Decay (20 page)

“Potentially bad things. The artifact is more guarded than you think,” he said. “And more than we've been told. It's why I requested for you to be on this mission. You're the only one who has the powers necessary to protect the charges.”

“I'm not sure I understand,” he said quietly.

His father sighed. “Whoever set up this mission, lied about how many enemy troops are inside that compound. They wanted us to think that our teenage volunteers would be more than enough to handle the task. I'm not sure why, I'm not sure who, but that is why I'm really here. Now that I have proof of the enemy numbers, I secured a number of reinforcements, but they are coming from my ship. They might not arrive until some damage has been done.”

“Why haven't you stopped this from happening then?” Alan asked, his fists clenched.

“The Yumsaltanz are desperate for the things locked inside of the compound. Originally, we were told to perform the mission at night, but we moved it to the morning because we suspect the evening to be a potential trap.”

Sabotage.
“A last minute change?”

“That only those on this mission know about. It's been contained to the four supervising officers here.”

We could narrow down the leak if that's the case.
“You were right when you said we should wait to talk until after the mission. I shouldn't have selfishly demanded answers,” Alan mumbled. So much information could have been passed on by anyone monitoring their conversation.

“You aren't selfish for wanting to protect those you care for,” his father said quietly, looking down at the floor. He lifted his gaze to meet Alan's, his pale orange eyes filled with intensity. “I shouldn't have volunteered more information than my warning. Don't worry or be afraid, and don't tell your charges of the potential danger. It'll only make them more nervous. You'll be watching, and you'll be able to protect them.”

“Perhaps I should join them in the first fight,” Alan offered.

His father shook his head. “We can't risk losing you. The things you can do are far too essential. Stick to the plan. Everything will be fine. You trust me, yes?”

“Yes,” Alan said. For a moment, he wondered if he should. Anyone could have been the potential leak.
But he is my father. There's no way he could be the traitor, especially since he is telling me all of this information. Maybe it's Sir Oriol.
That made a lot more sense in Alan's mind, but in his heart he knew it wasn't right. Someone else was the leak. He'd have to be even more cautious than ever if the conspiracy went up as high as it did in the ranks.

One of his father's arms moved around Alan's shoulders. “Come, there is coffee in the lounge. Plus, I think you should meet Sir Kimantkel. I think you would like her.”

Why does that sound like he's setting me up to court her?
The smile his father had, that was the tip-off. It was coy, and there was something about the way the man's eyes sparkled that alluded to the possibility. Hopefully Alan wouldn't have to explain to him that he wasn't interested in dating. Work was his priority and would be his priority until he returned. Whether or not Alona came around and had a change of heart also remained to be seen. He secretly hoped that she would repent, even if he was still unsure whether he could forgive her or not for her viciousness.

He stepped into the lounge and found a number of fellow Alturans talking quietly. Together, he and his father got a cup of coffee before he led the way to a table where Sir Kel sat looking over a piece of paper.

“Greetings,” his father said.

“Good morning,” she said and placed her paper on top of the table. “This must be your son. Thank you for bringing him to me. I would much like to meet the man I'll be working with today.”

Alan watched her and offered his hand for her to take. She did so. “It is a pleasure to formally meet you.”

“Likewise. I have added another task onto your role in this mission. I'm aware it's last minute, but it won't be much different than what you've already been told to do.”

“Retrieve anyone who is in danger during the mission,” Alan said with a nod. He understood his role well. It was simple but essential, even more so now with the information his father had just given him.

“One of my Junior's charges has an ability that is also essential to this mission. I want you to keep a special eye on her. Make sure she gets to her destination and back again,” Kel said. “She will be traveling with one of your charges already. I'm sure you have a special interest in them.”

“Of course I do,” he said. “But if you want me to focus my efforts on protecting this girl, you don't need to bait me with my own charges. I know how to prioritize regardless of my feelings.”

