by Lucy Rains
I took my meat and fruit outside, eating under the large tree that shaded the yard. After my food was gone I drained a few water bottles and then started weeding. Letting my frustration seep into every tug and yank. Dirt flew in every direction, tiny pieces pelting my face.
I lost track of time and was so caught up in my weeding frustration that I didn't hear Alex come up behind me until he was looking over my shoulder and cleared his throat.
Rolling my eyes, I kept digging my nails into the ground.
Alex cleared his throat again, “What would you do on Mars for fun?” He asked casually.
I stopped and leaned back on my heels, wiping an arm across my forehead. “What?” I panted.
He sipped loudly from a straw, drinking what appeared to be lemonade.
“What would would you do on Mars? For fun?” He repeated.
I rolled my eyes and continued pulling out overgrown grass that surrounded a flowering bush. “I don’t know, build a sand castle?”
“I think I would go ice skating.”
I paused and looked up at him, “There’s no ice on Mars.”
He took another sip and then nodded, “Mars actually has a north pole and south pole, just like Earth.”
“Why are you asking crazy questions?” I ripped out a foot tall weed and threw it in his direction. He leaned to the side to avoid being hit. “Is it distracting you from wanting to hurt me?”
“It’s giving me a headache.”
“Drink?”
I shook my head and stood up, brushing off my hands. “I'm going to go shower.”
Alex stepped in front of me, blocking my way.
Taking a step back, I brought up my hands in a gesture of defense. “In this moment, my alone time is for your safety.”
His mouth quirked into a grin which only pissed me off more.
He flicked some dirt of my shoulder. “Look, I know he's an asshole, but you gotta let it go.”
“No,” I shook my head, “you don't understand. You can't understand. The way he's allowed to treat people is ridiculous and you all just sit back. But me?” I pointed towards myself, “I'm the lowest on his shit list because of circumstances I had no control over.” I leaned away from Alex, and took a step back.
Releasing a heavy sigh, I tried to relax my face. “But whatever,” I looked away. I didn't want to care anymore. This didn't need to be my problem. I brushed my hands together again, Alex stood silently, his emotions heavy.
“Count me out for tonight.” I said over my shoulder as I stepped around him.
He choked on a chuckle, “You're kidding, right?”
I ignored him, still walking.
“That's never gonna fly, Jade. Jade!” Alex called out, but I continued my stride and opened the glass door.
Kyson and Pierce stood on either side of the entrance, watching my approach. I went by them in silence.
“Jade thinks she’s staying home tonight,” I heard Alex say in a low tone.
“You should be happy, Alex. You didn’t want me participating in the first place.” I reached out and placed a hand on the stair banister.
“Jade, stop,” Pierce commanded. His tone said disobedience was not an option.
I stopped walking but didn’t turn around. Instead I relaxed my stance and folded my arms.
“You have to come tonight. It's an out of state job. We’re flying to New York.”
I waited for a moment, silence hanging in the air. I swallowed, my whole body tensing. “I've never been on a plane.”
The air shifted through the room as my words sank in.
“I’m sure you'll accomplish your assignment just fine without me.” I uncrossed my arms and turned towards the guys.
Kyson’s eyebrows pulled together. Alex looked at Pierce curiously, wondering how he was going to handle me. Gavin held his usual stone expression. Pierce unfortunately looked frustrated. And possibly mad.
“I want to be alone. I have a phone, I'll be fine.” Nobody moved, I grit my teeth together. “I'm staying,” I declared, looking at Pierce with an expression that dared him to make me.
Pierce’s blue eyes held mine, “Everyone out.”
His tone sent goosebumps up my arms and I stifled a shiver. Apparently, the guys knew he meant business because they scattered hastily. Pierce and I held on to our staring match, while we heard footsteps leading away and doors closing.
