Fortified

by J. F. Jenkins

  They probably looked ridiculous as well. Sitting in their costumes, waiting for Alan to get them. Another good reason to meet in a more hidden spot. Angela was the most normal of the three. She wore her mask, some tight exercise pants and a matching tank top. No doubt she was cold in the breezy spring night air, but he figured she’d be able to regulate her temperature just fine with her fire. Control over her powers was getting a lot better and her skills were more diverse. Then of course Orlando liked to dress up a lot more than JD ever thought he would. For someone who acted too cool, Orlando got into the superhero gig. Granted, his outfit was also tame with black dress slacks, a white dress shirt, and matching fedora. It amped up his cool factor and made JD seem crazy.

  Anything JD did, he went all out, and costumes were not an exception. He had on a t-shirt with a taco on the front, tight black pants, and bright red boxer shorts to go over them. There was a cape as well, of course. Red being the chosen color of the night to make the whole ensemble flow. Angela complained the entire way to the meeting point. Nothing she said changed his mind. And of course, they all had on their masks, so it wasn’t like anyone they knew would be able to recognize them anyway.

  But the park was quiet and void of people. Probably why Alan had picked that spot to take them from.

  Orlando sighed, breaking the overwhelming silence. “I guess I shouldn’t complain too much. At least I’m out of the house doing something. There’s only so much staying in and doing homework I can take, and that’s saying a lot since I actually like homework.”

  “You do?” JD peered at his friend. “Are you sure you’re human?”

  A subtle shiver ran over Orlando’s body and when he gazed over at JD, there was a slight hint of fear in his eyes. “I’m just like you.”

  “It was a joke,” JD said. And he didn’t give me a wise crack. What’s going on? Something crawl up his shorts and die? He’s in a mood, even for him. He shook it off. “But I hear ya. Not a whole lot going on here either. When Alan came by a couple of days ago to give me the details, I was pretty stoked.”

  “Embarrassingly so,” Angela added. Those were the first words she’d said not laced with disdain. “He skipped.”

  Orlando raised an eyebrow. “I worry about you.”

  “There is nothing wrong with skipping when I’m happy,” JD protested. “I can’t run. I get energetic when good things happen. This is a good thing. It’s fine.”

  “Which is why you need to defend yourself so strongly,” Orlando teased. “It’s okay. I accepted you were strange a long time ago. Embrace it.”

  Angela muttered under her breath, “I tell him that too.”

  Can’t you two kiss and make up already? Maybe not literally, but at least be nicer to each other? JD wanted to complain, to force them to get along, but telling them what to do would backfire on him big time. Both Orlando and Angela had nasty tempers. Rather than be mad at each other, they’d direct it all onto him. No thank you. One of them is going to have to put on their big kid undies and apologize first.

  Just as Orlando was about to reply, Alan appeared.

  “Glad you could all come,” Alan said. “If you could all please hold onto one another, we’ll be teleporting to the location of the exchange.”

  All three teens stood. With a sigh, JD grabbed hold of both Orlando and Angela. “Okay, let’s do this”

  With one touch, Alan moved them from one park, to another. Only the second location was much deeper in the woods. There was one lone trail created from the repeated trampling of foliage, but it was definitely off the beaten path and away from where people were supposed to go. Teleportation was always disorienting. Convenient, but not pleasant. JD had to close his eyes, otherwise he’d freak out. Not like there was much to see when teleporting. Just one location turning into another, but it was a lot easier to handle if he didn’t watch it shift as they moved. It didn’t make him as dizzy either.

  There was, however, always a tingling following the transport, and it lingered for a few minutes, sometimes making him numb in his feet or legs. Similar to when his legs fell asleep. Walking wasn’t always easy. Alan might not get the sensation anymore, or ever, because he could always move just fine once he was done. JD needed a moment to recover, and he didn’t think he was the only one because his sister actually fell backward onto her butt. Orlando was much smoother, of course. He shook out his arms and legs, mindful of his costume.

  Once JD had some more feeling in his body, he nodded at Alan. “Ready! Where’s Jaes?”

