by Tenaya MKD
It made me feel naked. I pulled my hands away from his, clasping them close to my chest.
“Do you think you will be able to do it?” Quinn asked him.
“Yeah. Most definitely.”
28
We decided that we should do a test run that night. Or rather, Cayde and Quinn decided. I didn't want Cayde spending the night in my room, watching me sleep. But, more than I wanted to put up a fight about it, I wanted my chance at Crowley. So, there we were, sitting in my room in total silence, staring at everything but each other.
Cayde's cot creaked as he shifted, only drawing more attention to the lack of other sound in the room. I tried to think of something I wanted to say. Anything. But I came up with nothing.
“I'm going to wake you up when I sense your power spike. Hopefully, if we do something similar to earlier, I’ll be able to guide you through controlling it.”
“How fast can you get GWNN back on for me, in the case that doesn't work?”
“Ten seconds at most. I'll keep the control tablet right next to me. It's still locked on to you. We just don't have it dampening that ability's wave pattern. It'll be a fast connection. Don't worry.”
“If only I could trust you,” I said. The words felt harsh as they left my mouth, but I meant them. This would be so much easier if I still felt I could trust him.
He sighed. “I can understand why you’re upset with me. Keeping what I knew from you wasn’t fair. I felt terrible about doing it, at first.”
I scoffed. “Only at first?”
“Do you realize that the moment you found out, you did exactly what I was afraid of? You could have gotten yourself killed with your impulsive decision-making!”
“Eric didn't think it was such a bad idea.”
His hands clenched into fists in his lap. “Well, Eric is an idiot too! It seems like you bring out the worst in each other!”
I forced a laugh. “Now you just sound jealous! Are you mad that I tried to leave? Or are you mad that Eric was willing to help me when you weren’t?” He glared at me, but seemed to have no comeback.
“You should sleep,” he finally said.
I got under my covers and turned my back to him, fuming.
“Wake up, Nova,” Cayde said, nudging my shoulder. “It's time.”
My eyes popped open. Fear immediately flooded my system at the prospect of stealing a body again. It made me alert to the point of shaky.
“Relax. We can do this.” Cayde's voice was calm. As if our earlier argument had never happened, he took my clammy hands with genuine kindness. “Now, focus with me.”
His calming influence washed over me, and I welcomed it for a change. With fear not able to muddy my thoughts, I could feel him in my mind with me. The best way I can describe it is that he led me to the piece of my mind that I needed to access. I didn't see it happen, I could only see the blackness of my eyelids. But I felt it.
The power in that part of my mind was building fast. Glowing greens, blues, and pinks burst into existence, and with each passing moment their vibrancy intensified. But before I could worry about what that meant, I felt Cayde wash over my mind like a wave. His presence took on a dark hue. It wasn't black, but it was the absence of color.
He pressed down the building energy, veiling the colors and stifling their glow. One more of Cayde's waves crashed through me, and the power that had been mounting before faded away to a dull pulse. When my mind had returned to even darkness, he let go of my hands. I opened my eyes to find him smiling.
His presence in my mind had been, well, mind-blowing, for lack of a better term. There was no doubting the kind of person that Cayde was now. I’d felt it for myself. He was so… good.
“Thank you,” I said. It wasn't enough, not even close, but it was all I could say. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him close to me. He froze for a moment, but then hugged me back, tightly.
We held each other that way for a while. Or at least it felt like a while. It might have only been a minute, honestly. It felt good though; I know that.
When I woke up the next morning, Cayde had already left. His cot was gone too. I must have really been out, to not even hear him leave. Part of me hoped that he would knock on the door any minute with a cup of coffee for me. A big part.
My feelings toward him were more confused than anything. I wanted to still be mad at him. But I wasn’t. If he had any ill intentions toward me, I was sure that I’d have found out while we were connected. And what he’d done was definitely wrong, but he hadn’t set out to hurt me.
Markham, on the other hand, was a snake. He’d known about where I’d come from since the day I arrived here, and he’d chosen to lie to me about it. Cayde had wanted to protect me from myself. Markham made his choice before even knowing me. He’d just wanted to keep me here—to use me.
I’d managed to avoid him for a couple days now, and I didn't miss him one bit. I'd have to see him today though. There was planning to do.
I rolled myself out of bed with a groan and got dressed. Cayde never came with coffee.
When I’d stocked my tray and filled my own mug, Zane waved me over to sit with him. He and Lily were nearly finished eating their pancakes.
“You better eat quick. We have to meet in the training room in fifteen minutes,” Zane said.
“I thought the people leaving tomorrow were the only ones who had to go to that?”
“We are.”
“You're going with us?” I didn’t mask the surprise I felt. I meant no offense to Zane, he was a good fighter, and he used his ability well. He was just so young.
He stiffened, sitting up a little taller. “Yes, I’m going. You don't think I’m good enough to help?”
“No, that's not it at all! Of course, you are! It's just going to be really dangerous.”
He puffed out his chest. “I'm more than capable of handling danger.”
“I know you are, Zane. I just don't think you should have to.”
Lily was quiet, which wasn’t too unusual for her. But the way her eyes stayed trained on her tray made me think she agreed with me.
