The Break (The Aesir Saga Book 1) (10 page)

              It had been over a week since Williams' teams had returned to the capitol. There had been an all-out search for the Spartans that had killed one of the strike teams. After an extensive search turned up nothing, an anonymous email to the director give them the location of the four culprits. The authorization for deadly force had been given, and four Spartans were no match for six COSMOS. Once the bloodbath was over, Williams’ team was given the evidence to look over for anything that could lead to more Aesir. 

              As Agent Williams looked over the photos of the scene, he couldn’t help but think of Gabriel. His power being fire should have made him the top priority for the Agency, but the deaths of their own had overshadowed everything else. Williams flipped to the next photo, which was half a torso, the arms and head ripped from the body. He didn't understand why the director was ok with killing the Aesir. Sure, they killed agency men, but their deaths did nothing to help the cause. He preferred to capture the Aesir, allowing the Agency to study them. This would lead to improved ways of detection.

                                          Kyle walked into the team office, taking a seat in his regular spot. "Found anything useful?"

"You know there is nothing here. They were found in a cabin in the woods. It seems like they were there just waiting for us. But that doesn’t make sense, because they couldn't know we got the email."

"Well, at least the good news is once you finish the report we can get back up to Washington and look for the kid." Kyle said, pausing before giving the info he knew Williams really wanted. "So..." He let it hang there. He did love having some info that Williams didn’t. It was the only time he got to have one up on him. 

              Williams looked up from the photos, giving a slight smile as he did. "You know something about our target in Washington?"

"I don’t know where he is, but there have been several attacks on government storage and supply buildings. It’s almost like they knew all the teams were down here dealing with this."

"But did any of the attacks show signs of fire being used? That’s the one thing I want to know."

"There was fire damage, but there was no way of telling how it was started. So what’s your big hard on for this guy anyway?"

              Williams stood up from his desk, folded his arms behind him, and walked slowly around the office. "The Aesir who have been fire based have been some of the strongest we have ever seen. The problem is that their arrival into existence is so rare, it’s hard to predict. The best analogy is a wildfire. When a fire type emerges, it is usually at the expense of a large area and population.  Right now, this kid is a small fire, something we can put out with little damage. But soon, that fire is going to spread, and it’s going to consume a lot of resources before it will be under control."

              Kyle thought for a second before bringing up the one problem he had with Williams’s analogy. "Aren't wildfires good for the environment? They get rid of old dead areas, and give new life to where they burn."

              Williams turned and faced him. "This is true, but think about the only other fire type Aesir to manifest. He, with the help of some friends, destroyed the old government of the United States. I think we can both agree that what was happening there was old growth. It burned that away, which led to new life in the form of the NGC. Now look at where this kid is. If we follow the wildfire idea, what’s up there that’s old growth?"

              Kyle thought for a second, but was unable to come up with anything substantial. "I have no idea. Most of the industry up there was moved more inland. There’s nothing there that could be considered a strategic point."

              Williams walked back to his desk, typing a few commands on his computer before turning on the projector. As the projector warmed up, the image became more visible. On the wall was displayed the west coast, with several red dots scattered along it. "This," Williams said as he walked to the projector, "is a map of the research and holding stations for the Spartans that have been captured. There is one not too far from Seattle. My fear, is that this kid finds out about it, and that he, with the help of his new friends, raids it, freeing those that are kept there."

"Why not just move the Spartans stored there?" Kyle asked, thinking it the logical thing to do. 

"This is just a fear. Right now the chance of that happening are very low. Secondly, we are going to catch this kid when we get back there. So it’s not that big of a worry. But like I said, wildfires serve a purpose. I just want to know what this kid’s purpose is."

"You're never going to find out here, looking over photos of dead Aesir."

              Williams gave a half smile as he nodded his head. "You're right. I'm going to turn this in and then we can get back to the real threat. Are you sure your power isn’t to be a great sounding board?"

              Kyle stood, knowing he needed to get the itinerary set up for their departure. "If it is, it only works on you. I'll tell Marcus and get the plane ready."

