Talent Storm, page 20
After I finished, I decided to look around for the guard’s pack that I’d stolen.
“Looking for this?” Lilly held the single strapped black messenger bag out to me.
“You know me so well.”
I took the pack from her, unzipped it and began placing the contents on the ground in front of me. There were an assortment of papers, a few small throwing knives, medical supplies, and a few days’ worth of rations. I added the rations to our supplies. After putting away the useful items, I focused on the stack of papers. The front page was labeled ‘Confidential: The Underground: Rebel Dossiers’, which seemed to be a good start. I flipped through the pages. After the rebel profiles, there were four pages of general information.
“Hmm.”
Rebel Member Dossiers:
The Underground, a rebel faction, is talented and very dangerous. Use extreme caution if encountered. The rebels must be eliminated at all costs.
The Underground base location: Unknown
Rebel Leader: Valleri Delven, telepath and manipulator with (Presumed) elite potential Age: Mid-forties Height: Approx. 5'10” Weight: Approx. 160 Hair: Brown Eyes: Brown Profile: Valleri is extremely persuasive and has been known to coax high level talented to her cause. Any loyalist of level three clearance that is compromised by her must immediately self-immolate to prevent transfer of important state secrets. She was formerly a prisoner of Midtown Prison fourteen years ago, but escaped.
Rebel: Kevin Kelsey, healer of unknown potential Age: Mid-thirties Height: Approx. 5'9” Weight: Approx. 160 Hair: Black Eyes: Brown Profile: Is thought to have joined the rebellion upon meeting Valleri Delven in Midtown Prison. He escaped along with her fourteen years ago.
Rebel: Sofia Kesari, emp of unknown potential Age: Approx. 19 Height: Approx. 5'7” Weight: Approx. 135 Hair: Brown Eyes: Unknown
Rebel: Pavel Berzen, illusionist of unknown potential Age: Mid-forties Height: Approx. 6'7” Weight: Approx. 290 Hair: Blond Eyes: Blue
Other Rebels: Unknown
Lilly perked up. “What’d you find?”
“We’re not alone in our fight. There’s a group of rebels going by the name ‘The Underground’ that the government is aware of.” I read the profiles again. “Wait, look how huge this guy is.” I pointed to Pavel Berzen’s name. “I wonder if this was the guy who planted the explosives. He’s an illusionist. It must have been him.” I scanned the other pages. “Here it says that they struck four government facilities in the last few months. One was an explosion at the wall. Apparently it was a diversion for an attack on a prison.”
Lilly nodded. “So it was him.”
“They are believed to be held up in some underground facility. It also says that they are being supplied and supported by several civilian factions.”
“We need to get this information to our commander,” said Lilly. “An inside presence would bolster our chance of success. Maybe we can contact the telepath that surveys us somehow.”
I thought about it, then shook my head. “We’ll have to wait until we’re back. The high general said we couldn’t contact the telepath.”
“I guess you're right. It just seems important.”
“We'll just have to be successful then. I mean look at us... we're dominant.”
She giggled. “It's true. We are quite talented... at kissing.”
I cracked up, feeling all my tension fade. It felt good to joke around again. I missed the lighthearted carefree days with Ben. Everything was so simple then. It seemed like a million years ago.
“I'm worrying more and more about Rapid City,” she said. “I couldn't take it if something went wrong. All I can think about is my parents getting killed.”
I put my arm around her shoulders and softly kissed her cheek. “They'll be fine back home. It's probably the safest city left on the continent,” I said only half believing it. “Besides I happen to know one of the generals.
“Really?”
“Yeah. My uncle.” Immediately after saying it, I knew I shouldn’t have told her and that I put her in more danger. I decided not to tell her about Ben’s dad.
Her eyes went wide in surprise. “I can’t believe it. I didn't realize how important he is.”
“If my uncle is good for anything, it’s keeping the Coalition safe.”
Her shoulders relaxed. “How did you know? Did he tell you?”