  “He’s at the shed waiting.” Alan pointed north from where they stood. Off in the distance, JD saw structure made from wood, barely looking like it could stand on its own.

  “Looks…not safe,” JD observed.

  “A decoy to keep people from investigating it,” Alan explained. “Apparently, the night time visitors here are interesting.”

  The teens all exchanged glances and shrugged. Carefully, they moved about the forest floor, mindful of fallen branches, large bushes, and potential poison ivy. That was the last thing JD needed on top of everything else going on.

  “This is all you brought?” Jaes asked once they reached the shed. He scrunched up his face, disappointment evident in his eyes.

  Alan nodded coolly, seemingly not bothered in the slightest which wasn’t like him. In the past, Alan bent over backwards to make his friend happy. JD liked the new confidence. “Do you have the Ilotus?”

  Jaes held up the small, shoe sized, golden box. “Of course. Shall we?” He grabbed the door handle of the shed with his free hand. Before he could get it opened, however, a sharp whistle cut through the air followed by a metal dart hitting the door with a solid thunk. The dart missed Jaes’s hand by an inch. JD couldn’t tell if that was intentional or good luck on Jaes’s part.

  “Hand over the artifact, and no one will get hurt,” a familiar voice said from somewhere in the trees.

  JD followed the sound and made out an equally familiar shape about thirty feet away. “Is that…?”

  “Drone,” Angela whispered, confirming JD’s fears.

  He’d been there the day Drone had grandly revealed his true identity. The young man claimed it was to help with solidarity amongst the charges. JD knew better; it was a power play. A way for him to show he wasn’t afraid of anyone knowing who he actually was, as well as finding out who everyone else was in the process. Thankfully, JD and his sister were able to get out before their turn came. At the time, something felt off about the guy even if JD couldn’t pinpoint what. Now he knew: Drone was a traitor. The shock Jaes wore on his face suggested he’d been blindsided as well—or he was a fantastic actor. Things still weren’t adding up yet.

  The others were all stunned into silence. JD decided to do what he did best: talk. “Never in a million years will we let you get your hands on it. You fiend!”

  “Fiend? And what is up with your monologue?” Orlando brushed some of his black shag from out of his face. “Seriously, you’ve got to come up with some better dialogue.”

  “I can always count on you,” JD said quietly, hoping the banter was distracting enough for one of the more powerful team members to make a move.

  Orlando was one of them, and once again, he didn’t disappoint. “So this is the infamous Drone I’ve heard so much about, huh? I’d love to see what all the fuss is.”

  A soft, unamused snort left Drone’s lips and another dart came sailing through the air. Rolling his eyes, in true Orlando fashion, he lifted up a hand and the dart bounced off of an invisible psychic shield halfway through its journey.

  “If that’s your only trick, I’m disappointed,” he said.

  Drone pointed to Orlando. “This one is mine, so I can show him all of my…tricks.”

  “Ooh, how ominous and scary.” Orlando wiggled his fingers in front of him as if he were casting some sort of spell.

  Jaes finally found his voice. “What…what are you doing, Drone? Who ordered this attack?”

  “I did,” Drone said
, moving toward them.

  Instinctively, JD tensed up and moved in front of his sister, knowing full well he couldn’t protect her but willing to try. It put her, Orlando, and himself in a cluster of sorts. Sticking together was going to be their best defense. Drone couldn’t have been working alone. His comrades had to be hiding somewhere in the trees.

  Jaes reached for the shed door and upon opening it came face to face with an older man whom JD pegged to be around fifty. The guy had sandy blond hair, blue grey eyes, and a build all too similar to Alan’s. If not for the difference in age, they could have been twins. Or perhaps Alan’s future self came back in time to help save the day.

  Only Alan didn’t have time travel capabilities, and he recognized the man standing in front of him as well. “Father? What are you doing here?”

  “I’m here to acquire the Ilotus,” the man said in an eerily calm way. He offered out his hand. “Please, hand it over. I’ll make sure it’s returned to the right hands.”

