outside camera feeds before running the app which replayed any camera activation while she had been out.
Eating the contents of the tin, Alice watched as one of the outside cameras silently recorded two raggedly dressed people entering through the purposely broken first-floor window, into the burnt and ruined room. Then entering the left hand corridor going from room to room heading past the broken stairs toward the foyer, then trying the lift doors with no success.
She watched them for five minutes as they pulled and tugged on the few doors that remained until they reached the foyer. Suddenly they froze as though they were listening for something. She tossed the now-empty tin of pasta toward the bin in the corner of the room as she continued watching the recording. Another camera’s feed opened, one of the three cameras, which covered the foyer played its recording in sync with the one showing the two people.
This camera showed a black bulky security car pull up. It disgorged three black-clothed security officers. One of them lifted his rifle aiming through the broken doors while the other two pulled their sidearms and positioned themselves at the edge of the doorway.
The two people kept their hands raised and slowly walked toward the doorway when they suddenly turned and ran down the way they had been searching. Bright flashes of rifle fire burnt an image into Alice’s eyes as the officer opened fire on the fleeing people. Her screen split as another camera played its recording, showing both sides of the incident.
The camera which looked down the corridor recorded the two-people jigging side to side as they ran, hoping the armed officer would miss them. Chunks of plaster were covering the people as they ran, the rifle fire hitting the walls high above their heads. While the front camera showed the officer continuing to fire, the other two officers walked back to their car.
A third camera popped its record into the action. The camera which first showed the two entering the building now showed two more officers, she watched as they put a mobile force field catcher on the ground, directly under the window. While the two people somehow reached their entry point unscathed, though covered in plaster.
Safe from the rifle fire the two people dived like synchronised divers out of the window, their skill availed them nothing. Caught, stunned and suspended, frozen in mid-dive by the force field. One of the two officers held the units remote and manoeuvred the captured people into the back of a large security vehicle. The camera from the front of the building showed the rifle firing officer getting back into his car and driving away.
A pile of spent ammo cases marked where he had been standing. Her computer screen went black as all the camera recordings stopped. Then a front one showed several youths, quickly picking up the spent ammo cases from the front of the building then disappearing as quickly as they had come.
Communications
Minimising the camera app, Alice quickly manoeuvred the phone's camera as she placed her left eye in the circle on the phone screen. Activating the optical scanner which gave added security and allowed her to open her mail. Seeing three new letters she opened the one which arrived earliest, a circular from a person named Z at control.
Again, we find the need to remind everybody that the events we are going through are not some kind of 3D virtual reality game. FFS we have lost 7 trained fighters in the last three days. It is as if those behind the takeover have penetrated our systems and are able to track us at our stations.
Always be vigilant, if cornered fight your way clear, never trust their lies. Every watcher they catch they kill. Keep in touch. Those of you on the Eastern seaboard, be cautious we have reports of increased patrols, in all areas especially in the cities.
"Nothing new in that communication," Alice said aloud, "I hope those three I couldn’t find two days ago isn’t part of that 7 or its 10 fighters in a week," she said.
Clicking on the next message, titled Gift training, again from control. It reminded people to be vigilant should a person’s gifts awaken, they should strive to reach them as quickly as possible. Especially before the hunter teams, the invaders send out.
Her final message was from L, it had no subject line. Hi A, just letting you know that I am heading for control at the weekend, I am looking forward to meeting W, L2 and little P there.
I think J and R will come along from their cold place of work too. Take care and always feed the bears, love L.
A warm but pleasant feeling rushed through Alice as she re-read the last message. :I think going to control would be a good idea, but not if J will be there. They did not like the outcome when we worked together last month if only It had been R,: Alice thought.
Thinking about making for the centre unit and replying from a secure unit to control, to let them know about the missing three, telling them their gear was there but she could find no sign of them. A pop-up icon on her HUD from the camera system interrupted her thoughts.
:Those young kids again,: she thought as she clicked on the icon.
"Shit, damn and mutant dwarfs," she swore under her breath. "Security troops and armed for grizzly too," she added. Looking at the troops as they stealthily entered the foyer, she counted eight, that was until the window camera opened revealing four more heavily armed troops.
"Bastards, two sets of troops, they obviously are serious. I wonder who or what they are looking for," she said aloud while her eyes scanned the screens. A strong tingle ran down her right arm causing Alice to take a sharp intake of air.
"Ok, Ok I get it, it’s to do with me. How did they find me, those sheep shearing pricks?" she angrily said. :Hopefully, it is for somebody or something else. They are going to cat
ch those idiots who always drive down Marcy most evenings at 9,: she thought and hoped while she watched them carefully head toward the broken stairs. One trooper, who was carrying a small telescopic ladder even tried to push the broken lift door but did not move it.
:Where was I seen?: Alice thought as one of her gifts replayed her memories like a streaming service in her mind, spinning and viewing from all angles. She watched as she crossed through Herbert’s Park, over to the building directly from the park.
She reviewed herself entering the foyer, climbing the lift before entering her room on the fourth floor. Nope nothing there that I can see, she thought as she manipulated the image, looking from all angles. Continuing her scan, she watched as her body looked out of the window toward the park. :There,: she thought stopping the scan.
:There, I missed it the first time. Somebody in the red brick opposite was watching me or watching for anybody who shouldn’t be there. They could report who they’d seen to either, police or security forces.: A bleep from her security system warned her that the troops had come up their ladder over the broken stairs, and were on the fourth floor.
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