"Thanks Kyle." Williams returned to the computer to begin typing up his report. "I'd be lost without you." He yelled as Kyle was already out the door, making his way down the hallway. 

"You just wouldn't have anyone to listen to your crazy ideas!" came the reply. 

              The past few days had started to blur together for Gabriel. He would wake up, eat something, and then head out to the side of the barn. He would spend the rest of the day working on controlling his powers. After spending some time with the twisted metal pile, Gabriel could maintain a healthy fire with both hands. He would practice by igniting them and then grabbing a piece of metal and just working with it. It felt like clay in his hands, and he was able to shape it however he wanted. It was very relaxing for him, molding the metal, allowing his mind to wander. It was nice to use his powers and not rely on the anger inside. Occasionally he would straighten the poles, seeing if he could fix something that was broken. When he could get it just right, it gave him hope that maybe his power didn’t doom him to a destructive path. 

              Walking into the barn this morning, Gabriel saw Brock working out in the one corner that everyone had unconsciously decided was his. Gabriel watched as Brock lifted a bench bar with enough weight on it to give it an obvious bend. Brock pressed the bar with ease, moving in a rhythmic motion, barely pausing between each repetition. Finally he racked the bar, and sat up, noticing Gabriel was there. 

"Hey bro, what’s going on?" Brock said as he got up to take the weights off the bar.

"Nothing much", Gabriel replied. Brock had been the one guy at the farm that hadn't tried to keep Gabriel at arm’s length. "So, I saw this thing in the barn the other day, and I wanted to ask you what it was."

"Sure man, what is it?"

"It’s this sign on the wall." Gabriel pointed to the far wall. In the middle was a large wooden sign, painted blue. Written on it were the names of everyone he had met at the farm so far, and a few he hadn't. Each person’s name was written horizontally down the left side, and vertically across the top. A grid ran between the two names, with a line cutting through the grid squares where the same names met. In every other square were a series of numbers. Gabriel noticed that the numbers ranged in size, with Brock having only a few. The number occupying the space where Brock and Stephen's names met was the highest on the whole board, each sharing a red fifty-seven. In stark contrast to their large number, Caleb's line contained only a one in each square. His vertical name line contained only zeros. 

"Oh man, that’s the competition board. Sometimes for fun we do some sparring, and the winner gets a number in the across line. You can tell someone’s overall record by adding their wins, the across line, and their losses, the down line."

              Gabriel looked at the board for a second, then laughed when he had figured it out. "You and Stephen have sparred a hundred and fourteen times?"

"Yeah man, it’s the classic argument, speed or power. And right now, there is no winner."

"So Caleb has never lost a match?" 

              Brock nodded his head, “Yeah man. It's really not fair. He just waits to the point when he wants to zap you, and then you're down."

"That's why he is in charge around here." Gabriel said, finally understanding how the farm worked. 

"Hahahaha. Not even close man. Caleb is in charge because he took on that role. Every person here has the possibility to be gone eventually. He plans everything out, gets all the Intel, and makes sure everyone is safe."

"Then why doesn't he go out on the missions?"

"He does every once and a while. But think about it man, if we lose him, someone else has to shoulder that burden. And leadership isn’t something you can just do. Nah man, if he gets nabbed, it’s pretty much the end of all of this." With that Brock turned and went back to his weights, setting up for another set. 

              Gabriel stared at the board for a little bit, then decided he needed to practice a little more. 

              Walking out and around the corner of the barn, Gabriel saw Madison standing close to the edge of the woods. Since she told him that she didn't trust him, it had been awkward whenever he was in a room with her. Screw it, he thought, and began walking toward her. As he got closer Gabriel saw what she was doing standing out here by herself. Rocks were moving from all around her, stacking themselves in a pyramid. 

"That’s really impressive" Gabriel observed.

"Holy shit!" came Madison's reply as she spun around startled. "Don't sneak up on me. What is wrong with you? How long have you been watching me?"

              Gabriel raised his hands up in defense. "First off, sorry. Secondly, so many things, and lastly, maybe two minutes. That’s a pretty cool pyramid."