  Jaes was about to do just that, but Alan placed a hand on his friend’s chest. Shaking his head, Alan forced them both back a step. “We’re supposed to be meeting with Kimantkel. She said specifically to meet here and…Aren’t you supposed to be on the other side of the planet with the rest of your ship?”

  “We moved locations for the time being and were given different orders,” his father stated.

  “I just spoke to your commander earlier,” Jaes said, his voice shaking. “During our daily conference call. He said you were still stationed over China and had no intentions of moving given the conflict getting more complicated over in that part of the world.” He paused. “He and Sir Orioltogorthan are the only commanders who knew about our plan for today.”

  Everyone stood still, as if time itself had stopped. The leaves rustling in the wind were the only indication that the world was in fact still moving forward. Drone charged toward the group, Alan’s father made a grab for the Ilotus, and all chaos broke loose.

  Angela was the first to respond to the attack, shooting fire toward Drone. She singed his clothes as the fireball barreled to his left and struck a tree, splitting it in half. The sound of the branches crashing to the ground was deafening. Someone shouted, but JD couldn’t make out who. With Drone distracting everyone, Alan’s father and Jaes were in a tug of war over the golden artifact. Each had a hand on the device, using the other to fling whatever powers they contained at the other. A blast of ice erupted from Jaes, but Alan’s father was able to deflect it with ease by putting up a small shield made from electricity. The two were so evenly matched and moving so fast it was hard to see who was in control of which element of attack.

  Then JD risked a glance at Alan. All he did was stare at the man who raised him in complete and utter shock. Slowly, his face turned into a snarl of disgust. Just as he was going to launch an attack of his own, a crack of lightning landed right at his feet, sending him flying backward into the trees at full force. At first, JD thought the blast came from his father, but not too far in the distance was a girl with auburn curls blowing away smoke from her fingers. She didn’t have a mask. Neither did Drone for that matter. Her gaze landed on JD, and she smirked, snapping her fingers together to kindle more electricity between them.

  JD didn’t need to think it over. He ran forward, toward Jaes and the shed, closing the space between him and her leader. At least he hoped Alan’s father was the man in charge of this treachery—for his safety’s sake. Of course his friends would be hurting, but there wasn’t time to think about that. He had to use his logic to stay alive. This girl wouldn’t dare attack so close to one of her teammates or the Ilotus, would she?

  Luck seemed to be on his side as another lightning bolt sailed over his head, destroying another tree. He lowered his head, angled his shoulder just right, and with all of his body weight, slammed into Alan’s father, knocking the man into the shed. The Ilotus flew through the air, over his and Jaes’s head, landing in a pile of dead leaves and long grass.

  For a moment, everyone stopped, watching the pile, as if expecting the artifact to sprout legs and crawl away to safety on its own.

  “Gabby! Get it!” Drone barked out.

  The mysterious girl went running for the pile. JD picked himself up and did the same, only she was a tiny bit faster. A fraction of a second made all the difference. Just as her fingers were about to grab hold of the Ilotus, she was knocked off her feet and into a bush, getting tangled in the branches. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Orlando with an outstretched hand, pinning her into the foliage with his psychic abilities.

  With clenched fists, Drone pulled out a gun and pointed it toward Orlando.

  “Behind you!” JD shouted.

  Angela fired another ball of flames toward Drone, which caused him to fumble his aim as he fired. The bullet whizzed at a safe distance overhead. Unfazed, Drone reloaded and pointed it at her next. Orlando saw this just in time, and with one infuriated yell, the ground shook. Anyone not within a few feet of him was pushed to the ground.

  “Get out of here!” Jaes managed as he struggled to lift his body off of the dirt. Whatever hold Orlando had on the area, it was a powerful one. JD also found himself unable to get up, let alone move.

  Gently, Angela grabbed a hold of Orlando’s arm and pulled him toward JD. The two of them reached down and helped him up.

