They ran.
The sirens wailed and the red and blue lights flashed and flickered across downtown Esterden … the pursuit had begun. The rooftop vigilantes ran and leapt from building to building as the cop cars below drove-pedal to the metal.
"It's a bank," the female among the trio spoke.
"I bet it's a robbery." The three landed and rolled out on the rooftop of a building a few streets down from the bank that was now being circled by numerous emergency response vehicles. "They're not entering the building … looks like there's hostages."
"Well, let's get to the roof, and see about getting in." The three took off again throwing themselves off ledge after ledge and landing without reducing their pace. The sirens and commotion below on the ground level drew any and all attention away from them. The last leap onto the top of the bank proved to be the most challenging but the three managed.
"Luke."
"I'm looking," the boy said and shut his eyes. The two others watched him in his moment of concentration.
"I'm getting … thirty something people, most are in fear … about six … maybe seven are excited." Luke said. "Now, how are we getting in?" The three sprawled around searching-needing the element of surprise on their side. The one in a black body suit from head to foot pointed towards what came into focus as a ventilation shaft.
"Bingo."
Luke stayed where he was as the other two examined the grate. The sleek black suited boy pried the metal bars aside and made a slim hole. A way in. Luke opened his eyes and drew away from his senses and ran towards the others that stepped into the shaft.
"This building seems to be five stories and the majority of the people are on the first floor, all the hostages are there as well." Luke updated.
"These vents are going to be maze like, I think we'll need to split up and divide and conquer. I can probably conjure up some sort of distraction and give the hostages time to get away and Dakota if you can stop the ones thieving around, then we slip out. In and out, just like last time." A nod from her friends told Alora that they were ready.
"I'll get you guys to where you need to be and I'll make sure the cameras see nothing." Luke smiled.
"Luke, let's laugh after." The three crawled through the ventilation shaft with silent movements. Luke led them, taking momentary pauses to navigate accordingly. When Luke had scanned and seen they were all clear he gave Dakota the signal to pry open the opening on the fifth floor for them to get down. Before jumping down Luke and Alora flipped their hoods up and shared one last glance.
Alora read directory signs in the hallway, keeping her eyes away from the view of the cameras. "See you guys in a bit." She took off and the other two ran in another direction. A stairwell was just around the corner and Alora jumped flight after flight until she was on the second floor.
Opening the door and standing out of the line of sight she waited until she was certain no one was there. The second floor had a large staircase that wrapped around the room and connected to the first floor. She could hear the voices of some men down below and she made her way to the railing and peered over. Three men with tacky costume masks and a litter of people on their bellies were scattered across the room. In the middle of the floor was a fountain and Alora made mental notes of everything she saw. A plan started to formulate in her head. Her problem solving was disrupted when footsteps up the stairs became audible and she bolted for the nearest refuge from being seen.
x
Dakota had drawn his knives, previously holstered to his ankles and methodically searched room by room. He had split up from Luke and with every few steps he took he peered back behind him to check his tail. Nothing. At the sight of a staircase he dashed to the door, with no one in sight he slowly turned the knob and with his back to the outer wall he descended. On the first floor he looked both ways before leaving the stairwell. He could tell he was at the back of the building and near the vault by the rooms and spaces. The doors all needed authorization but luckily for him a path had been made, and he had guessed the people he was looking for were the culprits. He could hear his heart beating and his breathing made him anxious that someone would hear. Every turn amplified his nerves as he got closer and closer to the sound.
A door that had recently flashed green for authorization was closing when he quickly halted the door from locking. Suddenly a sound from behind startled him and caused him to release his grip on the door and he ran to a janitorial closet down the hall. The door mechanism locked.
Dammit.
x
Luke had made it to the camera room and saw all the footage from all over the bank. He had been right with his estimations on the roof. Six burglars and close to twenty-five hostages. Of course there was light staff on a Sunday. He could see there were two security guards stripped of their guns and on the floor. Luke looked from camera view to camera view searching for the reels of his friends but nothing gave him any update of them. Then his attention was drawn to a door, opening in a hallway, and a black figure stepping out—knives in hand.
In the vault there were two men loading stacks of bills into bags. Luke watched Dakota move closer and closer to their position and just watching his pulse got faster. Still there was no sign of Alora. Luke stared at monitor after monitor watching Dakota come and go as he made his way closer to the vault. A third man entered the frame and by the pattern of his mask and his body language Luke could tell he was running the operation. The leader seemed to be barking orders and loud enough that Dakota could hear and had pressed himself against the wall. He was two hallways away from a three-v-one.
Then a white light entered the monitor from the ceiling of the second floor overlooking the ground floor hostages and when Luke used the keyboard and mouse and was able to zoom and change the display he could make out exactly what it was. Luke got up from the comfy spectating seat unplugged the monitors and took off.
Alright Alora.
x
Alora had just started to implement her strategy once the man on the stairs had quit his suspicions that there was someone there.
"What's that?" A man shouted and the room stared up at a mass of light that moved swiftly through the air.
"Is that a bird?" Another man retorted and they stared in fascination and horror. Alora took the chance and bolted down the stairs and maneuvered the bird to fly towards the back office spaces.
"You and you go after it," a man barked orders. With every syllable the hostages twitched and strained in discomfort and fear. Alora locked eyes with one and instinct caused her to place her finger to her lips. Shhhhhh. The black hooded girl ran as fast as she could and did not stop until she was safely hidden behind the fountain. The only man left behind the bank teller desk turned to face the hostages.