He finished his pancakes in a few more bites and gave Lily a quick kiss on the cheek. “I'll see you in there,” he said to me, flatly.
Lily and I continued eating in comfortable silence. She was the queen of comfortable silences, and I loved her for it. There aren't enough people in the world who can sit with someone without feeling the need to speak.
“He will be okay,” she said, once she’d finished chewing her last bite. It was a statement more for herself than for me. She couldn’t handle anything happening to him.
In reality, she could. I didn’t know much about her past, but I knew she’d already handled a lot. She shouldn't have to lose Zane too though. It just wouldn’t be fair.
I nodded. “He will be okay.”
She left me at the table alone, but Eric quickly took her place. “You ready for this bullshit?” he asked.
“You don't think it will be interesting?”
“I don't want to talk about kicking ass, I just want to do it,” he said, smiling.
I laughed. “That’s a statement I can get behind!”
He discreetly poured from a flask into his coffee cup, while I ate my last two bites. With a gesture he offered the flask to me, but I shook my head.
He shrugged. “Suit yourself.” And he slid the flask back into his pocket.
29
Eric and I were the last ones to arrive at the meeting. Markham and Sam stood in front of a large whiteboard they'd put in front of the racks of dumbbells. Sam was looking very pregnant, with the zipper on her jumpsuit straining. She no longer wore the jumpsuit’s belt at all.
Wyatt, Zane, Quinn, and Cayde were sitting on the floor in front of them. It looked like the first day of kindergarten. Cayde was the only one who didn’t acknowledge Eric and me as we sat down.
Zane’s expression read that he was still upset with me, but even he nodded toward me and said, �
�Good morning” to Eric. Cayde stared at his shoes. I didn't get the chance to think much about it though. Markham started speaking the moment we sat down.
“Thank you for accepting the invitation I extended to you to be a part of this mission. If, by the end of this meeting, you would like to withdraw that acceptance, I will understand. We are walking into a dangerous situation, with a lot of unknown circumstances. I want you to know, you are not required to put yourself in danger.”
He looked each person in the eyes as he spoke. I was last, and he lingered on me an extra moment. Finally, he cleared his throat and smoothed his already-crisp jumpsuit.
“We will be leaving here tomorrow at 1030.” He uncapped a red, dry-erase marker and wrote the military time on the whiteboard in straight, neat handwriting. “Our Sikorsky S-92 chopper will transport us from here to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
“Once there, we need to immediately check in to the United Airlines Terminal. Nova, Eric, and Zane: Sam has your new photo IDs. Everyone else: don’t forget yours.
“We will only be bringing one carry-on each. Eric, do not bring your flask. It will not get through security.” Eric groaned loudly. “They will serve drinks on the plane. I think you can make it until then.”
Eric sighed. “If I have to.”
“So dramatic,” I scoffed.
He smirked. “I know.”
Markham cleared his throat again. “While on the topic of liquids. Any other liquid, paste, cream, etc.—such as your hair product, Eric—needs to be in a travel-sized container of no more than 3.4 ounces, and all fit in one, quart-sized, Ziploc bag.”
I tried to stifle it, but couldn’t keep myself from laughing at the genuine, deflated look on Eric’s face.
“We each have assigned seats for our Flight 356, which leaves at 1330 to transport us to New York City’s LaGuardia Airport. Our hotel rooms are in Manhattan, just a few blocks from Crowley's building.”
Each time and location now had its own bullet point on the board. Markham boxed in the itinerary with bold red lines, then wrote “Stake Out” at the top of the free section of board.
“We will need two people to set up a stakeout of the building for the night. It is important that we know everything we can about the nightly operations. What lights stay on, what guards are in place, and what are their routines. Any information is valuable. Would anyone like to volunteer for that?”
Eric and Quinn were first to raise their hands.
“Thank you, Eric and Quinn. They will take that night shift.” He wrote their names on the board.
“The next day, we will need another team to keep eyes on the building. We want to know what general activity is like, if Crowley himself is coming and going, etcetera. We have some information from Cayde's previous visits, but it is limited. Volunteers?”
I raised my hand at the same time as Cayde, and then Wyatt's hand was up a second later.
“Cayde and Wyatt, thank you.” He wrote their names on the board. I crossed my arms over my chest, staring daggers at Markham. But when he turned away from the board to face us, his eyes danced around mine.
“Pending information given to us by our scouts, we will choose the most advantageous time of night to enter the building. Sam will remotely hack their security systems from here, to place a continuous loop of clear footage on the cameras. She can guarantee us only thirty minutes before the system’s firewall will lock her out. Wyatt will fly ahead and post himself on the roof, to ensure that the exit stays clear and the chopper can land—”
“I think I could be more help if I were inside.” Wyatt interrupted.
Sam sighed. “You’re needed on the roof. If you would be better help elsewhere, we would have put you elsewhere.”
Wyatt narrowed his eyes on his sister. “I’m just making a suggestion. I can do more to help if I’m inside.”
Sam rolled her eyes. I’d never seen them be so short with each other before. Granted, I didn’t see them together very often, but I wouldn’t have ever expected there to be so much tension between them. Wyatt could be a bit of a jerk sometimes, but I thought Sam was always nice to everyone.