When we were all alone, he started his slow walk towards me. I remained stoic, holding my position, my neck having to crane higher as he came closer. When our bodies were almost touching he brought his face down to my level. My heart tripped at his nearness.
“I’ll be damned if you are staying here tonight.” His voice was low, laced with dominance. “You will get cleaned up, you will get ready, and you will get on that plane with us.” His lips were near my ear. I tried to maintain my stiff composure but it was getting harder by the second. His mouth moved closer to my lips as he spoke. “I don’t care that your panties are in a ruffle. You poked the beast, and you learned your lesson. Now don’t make me drug you, because I will not hesitate to tie you up and throw you over my shoulders.”
I closed my eyes as I felt his power wash over me. My body was submitting to his will, and my chest vibrations were pounding through my chest.
“Do you understand?” His lips whispered against mine.
I gave a small nod of my head.
“Say it,” he demanded.
I opened my eyes and glared into his. The dominating seduction he was working over me made me want to growl, not wanting to want him, but unable to control it. “Say it Jade.”
“I understand,” I clipped, my voice taut.
“Good” he said, “now go get cleaned up.” He pulled back without word, and left me standing there as he went to the office.
******************
The guys were spoiled in their transportation accommodations. No coach seats, heck no commercial plane. We boarded a private jet, apparently owned by the agency they worked for, and got comfortable in our seats. The cream leather felt divine as I eased my seat back and enjoyed the sunset view out my window. The guys milled about in the plane, getting their own seats and drinking the carbonated beverages provided. They joked casually, unfazed by our accommodations. I had never been in anything so nice and was relishing every moment. By my seat was a little shelf with small packages of snacks and assorted beverages. I picked out a crisp waffle shaped cookie drizzled with caramel and nibbled on it.
The guys had left me alone for the evening, giving me the space that I wanted. I felt their wistful longings to be near me, and their apprehension on approaching me. Gavin’s and my interaction earlier that day had left a mark on my heart, not sure if it was good or bad, and I was trying to figure out how to cope with it. He had made no attempt to talk to me, or approach me. I didn’t expect him too.
After take off, I peeled my fingers off of the armrests and tried to relax my stiff body. Kyson got up from his seat and plopped down in the vacant one next to me, coke bottle in hand.
“Kyson,” I greeted.
“Jade.”
I looked out the window as we flew over the city lights, watching cars stream down the freeways.
“You have to go easy on him.”
“Excuse me?” I questioned.
He looked in Gavin’s direction, who had his eyes closed with headphones on. “We’re all different in here,” Kyson pointed to his head, “and here,” then to his chest. “We handle the past differently. Hell, we’re all a bit crazy inside. Beaten and broken, but we’ve learned to push through it.”
“I understand,” I commented, going back to looking out the window. “I got pulled into a house full of a bunch of guys filled with PTSD.”
Kyson didn’t take offense to my comment. He continued, “When we first got out of the lab, he didn’t leave his room for about a month. We all took turns making sure he ate something, but we had to give him his space. After that he slowly started coming out,
it was few months before he actually left the house.” Kyson paused to take a drink of his soda. Pierce and Alex were sitting together looking at a laptop. Alex looked up at us and gave me a wink when he saw me looking at him. A corner of my mouth tilted up in reply.
“The things they did,” he paused looking down at his hands, “it's not something any of us want to talk about. It brings back the the pain.” his voice became shaky.
I looked up at his face, unable to stop the concern I felt for the ache he was feeling.
“They wanted to see how much we could take, how far they could push us before we would basically die. How much they could physically tear us up without stopping our hearts. They learned that we could lose more blood, eat less food, need less air, and sustain more abuse than any well trained human ever could. And when they saw our healing capabilities, they would injure us, and then require us to complete tasks. The scientists wanted to see what we could do in our weakest state, which was still better than any human.”
Kyson’s eyes glazed over as his spoke, I took the coke bottle from his hand and took a drink.
“I could go on. But you get the point.”
“What’s your point?” I asked.