Sir Kel raised an eyebrow, a small smirk on her lips. “So I've been told. It never hurts to be sure. This is my charge and what you need to know.” She pushed a manilla folder towards him.

He opened it and looked at the one sheet dossier of a girl that Orlando went to school with.
Nia, her name is Nia. I knew she had been tapped. At least she's not with one of the enemy tribes.
“Her power is necromancy. I'm not sure I understand why this is essential to the mission?”

“Because she will be recovering bodies of our fallen comrades.”

“I...I see...” Alan tried to maintain a strong image, but the idea of raising corpses from the dead struck him as both disgusting and disrespectful. He closed the folder. “Why?”

Sir Kel took the folder back from him. “They know how to use the artifact fully, and they also have information about the Gelandrosimbol that we'll need to defeat them once and for all. Most importantly, they need to be returned to our home world so they can be put to rest properly.”

“Who are they?” he asked.

“Quite possibly the exiled royal family of my people,” Sir Kel said. Alan waited to see if she would elaborate, and was severely disappointed when she didn't. She must have sensed this, because her lips formed a smile. “If you wish, I will let you observe the interview we plan to hold with them. After all, the Alturan Unification Committee will want to have a witness or two from another nation present. You seem to be good at being impartial. Would this be something you might enjoy?”

Alan wasn't sure he would, but it would help him put together a lot of pieces that were missing in his information about the war. Things were getting far too complicated for it to be over a simple religious land spat, especially if the other tribes felt the need to come to another planet to fight. The more he learned, the more he wondered.

He nodded. “Yes, I will sit in on the interview. It would be an honor.” He watched his father smile, and he felt like he'd done the right thing. Sir Kel was still smiling as well, but he wasn't sure if he trusted her as much as he did his father. There was something about her he couldn't put his finger on, but it bothered him. It had something to do with the new shroud of mystery over the mission and why she didn't feel the need to elaborate on it.

I will not be a pawn,
Alan vowed.

 

 

Chaos surrounded Angela. She stood in the middle of a warehouse waiting for the mission to begin. Despite taking a two hour nap the night before instead of having a good night's rest, and waking up at two in the morning, she was anything but tired. Alan had come to collect her and JD at three, instructed them to wear appropriate clothing for the task, to put on their masks, and dropped them off in a lounge of sorts. Breakfast was there for them. Angela forced herself to eat a bagel and drink some orange juice, her appetite severely lacking.

They were given a half an hour to eat, and then she was separated from her brother. A man she had never met before took her to a large room where she was given a number of gadgets to wear. The Alturans equipping her spoke fast and with heavy accents. She assumed they were Alturans because the aliens never wore masks, only their teenage charges. While Alan was easy to understand, these Alturans must have been from a different area of the planet. About the only thing she understood them say was that one device would be used to track her location.

“Wait here,” one tall, dark-skinned, Alturan man said. He held her shoulders firmly, but there was a softness in his eyes and a small smile on his face as he did it.

She did as she was told, and watched everyone else bustle about. Other masked teens were being equipped with similar gadgets as hers. Across the room she spotted JD in his ridiculous super hero costume. Black pants with taco print boxers resting on top, a black t-shirt with a chihuahua on it, and a cape – albeit a small one – was on his back. He'd gone above and beyond again, unlike her who simply put on something form fitting that she could move around in. While she felt provocative in her clothing, she'd learned the hard way that the fire she created burned through anything that wasn't tight against her skin.

Once it looked like JD had all of his equipment installed on his body, he held up one hand to the Alturan he was speaking with and walked over to her.

“Gonna give me one more pep talk before we leave?” she asked, her hands moving to her hips. He'd tried to psyche her up the night before. The speech had sort of worked, but she was still nervous.

JD shook his head. “Just wanted to rub your head for luck. I have a feeling I'll need it.”

She snorted. “We all know you're the lucky one.”

“Says the girl who's named Lucky Number Twelve. Anyway, if you need me, use your communicator. I'll come for you. I don't want you to think you're alone out there. Yeah, you'll be with other people, but they're strangers.” He pointed to the metal band that had been place over her head like a thin circlet.