I laughed, shaking my head. “No way. I found an old letter that my dad sent to my mom. I wasn't supposed to know.”
“You have a knack for making me feel good,” she said.
I slid over and grasped her in a big hug. She wrapped her arms around me and squeezed. I felt safe in her arms, like someone was looking out for me. After we separated, we gazed into each other’s eyes.
She smiled broadly, her rosy cheeks dimpling. “As long as we have each other everything will be all right.”
I returned her smile knowing she was right. We could get through anything as long as we had each other.
CHAPTER 13
The morning after a few days of recuperating and then scouting, I rolled my sore shoulders in the tent. Lilly had already gotten up. From our scouting missions, we knew that six guards typically manned the primary communications relay. Hopefully they wouldn’t increase the number due to our recent strike on the stationary gun platform. The relay was approximately thirty feet tall, with large dishes at the peak. It was located in the center of a compound and surrounded by a twenty foot electrified chain-link fence, topped with razor wire.
I exited the tent to find Lilly sitting at our camp table. Her golden hair shined in the sunlight, framing her high cheekbones. She stretched her arms over her head, and I admired her toned muscles. When I got closer, I saw that she was writing in a book. She flashed me a dimpled smile when she heard me approach.
I grinned at her, then eyed the book. “What are you writing?”
She shrugged. “I’m just writing about our time here.”
A frown grew on my face. “Honey, we’re on a secret sabotage mission. We can’t have a record of it. You’ve got to destroy it.”
She pouted, throwing her arms up. “Oops. Sorry. I can’t believe I didn’t think about that. I guess even I can make mistakes. I’ll take care of it.”
“It’s okay. You’re still perfect to me.” I sat cross-legged next to her.
She rubbed my arm with a big smile. “You are too. How did you sleep last night?”
“Not well,” I said. “I couldn’t help but worry about our final mission. I want things to go perfectly.”
“They will. No one can stop us,” she said, sounding sure of herself.
“I came up with a way around all of the security. We won't have to worry about the guards or fences.”
“Oh?”
“It’s simple. We sneak up close enough to the fence so that I can telekinetically throw the remaining two explosive devices at the communications relay. You’ll use your illusions to cloak us while making the explosive devices look like birds. We’ll set them to explode on contact. They already know that someone is destroying their facilities so the detected sabotage will not be a drawback. Then we only need to escape the city and head home. The telepathic watch will alert our troops as soon as the last objective is destroyed.” I beamed, lifting my chin.
“You are so clever. I like it. It is simple and safe.” She smiled sweetly and kissed my cheek. “I’m glad you took charge. I needed some time off from reality.”
“I hope that it works. I stupidly lost a whole night of sleep worrying—”
I froze, thinking I heard something. I placed my finger up to my lips. An instant later, the bells on our detection wire began to chime.
Lilly sprung to her feet, her weapons appearing in her hands. Quickly following suit, I bolted upright before pulling forth my massive iron mace.
Three infantry, marked with the red fist of Liberty, ran into our hideout with long swords drawn. Glancing back to our escape route, my heart sank. There must have been fifty more infantry crowding the exit and street. We were trapped and outnumbered.
“Lay down your weapons and come with us,” the lead man said. He was the only one with two red stripes on his arm and likely the commander.
Lilly lowered her weapons, but did not drop them. She moved closer to me. “Maybe we should surrender. There are too many of them,” she whispered.
Just as she said that, I recognized the probe of enemy illusions invading my brain. Pushing against them, all but five combatants vanished, three in front and two behind. I leaned in closer to Lilly. “Most are illusions, we attack. Follow my lead.”
“We're just travelers. We’ll lay down our weapons,” I said. Bending down, I slowly lowered my mace while surveying the scene.
“I know who you are,” said the commander, “and Goldwater is going to have fun with you.”
I grimaced, picturing the dead men and women hung on the wall. I didn’t want to kill them but didn’t see a way around it. “No he won’t.”