“I try not to judge, because I’m quite screwed up myself. We all are, in our ways. Some of us are just better at hiding it.” He sighed as he looked at Gavin. “Go easy on him.”
“You know he blames me for what my mother did to you?” I waved a hand towards Gavin.
Kyson shook his head, “You’re overreacting, he doesn’t blame you.”
“Well, he sure as hell holds a grudge against me for the person I didn’t chose to raise me.”
“Don’t worry, he’ll get over it.” Kyson said with confidently.
“How?” I asked in disbelief.
“When she’s dead.”
My eyes went wide at his statement. “Dead?” I whispered. Kyson had a small smile. His words caught me off guard and I was trying to decide if he was implying something. But before I could ask, Pierce and Alex came over to our seats.
“We need to go over details for tonight with you Jade.”
“That’s my cue to head back to my seat,” Kyson grabbed his soda bottle back and walked down the aisle and sat next to Gavin.
“Looks like we’re heading into downtown Manhattan, where these guys have rented out a building to themselves.” Alex tapped on his laptop and then turned it my way. On the screen were pictures of 5 middle eastern looking men. Their names were below the pictures.
“What does the government want them for?”
“Stolen NSA information, confirmed terrorists plots,” Pierce explained. “We need to go in and retrieve any information on their computers they have, or any hard evidence in their possession.”
“Will all five gentleman be at the location when we get there?” I asked.
“Probably,” they both said at the same time.
I nodded, “Okay. Does the government want them alive?”
“It would be helpful but not necessary. Retrieving and or destroying the confidential information is top priority.” Pierce explained. “Make sure your feelings don’t affect your actions tonight.”
I glared at him, “Maybe you should have left me at home.”
“You know you don’t want to miss out on all this fun!” Alex smiled. “Now come on, lets go get your vest on.”
After we landed and exited the jet a black SUV was waiting for us. We all loaded up and began the drive into the city. Towering buildings swallowed the sky, my neck couldn’t crane back far enough to see the tops of them. Taxi’s ruled the streets while pedestrians hurried along sidewalks and through intersections. There was never a shortage of sound as we drove. Horns blaring, music thumping, and people laughing as they enjoyed what the city had to offer. I had been to New York City years ago with my mother, but I didn’t remember much. The lights, billboards, buildings were constant and illuminating the dark evening.
Pierce pulled the SUV into a parking garage and turned off the vehicle. I followed Alex out of the back of the car and waited as the guys made final preparations. Our sounds echoed off the garage walls. There were a few cars on our level we had parked in but otherwise the area was empty.
The same nerves were starting to creep over my skin as with the previous op. Perhaps worse this time since I knew anything was possible in a very bad way.
We snaked through people passing by on the sidewalk, but soon we were in a low lighted area empty from any human presence. Pierce stopped us at a crosswalk and had us come in together.
“Our site is just around the corner.” Pierce motioned over his shoulder. “There are 3 main points of entry to their building. Unfortunately there are eyes on all of them.”
“So are we going to take them out?” I asked.
Alex shook his head, “That would give us away.”
“Then, how are we getting in? Fire escape ladder?”
The guys looked at each other for a moment then back to me. Pierce answered, “There’s a small 2nd story balcony. We’ll enter the building from there.”
“How are we getting up to it?” I asked.
Alex grinned, “You’ll see.”
Pierce turned and started walking over to the corner of the building. “Let's head over.”
When our intended building came into view, I was ready to head back to the SUV. Or the plane. Or my bed. It was old, rotting, chipped, frayed, and promised bad things.
Sure enough I saw the black box mounted above the door with the red light blinking. The guys shuffled quietly along the wall to the side of the building. Car lights appeared from the north side of the street and we ducked behind a dumpster. The car passed and the guys quickly began moving again, stopping underneath a narrow foot wide, 3 foot long, ledge off a window.
“You call that a balcony?” I whispered yelled.