“Aren’t twins supposed to have a ‘special bond’?” I whispered to Eric.
“Oh, they do. They especially irritate each other.”
I laughed as quietly as I could.
Markham stepped forward to take back the floor. “If the chopper can’t land to pick everyone up, nothing that happens inside will matter. I need you on the roof to make sure no one is there to surprise our people when they get up there, and that no one is in the way when it’s time to leave.” Wyatt huffed, with a sour look on his face, but he nodded. “Zane, Eric, Cayde, Quinn, and Nova will enter through the back entrance, located in the parking garage. Zane will teleport into the building and unlock the door to get you inside.”
“Isn't that a bit risky to ask Zane to do?” I interjected. “What if there are guards on the other side of that door?” Markham’s lips pressed into a straight line. He was clearly thrilled to be interrupted again.
“Then I will knock them out,” Zane said. “I am just as capable as the rest of you.”
“I know you are.” I said, maybe a little too quickly. “I just want you to be safe. I'd worry about anyone doing that job.” That was a lie. I was not naïve enough to think that any of us would be safe. But Zane needed to be as safe as possible.
“Zane, if we ask you to do anything you aren’t comfortable with, don't be afraid to say ‘no’,” Markham said.
Zane groaned. “You guys are being ridiculous! This is too important to be cutting corners in order to baby me. None of us will be safe! Let's think of the people locked in cages, being tortured. They need us to be focused on the right things.”
As worried for him as I was, in that moment I was prouder. “Okay.” I nodded. “You're right.” But I made a promise to myself to protect him, whatever it took.
Cayde was looking at me. Finally. And I felt like it was because he was drawing parallels. I definitely was. Apparently, it's easy to discount someone's capabilities for the sake of protecting them… I hoped he was seeing that it's wrong to do.
Markham nodded to Zane as he continued on with his plan. “Once you are all inside, you will need to make your way up the stairwell. Don’t trap yourselves in an elevator. It will be a lot of stairs, and you won't have a lot of time, but you can make it. Do you know what floor you were on in your vision, Nova?”
“It was high. Not quite the top floor, I don't think, but I could see the tops of other buildings, through the windows.”
He nodded. “Once Nova finds the right floor, she will be your guide to the right room. When you find it, you will need to release the prisoners, avoid the ambush of guards Nova saw in her vision, and then get to the roof. I will be waiting with another helicopter to lift you out.”
“Sounds easy,” Eric said, sarcastically.
Hearing the plan actually made what was ahead of us seem even more daunting than I’d already imagined. Sure, it was more than what Eric and I had decided to act on. But it was still pretty damn vague. There were a lot of variables—many ways that things could go wrong. If this whole meeting had been cut down to, “Get in. Get the people. Get out. Don't get dead.” It would have been just as useful.
Sam took the floor. “I have pendants for you. It will be imperative that you wear these, in order to stay hidden from Crowley's satellite tracking. They’re made from pieces of the inconceivably rare GWNN crystal. These are the only pendants I can make. Do not lose them. They are nowhere near as capable as GWNN itself, but they will keep you hidden.”
She handed one to each of us, skipping Cayde. “You have yours, right?” He answered by gesturing to beneath the collar of his jumpsuit, where I knew it hung.
Without the colorful glow that GWNN had, the white piece of crystal she gave me seemed dull—at least until I touched it. The energy it had made my palm buzz the moment I wrapped my hand around it. It was electric. No
where near what GWNN was, but still magnificent.
It was wrapped in copper and hanging on a hemp cord. Parts of it were opaque, but most of it was clear enough to see through. When I held it up to the light, a rainbow shone brilliantly in the center.
A sudden slam against the door made me whip around so hard that I nearly dropped it. The door flung open wide, and Harper stomped through it. “Why the hell was I not invited to this?” Her voice boomed through the room.
Sam took a couple steps toward her. “Your ribs still aren’t fully healed. If you tried to shift with—”
“I’ll be fine!” she snapped.
“Even so, I am keeping this group as small as possible. I don’t want to put anyone in danger who I don’t have to,” Markham said.
“I volunteer! I’ll be a hell of a lot more useful than Nova, or Zane!”
Zane rolled his eyes.
“Nova is the only person who knows exactly where we’re going, and Zane is how we get through the door. A wolf is going to be pretty conspicuous in an office building,” Eric said.
She glared at him, red tinting her eyes.
“Harper, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but everyone who I invited on this mission is important to it. We won’t be needing your help this time,” Markham said sternly.
She was fuming. The red in her eyes was getting brighter. Her chest was heaving with her loud breaths. I braced for a bad situation. But she turned around and stomped out the door, slamming it hard behind her. Eric shook his head, with a small smile on his face.
I leaned over to quietly say, “You aren’t gonna be getting any for a while.”
He laughed, leaning in closer. “Not from her anyway.” I scoffed and punched him in the arm.
I spent the rest of the day attempting to meditate in the garden and sparring with Eric. He and I weren’t talking about it, but with what was looming over us, it felt like more than the playful sparring we normally did.