              Madison turned back to her stack of rocks, moving a couple at the same time. "Well sometimes power isn't the only thing that's important."

"Yeah, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about." He said, moving to stand next to Madison. "You said you didn't trust me, and I understand why. But I've been working on it, literally every day. I don't think it’s fair that you judge me off of one time when I lost my temper. I had just found out about my power. You can't tell me you never did anything bad before you came here."

              Madison let out a long sigh. "I know you have been working on it. I've seen you out there, working with the metal. And you're right, I did somethings that I'm not proud of either. The problem is I get this weird feeling around you. I've seen you lose yourself twice now, and I just feel like it’s going to happen again. But then again I have seen you working on it, using your power more. I... I don't know."

              Gabriel stepped in front of her, his hands raised again in defense. "Woah, woah, woah. Look, I'm not trying to make you like me or anything. It's just that I need someone I can talk to. Since I've been here only Brock seems to not have a problem with me, and he isn't the most stimulating conversation. I'm just asking for you to not hate me."

              Her body moved in what he would consider a single laugh as she gave him a smile. "I don't hate you. And hey, maybe having someone to talk to can help with your power. I know how crazy it was when I was learning to use mine. So if you need any help, or you just want to talk or whatever, I'm here.” 

“Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”

As Gabriel turned to walk back to the house, Stephen was standing right in front of him. 

“Jesus Christ” Gabriel exclaimed as he took a step backward. “What the fuck man, how long have you been standing there?”

“Not long. Caleb wants both of you.” Before Gabriel could even ask why, Stephen was gone. He turned to look at Madison.

“What’s this all about?” 

              She was already walking past him toward the house. “Looks like I might not be the only one who is easing up on you.”

“What does that mean?” Gabriel asked, but Madison was not stopping to fill him in. He decided the only way to find out was to follow Madison to the house.

              Caleb’s room was crowded when Gabriel got there. Along with Stephen, Brock, Madison, and Caleb, there was a guy and girl he had not talked to. He had seen the guy all over the farm, but it had only ever been in passing. Gabriel stood next to Madison, squeezing in to see what everyone was gathered around. On the table was a picture of a city block that had been enlarged. There was writing all over the picture, with some areas circled. 

“Ok guys and gals, this is our target.” Caleb said; bring the meeting to a start.  He leaned forward to tap on the circled building. “It’s an Agency storage building. This is the place where they store equipment when they don’t have a mobile team in the area. We could find all sorts of things inside, from supplies, to equipment, and if we are lucky, some records.

              Gabriel looked at everything, still unsure as to why he was here. Was Caleb going to put him on the mission? At least he trusted him enough to bring him into the pre-mission brief. 

“Our goal here”, Caleb continued, “is to destroy whatever we find in there. Stephen, when you get there, I want you to do a check of the surrounding area. Take out as many security cameras that you can before everyone else arrives. Also any external guards need to be neutralized. If the police or agency backup arrives, string them on a chase away from the target as long as you can.” Stephen gave a thumbs up to show he understood. Gabriel wondered if that was because of what he had said earlier about having to talk super slow, that he just didn’t talk that much. 

“Brock,” Caleb started, calling Gabriel back to the task at hand, “you’ll have the lead for this mission.”

“Thanks Caleb,” Brock was moving to the spot

Caleb was briefing as Caleb shifted to the side to observe the plan. “We will be doing the standard arrival together. From there we will split into two teams of three.” Gabriel looked around at the group, trying to figure out Brocks math. He knew this meant that he was going on the mission, but with Stephen being a diversion, which left one team of three and one team of two, unless Caleb was coming on this one. 

“The teams will consist of myself, Olivia,” Brock winked at the one girl Gabriel hadn’t talked to yet. There must be something going on between them, Gabriel thought, because she just smiled and blushed in response. “And Kevin.” Well now at least I know everybody’s name, but that means Caleb is with me, probably so he can watch over me.

“Team two will be Madison, Gabriel, and Kevin.”

              It took Gabriel a second to realize what he had said. Brock had put Kevin on both teams. He appeared to be the only one who noticed it, because no one else was saying anything. He decided to ask the stupid question. “Hey Brock? You put Kevin on both teams.”