My emerald aura blazed and suddenly my hesitation disappeared. Lilly’s blades lit up and then ripped from her hands to speed toward the two men behind us. The weapons buried themselves in the men’s chests. The three men in front charged. Two of them took just three steps before they exploded in a flash of green light. Blood and gore sprayed their commander. His eyes bulged, and he dropped his weapons before turning to flee. I raised a hand, and he shot toward me, his feet skidding on the ground. When he reached me, I slammed my glowing fist into his head, crushing his skull like an eggshell.
My glow dimmed, and I grimaced at the pointless loss of life, feeling guilty. “I didn’t want to have to do that,” I said, rubbing my fist.
Lilly patted my shoulder. “I know, but it was necessary. Now let’s go. They’ll probably send reinforcements.”
Lilly ran over to the tent to pack emergency supplies, and after a silent moment, I followed suit. After we had the necessities packed up, we ran out of the building into the streaming sun. I flinched as I felt an explosion of air pressure next to me. A sharp and unexpected pain blossomed in my side. I threw myself backward, avoiding another strike from the unknown attacker. How did they get here? I didn’t see anyone. I spun to see a woman dressed in all black holding two blood covered daggers. A hood obscured everything but her green eyes.
“I'm Grand Duke Eris Horn. Come with me or die.”
I glanced at my side, seeing two blood red flowers blooming. Would I die here? No. I sealed my wounds with telekinesis, then shouted to Lilly, “Run, I'll catch up with you.”
She stood unmoving, her hands covering her mouth.
“Go,” I yelled.
She flinched before running.
The woman scrutinized Lilly before her cold eyes fixed back on me. She shrugged. “Then you die.”
Not having to worry about Lilly, I’d trash this woman. Feeling rejuvenated, I sprang into action. I flipped into the air in a large arc toward the mysterious woman. The wind streamed over my face, rippling my clothes as I soared through the air. An instant before landing, I swung Peacemaker to crush the life out of her.
She vanished in a puff of air. I gasped as the head of my mace crashed into the ground, spiraling out cracks and billowing up a plume of dust. My mouth dropped as I whipped my head around, left then right. Where did she go? I spun around, unable locate her. She was simply gone. All of a sudden, my ears popped as the air pressure increased behind me. I twisted around, swinging Peacemaker. She stood unmoving in its path. I smiled at my impending victory. An instant before my weapon struck, she was gone. The unimpeded momentum of my mace pulled me from my feet and spilled me on the ground. Teleportation? Impossible.
Dazed, I started to rise as a mass punched me back to the ground. The woman crouched on my chest, smiling. She struck at my neck with her left dagger. Instinctively, I lashed out mentally deflecting her strike. The blade pierced the ground an inch from my ear. She growled and swung her other dagger toward my head. My talent slammed into her chest. Her dagger flashed by, grazing my cheek just before she flew backward. I hurled Peacemaker with talent-enhanced strength toward the surprised woman. It smashed into her leg. She spun in the air before crashing to the ground, her arms sprawling. She screamed, clutching her leg and writhing.
I enveloped my body in radiant talent. With a thought, I rocketed forward, inches off the ground, mace raised and muscles tense. In a flash, she was gone. Instantly after, a weight settled on my back, and daggers punctured my shoulder through my leather armor. Before the blades sunk deep, my talent sparked, freezing them. The blood flow dried up as my wounds glowed green. If I hadn’t stemmed the bleeding, I’d surely die from my various wounds.
With a growl, I grabbed her off my back before slamming her to the ground with my enhanced muscles. She groaned and whipped one of her daggers at my chest. It cut like lightning through the air. Green talent lashed at the blade, smacking it aside, but the act drained more of my power. If I fatigued, I’d die.
I mentally tugged at her dagger and flung it back at her chest. She vanished in a puff before the dagger struck home. A garrote appeared around my neck. My hands shot up, my glowing fingers just slipping under the razor wire. My taut muscles and weakened talent strained against her pull. It wasn’t enough. I winced as the wire slowly bit into my flesh, threatening to sever my fingers and then veins and arteries.