“So that's what that does...”

“Oh boy, you didn't pay attention again?” He shook his head and then continued talking before she could get out a word to defend herself. “Head band is the communicator. The small black dot on your arm is the tracker. The wristband has a flashlight and first aid kit in it. Finally, the thing they put on your ankle has a basic pocket knife. Pretty sure it's not sharp enough to be a good weapon, so don't even think about going all warrior princess on anyone.”

“Wouldn't dream of it,” she muttered. Slashing bad guys with a knife wasn't her style anyway.

He shrugged. “You scared me even before you had super powers and you got angry. Now that you can set things on fire?” He whistled and glanced over his shoulder at a rather impatient looking Alturan. Quickly, he hugged her. “I'll see you soon! Remember what I said, okay?”

The two didn't always get along, but there was no doubt in Angela's mind that her brother cared. He was hard on her, but also loyal and supportive when she needed it most. There wasn't anyone else she'd rather have on her side.

A few more masked teens were placed with her − the members of her new team. Only one other was female, and she glared at Angela so much, that the girl would not be sought out at all for any kind of bonding.
What's her problem?
Angela rolled her eyes and rubbed at her arms. The other girl wasn't in any costume, so that made Angela feel better about her lack of superhero attire. She had on a black hooded sweatshirt and jeans, actually, making her look more like some kind of juvenile deviant than anything else. Angela couldn't even see what color the girl's hair was. Three young men also joined her. Two of them had on elaborate costumes: a brunette with an all black, tight, uniform, trimmed in gold – even his mask was lined with it, and the other had on gray body armor. It looked heavy. Angela didn't know how the guy could move in it, but it must have had something to do with his power. The last young man wore loose pants and a white sleeveless undershirt, not much of a costume.

He was the one who stepped forward in front of the group. “I'm Drone. I'll be leading on the field. Lockenehih is our supervisor, but he's counting on us to open up doors and clear the way for him. His powers specialize in holding down the fort so to speak.”

“I'm Egypt. My powers are the plagues,” the teenage boy in the black uniform said.

“Permanence is what they call me. I'm indestructible, and can make other things that way too, temporarily,” the one in the body armor said.

The girl in the hooded sweatshirt huffed quietly. “Gabriel.”

“Lucky Twelve,” Angela said. She pointed to Drone and Gabriel. “What can you two do?”

“None of your business,” Gabriel snapped.

Drone glared at her, his gaze piercing under his mask. “Be nice. We aren't enemies.”

“We aren't friends either!”

Seriously, what
is
her problem?
Angela glared at her for good measure.
I didn't want to be friends with you anyway, but that doesn't mean you have to be such a jerk.
But she held her tongue. Making enemies before going into battle was not wise.

Drone kept his sharp gaze on Gabriel for a moment longer before clearing his throat. “Our goal is to move quickly and without raising an alarm. We're to incapacitate the enemy and secure the way for the retrieval team. No killing.” Another pointed look went to Gabriel which sent shivers down Angela's spine.
What kind of people am I working with here?

A tall, dark-skinned Alturan joined the group. “My apologies, I had to speak with another of my charges. You may call me Nehihe, and I am your field supervisor. Should a problem arise, trust I will take care of it.”

“Permanence will be our front man,” Drone elaborated. “Our tank so to speak. Twelve and Gabby will flank the sides, taking out any attackers. Egypt will provide backup support and distraction, while I go into the command room and disable security. Nehihe will act as extra defense. Make sense?”

Angela nodded. She understood it a lot more than anything on the video she had received, which also had a detailed plan of action on it. When she looked at Drone, she saw him smiling. He seemed trustworthy enough. She definitely liked how easily he put Gabriel−Gabby, in her place. Like her, he also hadn't said what his powers were. Most importantly, he made her feel better about the whole thing. Her nerves were gone, adrenaline taking its place.