“Yeah man, I know.”

“Don’t you see a problem with that?”

“No man, do you?” Brock pointed to where Kevin was standing. When Gabriel turned to look at what he was pointing at, Kevin was just standing there looking to his left, at another Kevin. 

              Madison leaned in and whispered into

Gabriel’s ear “Kevin can split himself into like eight people.”

“Ooooh” was all Gabriel could come up with as a response. But now he felt stupid for not knowing about the other people on the farm and their powers. 

“Well then, if there are no other questions? Caleb will stay here as over watch. We want to get there right about curfew time, so that means we leave in three hours. Get some food and I’ll see you at the cars.” 

              Once he finished, everyone started filing out, but as Gabriel turned to leave he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Caleb on the other end of the hand. “Hey Gabriel, can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Sure.”

              Caleb waited till everyone had left the room. “I remember when you got here last week, and we talked. You said just because you were here didn’t mean that you were a freedom fighter now. I know that there’s nothing I can do to change your mind about that, but I wanted you to know that I’ve been watching you over the week. I’ve seen how you have been working to get your power under control. I brought you in on this mission to show you that I trust you.”

              Gabriel didn’t know how to respond at first, but after a long silence he was finally able to put together a “Thanks.” He turned to leave and was almost out of the room when he turned back. “Hey Caleb?”

“Yes?”

“Thanks for letting me live here and everything. I haven’t been the best person since I got here, and I’m sorry. I’ve been working on my anger, and I feel like I have a better hold on it. Nothing will happen like it did in the barn.”

“I know.”

              As Gabriel left the office, he saw Madison ahead of him, making her way upstairs. He walked quickly to catch her on the stairs. 

“So, this is what you guys do when you go out on those missions?” Gabriel asked when he had caught up with her. 

              Madison turned at the top of the stairs, “Yeah, this is what we do.”

“Don’t you think stuff like this is what feeds into the whole idea of people like us being bad?”

              Madison took a minute before she responded. Gabriel could see from the look in her eyes that she was seriously contemplating the idea. “No, I think we do these things for us, and everyone else shapes what we do into ammunition against us.” Gabriel was about to say something when Madison raised her hand to cut him off. 

“This is too big of a conversation to have standing on the stairs. Come into my room and we can sit down and talk.”

              She led Gabriel to the last door on the right. She opened it and walked in, with Gabriel right behind her. He expected to see a typical girl’s room, with posters everywhere, little knick knacks decorating the shelves, and pictures of family and friends everywhere.  What greeted him was a room just like his. There were no pictures anywhere. The room itself was clean, with the bed made and no clothes on the floor. The only difference between their rooms was that

Madison had collected a large amount of books. As she flopped onto the bed, Gabriel took a closer look at the pile of literature that was collected on the dresser. The titles of the books all seemed to focus on one period of English History.

              As Gabriel started to move one of the books from the pile, Madison, who was lying across her bed staring at the ceiling, started back with their conversation. “So you think doing what we do is making people like us look bad?”

              Gabriel set the book down and pulled out the one chair in the room toward him to sit on. “I just think that if people see us as a threat, we shouldn’t be doing things that could be used to show us as something to fear.”

              Madison sat up slightly, leaning back on her elbows. “Gabriel, even if we did nothing, the events of the past have tainted people’s view of our kind. There is nothing we can do that will make them just go oh, maybe they aren’t so bad. The things we do are to help everyone of our kind. Everyone here is a known Aesir, which means there is no hope for us. But with new Aesir being found every day, the things we do help to hinder the discovery of them, so that they can have a normal life. And who knows, maybe when someone is discovered to be an Aesir, their family isn’t so afraid of our kind anymore.”

“I don’t know Madison, what if all of this is just a self-fulfilling prophecy? We do things like this to stop them from finding people like us, but that causes fear of us, which results in us being hunted down like we are.”

“If that’s true, then there is nothing we can do.” Madison said as she flopped back down on the bed.

              Gabriel looked up, and began to stare off into space. “Maybe there’s something we just haven’t thought of yet.”