"No one move." The man turned back to the hallway still curious for what he had seen.
Alora brought her hands to her face and opening the palm of her hands she took a deep breath and blew. White light wafted off the tips of her fingers and the light swirled like a dust in a gentle breeze. The light collected and the image began to form-a tiger. Hostages stared in disbelief and panic but the tiger paid them no attention and rushed at the robber. Alora shot up from behind the fountain and ran. Before the man even had a chance to scream the tiger had pounced and tackled the man with enough force to make him lose consciousness. The white light beast dissipated as fast as it had come and Alora grabbed the masked-man by the feet and with more light her hands were like that of a gorilla. She pulled the man to one of the rooms and mangled the knob on the door to prevent him from leaving.
Back where all the hostages lay still, Alora could tell their anxiety had significantly risen.
"Quick! Get up. Run. Tell the police what has happened!" Alora said and instantly men and women were running for the exits. There won't be much time till the police swarm the place. Alora took off in a sprint for her friends, her hands still abnormally large and covered in glimmering light. She punched through door after door looking for her friends then she saw two limp bodies bound with belts, unconscious on the ground. She pushed herself harder and could feel her heart in her throat. She noticed the doors had changed from simple lock and key to key card access and hoped she was getting closer.
x
Dakota slid the blade of his knife into the ankle of one of the masked robbers who slumped to the ground in agony. The blood stained knife slashed at the other man who had, had his gun knocked from his hands. Dakota placed a superficial blow on the man's abdomen. Readjusting his grip on his two knives he strategically lunged at the man again knocking him into the shelf behind him and causing his balance to falter. As Dakota stabbed the man in the shoulder with all five inches of one of his blades a hand gripped his ankle and pulled him back. The ankle-wounded burglar aimed his handgun at Dakota and shot.
The bullet left the chamber of the gun and hit Dakota in a left rib but the bullet did not pierce the body suit he wore. He felt the blow but the damage was strictly just force. Dakota threw his knife into the hand of the shooter and the man let out another yelp. The gun shot had left Dakota in pain but the adrenaline coursing through his veins was enough to make it feel like a stubbed toe. Then the door to the vault flew open and another masked man with his gun drawn aimed for his head. Dakota gulped.
Dear God.
x
Luke bolted down the hallway towards where the gun shot had come from. He could sense the pain but could not tell who was friend and who was foe. However, he could sense there was a rage filled man and he pushed himself to run faster at breakneck speed. He heard a door be ripped open and as he turned the corner he saw the man he had identified before as the leader with his gun drawn at his friend in point blank range. Feeling the energy in his hands and his aura change, the desperation from within transformed into a sphere of dazzling energy that he fired into the man's back. The man crumpled and his gun shot at the ceiling. Two bodies lay beside Dakota bleeding and he stood helplessly in between.
"Are you good? Are they dead?" Luke asked.
"No, just wounds that will stop them from fleeing and I was shot, think I broke a rib." Dakota took a step and grimaced in pain. Luke moved to his friend's side and wrapped his friends arm about him.
"We gotta find Alora and get out of here," Luke said taking his friends weight as they moved out of the room. Just as he finished talking their friend came racing around the corner and down the hall.
"Are you good? I heard gun shots."
"Broken rib. We gotta go." Luke answered. Alora looked at her friend in compassion and then bringing her hand to her lips she blew and yet again polymers of light came together and formed a gorilla. The gorilla took hold of Dakota from Luke and the three ran for the roof.
"The hostages?" Dakota asked.
"Taken care of," Alora said between breaths.
"The police are storming as we speak," Luke added. They had made it to the stairs and had to put distance on the cops knowing that their heroism would not be taken in a positive light.
x
On the roof the gorilla disappeared just like the hawk, and tiger and Dakota was left standing.
"Alright, where do we go? How do we get there?" Alora looked for options.
"I don't know how far I'll be able to make it," Dakota answered.
"Don't worry about it," Luke said. "Alora, we're gonna need some wings considering we're not going to be able to jump from roof to roof to get out of this one."
Alora concentrated, she took deep breaths in and out and as she breathed light started to hover around her back and shoulder blades. The light grew out in great diameter before composing into large wings. The wings began to flap and Alora took hold of her two friends with hands like gorillas and lifted them from the roof and into the air. Once she had gotten height, Alora steered and flapped to create distance and get out of range of the police. She could hear the shouts and wails from the street below but soon enough they were away. Alora made it for a while and when a roof top a block from the bank was close enough for landing before her stamina was completely drained she let her friends go and crash landed.
The three lay on the hard roof expanse staring up at the bright afternoon sky and sighed.
"Can we laugh now?" Luke asked and the three comrades roared.
"It hurts … it hurts," Dakota huffed. "Wait do you hear that?"
The sound of a silent engine sounded close. Luke closed his eyes to drown out the sound and listen to his thoughts and inner senses.
"I can hear it but I can't get a read on any people," Luke sounded alarmed. Then they saw the large disc-like aircraft fly over top of them and stay above them.
"What the heck!" Alora shouted. As if to answer her remark an opening on the ship released something that started to fall towards them and as it got closer the three could see that the something was a person. Luke and Alora got to their feet and helped Dakota up. By now his rib had realigned and healed.
In their heads they heard the voice of a female, Do not be scared, I am not here to harm you.
The female gently settled on the roof. Hands raised as if to say something but before she could Dakota spoke:
"Who the hell are you?"
"I'm Jocelyn, I've come to help."
"Why? How?"
"Because you passed The Test."