  JD picked up the Ilotus, using his body to shield it from another blast of lightning coming from a gap in the bushes where Gabby was still trapped. Another narrow miss, but a miss all the same and that was all that mattered. He ran deep into the forest, not once looking back.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Orlando leaned against a tree, hiding his face in his arms, desperate to catch his breath. “Did we lose them?” He glanced back over his shoulder and his gaze was full of what appeared to be genuine concern. For all of his talk, the guy was easily spooked. Granted, they were running for their lives at the moment. JD just expected more toughness and less melting down, and Orlando definitely gave off the impression of a volcano ready to blow at any time. He had to keep cool or they’d all lose it.

  “No clue,” JD said, panting. He groaned as his side ached from his spring. “We’ve got the Ilotus though, so they might have followed us. Where’d Alan run off to? I could sure go for his convenient teleporting right now.”

  “Same,” Angela whispered, closing her eyes. “I don’t hear anyone.”

  “That doesn’t mean they aren’t coming,” Orlando said. “We need a plan. Fast.”

  “Yes,” she agreed. Both of them gazed over at JD.

  He was the group appointed leader despite his lack of powers. He’d made the assumption it was because they felt bad for him. At that moment, he wondered if perhaps it was because they weren’t confident enough in their own decisions. That, maybe, they actually valued his opinions enough to trust in his guidance. No pressure or anything, they were only in the thick of battle.

  Swallowing, he started to think out loud. “We have the Ilotus. It needs to get to our allies. I don’t trust Alan’s tribe. Not everyone in it, at least. Even Jaes is sketchy right now. Unless we give it to Alan himself, I’d rather it be someone from the yellow tribe since that’s who the device belongs to in the first place. Know anyone from there who can give us a pointer on what to do next in case we can’t catch up with Alan?” With all of the fighting, JD didn’t want to think of his leader, his friend, being hurt. They needed to prepare for the worst all the same.

  “Nia is part of the yellow tribe,” Orlando said, his gaze on the forest floor as if deep in thought.

  “Do you know how to get to her place from here? Where are we, anyway?” Angela asked, and JD was proud she could put aside whatever beef was between them aside for the time being. Good to know she could keep herself in check when the need arose.

  Nodding, Orlando pulled out his cellphone. He ran his fingers over the touch screen. “I know where she lives. I’ll try to figure out where we are with my GPS.”

&n
bsp; “Stop,” JD said. “There’s gotta be a way the bad guys can trace the signal or whatever.”

  “Signal is pretty accurate of a description,” Orlando deadpanned, ignoring JD’s request.

  With a huff, JD marched over and snatched the phone from his hands. “I’m not a tech guru. Okay? But we should all turn off our phones.”

  Angela sighed and did as she was told, pulling out her cellphone from some hidden pocket in her pants. “I hate when you’re right. Especially since we’re up against Drone,” Angela added. “The guy is a cyborg. A computer. He probably has access to all kinds of programs and databases and whatever else he needs to locate us based on a phone.”

  Orlando gazed at her coolly from behind his mask and it was hard to tell if he agreed with her or not. “We can’t wander blind.”

  “What if he learns who you are? If Gideon can find out a life story from hacking a phone, don’t you think Drone can too?” Angela pressed.

  JD hadn’t even thought of that. “Where’s the off button? Glad I left mine at home.”

  “Are you nuts? What if we lost track of you?” His sister gasped.

  “I’d figure it out. Mom would murder me if I broke mine in a fight.” He flipped Orlando’s phone over in his hands, content with just taking the battery out if need be. His friend reclaimed ownership over the device before he could pry off the slick, black, casing.

  “Two seconds, that’s all I need to figure it out,” Orlando insisted.

  “Fine! Seriously, one Mississippi, two—”

  Orlando frantically swiped his fingertips over the screen of his phone. A few seconds later he was powering it off and putting it back into his pocket. “We’re about an hour from home,” Orlando said. “There’s a gas station a couple of miles that way.” He pointed to what JD thought was Southeast. “Otherwise there wasn’t a whole lot of civilization nearby. I think we’re in some kind of forest boarding the rural towns up north.”

  “Okay, plan!” JD clapped his hands together. “We go to the gas station, turn everything back on, check in with the proper family units so no one freaks out and then—”