Pierce looked up at it. “It’ll do.”
Kyson stood underneath, legs wide and motioned towards Alex. Alex walked backwards several steps, his eyes locked on the small balcony. His gait was swift, and silent as he bounded forward, placing a foot on Kysons knee and launched up the wall. He easily grabbed the bottom of the metal gate and pulled himself up and inside the small standing space. I saw him pull out a silver tool from one of his pants cargo pockets and began working on the window. Those of us down below waited quietly. Once we saw the window slide open, Pierce motioned for Kyson to go on up. Pierce took his spot below the window and helped Kyson up the wall, the same way Alex went up. Kyson and Alex disappeared inside the building.
“Jade,” Pierce whispered. I looked up at the balcony and then back at Pierce. I flexed my muscles and took a few steps back. While I hopped from foot to foot, I calculated the height from the ground to the window. As I began my jog I eyed the spot on the wall I knew I needed to place my foot in order to get my momentum up to the balcony. Instead of running towards Pierce, I angled to the other side of the window, flew off the ground with easy agility, stepped off the wall and propelled easily over the balcony bars. I rotated my body around as I landed on the small metal platform. It was a an effortless leap.
I looked down to see Pierce and Gavin gaping up at me with shocked curiosity. I shrugged, surprised at myself. Gavin whispered something to Pierce and went back to take his turn. He did the same as me, stepping lightly onto the wall and bounded up the small balcony. Pierce quickly did the same. At which point there was no room on the mini balcony and I slipped through the window that Alex had pried open.
When I got inside, Alex was looking at me with a scowl. “What the hell?” he whispered.
Pierce and Gavin looked at each other, “I feel stronger then normal,” said Gavin quietly.
“I do too,” said Pierce
“Awesome,” whispered Alex with an eye roll, “Let’s talk about this later.” He pulled a gun from his pants and began walking towards the door.
The room we stood in was lined with dusty broken book shelves that held no books. It di
dn’t look like it was used for much of anything. There were a couple broken chairs lying on their sides in the corner, a fan set in between them. I was just thankful there were no cut open corpses.
“Which way are we going?” I whispered.
“We need to split up,” said Kyson.
“Jade, Gavin and Kyson go left,” directed Pierce, “Alex and I will go right. There’s only three floors in this building, and we know the first floor is empty. When you find the computer room, clear it and hang tight.”
“Roger that,” Gavin whispered and took up position behind me.
Pierce and Alex moved out to the right, and I followed Kyson to the left. My hands were up and ready, my ears perked. My senses were tight and I forced them outward. My hearing picked through low voices, TVs, static. Someone was cutting on ceramic surface. I felt human presence everywhere, in both directions. No aggression or hostility. There was anxiety in some areas, relaxation in others. There were more than five entities on the floor, that was for sure. Several more.
The halls were carpeted, which kept our footsteps completely muted. The once white baseboards were covered in a dark layer of dirt. The hallway was narrow, and with the three of us together, it felt very compact.
Kyson stopped midstep. I could feel the vibrations on the floor signalling footsteps coming closer. Suddenly I was being hauled backwards by my shirt and pushed behind Gavin. I made a quick decision to dart into a room on my right.
I quickly opened and then closed the door behind me. My attention had been fixed on the shouting outside my door at first. But as I looked around the room I had darted into, my stomach sank. The smell of dirty human bodies filled my senses, and my eyes narrowed in the dark room. Bodies covered in blankets were lined up like sardines on the floor. Little bodies, with dark tufts of hair on white pillows, sleeping by bigger bodies. A gasp came from woman in a corner. Her eyes full of fear. Dark hair laid over her shoulders and a child slept on both sides of her.
I held up my hands in a sign of I-mean-no harm and backed up against the door. A bullet sounded in the hallway. The bodies on the floor started squirming. There was a small whimper, and a few pairs of eyes began to blink.