Panic smacked me, destabilizing my focus further. I couldn’t win. Why did I tell Lilly to run? I needed her. An unexpected grunt sounded behind me, and the wire suddenly loosened, relieving my pain and fear. I spun around to see Lilly holding a chunk of concrete over the assassin’s limp body.
“You never listen to me,” I said. “Thank talent.”
She smiled despite the situation. My short sword hissed as I ripped it from its sheath to end the woman’s life. My blade froze in an orange haze, inches from her chest. My panic returned more forcefully as our hope of victory faded. She was telekinetic too.
The next thing I knew, I was flying through the air, my arms flailing wildly. The assassin flipped a knife at Lilly’s heart. I deflected it an instant before I smacked into a crumbling building. Luckily, my talent dampened the blow. Despite my pain, I popped up to my feet to check on Lilly and then escape.
She lay on the ground, clutching her bloody side. My heart lurched, and I struck at the assassin. A green burst knocked her down, giving me the chance I needed. Like lightning, I sprinted forward, scooped up Lilly and our supplies, and launched us over the buildings behind us. I sprinted down deserted streets, my adrenaline and fear lending me power. The mysterious woman didn’t appear as we turned down several more roads.
Eventually, Lilly moaned on my shoulder before saying, “I’ll forgive you for carrying me this time.”
I laughed and placed her down on the street.
“I’ll make us look like a couple of stray dogs, but we better move fast. I don’t know how long I can hold it. My wound is making it hard to concentrate.”
“Clever... as long as they don’t neuter strays around here.”
She grunted a laugh. “It’s hardly the time for jokes.”
A twinge of pain spiked in my shoulder. Oh. “You know they probably tracked the blood from my shoulder to our hide out. We should have covered our tracks better.”
“Hmm. I guess almost dying made us careless. Another mistake like that might be our last.”
I pulled her off to the side. “Let’s avoid the same mistake by bandaging our wounds now.”
I removed our med pack. She lowered herself to the ground before unfastening her leather armor. After she placed it down, she pulled her blood soaked shirt over her head, exposing her naked chest.
My heart fluttered, but I focused on the gash that marred her side. Fortunately it was shallow; her armor had done its job even though my talent had partially failed her. I quickly bandaged the wound to stem the flow of blood. “Now that we're not laying bread crumbs, it will make covering our tracks easier.”
She smirked. “At least we found our way back to grandmother's house.”
“Too bad the witch was waiting for us,” I said remembering the tale from my childhood. I offered my hand and pulled Lilly to her feet.
“What about your wounds?” she asked as she pulled her shirt over her head.
“I have enough energy to hold them closed until we’re safer. We better get moving. I’ll lay a false trail, then we’ll go.”
After I completed the ruse, we continued in the opposite direction, careful to leave no sign of our true path. We jogged for a few miles, turning several times until I thought that we were far enough away. The neighborhood we stopped in was either sparsely populated or full of cautious people, hiding in their homes. Both possibilities worked for me; we couldn’t risk being seen.
The neighborhood’s small houses lined both sides of the streets in closely packed rows. Several were boarded up, looking abandoned. All were in disrepair. Rotting wood was coated with faded, chipped paint. Metal mailboxes and doorknobs were rusted orange. The weed-riddled yards were covered in trash. I wouldn’t want to live here, but it was the perfect place to avoid trouble. Now we just had to find the right house.
We slowed to a walk, and I scanned the area. Four houses looked abandoned. We set off to explore each one. We set off to explore each one. Approaching the first one, we circled the perimeter. After we found an uncovered window, I peered inside. I grimaced as my eyes adjusted to the darkness. Refuse and animal feces lined the floor. A raccoon darted across the room into the corner. I turned back to Lilly and shook my head. Perspiration ran down her red cheeks. Since I did most of the running, I could only assume her illusions were straining her talent.
“We're almost there. Just hold on for a few more minutes.” I hoped my words would bolster her strength.
“I could do this for days,” she said between gritted teeth.
“Let’s not push it.”
