Chapter 2
MINX
I jumped we James' radio buzzed and he said, [Guys we might have a small problem…] I groaned and picked up the two way; turning up the volume. I looked over at Ash and Eric. I was half relived to see them already waiting for orders.
[How big is small, James?] I asked, already dreading the answer.
[It's big and red... and all over the stairwell. One more step and I lose a leg.] I nodded to Eric and Ash, but they were already furiously hacking the system. Of course to get the security system, they would have to hack everything. Why did the school have to update their security now?
[We just got into the system. Hold on. We might be able to-] Eric shook his head, and I sighed.
"Eric, I need the code… Now." Ash was scary calm and typing faster then usual, I guess hacking a majorly encrypted data base had a time limit to it.
"There only a hint to the actual code," Eric sounded shocked, "Even if we get in, there are so many codes, like one for everything. We won't be able to do anything to the laser wall but make it flicker. This system is amazing."
I groaned again, just what we needed, "What's the hint, Eric?"
"What was the black panther's first name? And I mean his, like half secret identity name, not 'black' I already tried that."
"His first name was T'Challa, do you need it spelled?"
Eric grinned impishly at me as his fingers flew across the keyboard, "Nah, I'm good."
Ash looked up again after a few more seconds, "Go, we're going to cut the power. Tell him to jump when I give you the signal."
I nodded and moved the two way back to my lips, and pressed the button, [No, Eric says the most we could do is make it flicker. Can you jump?]
[It's going to hurt, but yes. I might be able to make it.]
I looked over at Eric and Ash, waiting for the signal, [Right, were going to cut the power... NOW!]
There was no cut off of static and he didn't radio in for a rescue team, so everyone relaxed. I felt air refill my lungs ad realized I stopped breathing when we cut the power, totally afraid he was going to be vaporized.
Of course, Ashley's famous; 'everything is going to be ok' smile helped everyone calm down. My favorite thing about Ashley, she's great under pressure, she's great about boosting someone's confidence, and she's defiantly one of the best people to call if you need help.
Then again, even if she's around, gunshots make anyone nervous.
[James, are those gunshots I hear?]
[What's you think, Minx!]
[Sorry, sorry! Okay, do you have the EMP gun the twins gave you?] Ahs and Eric looked torn between, horror that there were guns in the school, and excitement that they finally got to record more results of the EMP gun in action. I swear, one of these days there going to sell their inventions to the military. Then we're all going to live in fear.
[Yes. Anything important I should aim at?], He finally answered.
I rolled my eyes, and snapped, [Whatever looks deadliest, moron!]
[Heh, right...]
[Okay James, what'd ya see?] I motioned Falcon over, so he could help me identify the guns.
[Uh, 5.56mm Bullets? And rifles. Lots of Rifles!] Both Falcon and I shared a look, after a laser wall that was relatively un-advanced and easy to pin point.
[Easy, M16. Don't get shot... Shoot them! It might hurt, anything else?]
[Well, 'nother kinda rifle, 6.92x39mm bullets, mounted in the with sensor-rigged triggers.] My mind went blank, what gun had bullets that long. Why couldn't I remember!
I passed the two-way to falcon, and heard him shout, [Hurry up, James! Oh, the gun? AK-47. Shoot them. And hurry up!]
If everything wasn't so serious, I might have laughed. Flacon and I were like brother and sister in everyway. Heck, he'd even threatened James when he was "Getting to close to me". Besides, Falcon and I have a lot in common; we love anything that explodes, guns, and experimenting, so really just anything that causes damage.
Through everything, from my first memory of living with Jackie to now, he's always been there. He knew everything about me and I was the same way with him. If we're keeping something from the other, it never lasts long.
My friends say I have good memory, but they have no idea. I can still remember my parents. I still have flashbacks of being left with Jackie. Flacon is the only one who knew about any of my flashbacks, I hadn't even told James. I just didn't know how he would react. As far as I knew, I was the only one of us with any memory of our parents.
I remember my first flashback, almost word for word. I'd been reading a book for English, called "The Three Little words."
I'd been read a book for English called then "three little words". The girl in the book actually had a story similar to mine. I just couldn't read anymore. When i got to the part about the girl being left in her foster home I had to stop reading. Our stories were just too similar. I threw the book into my backpack and had lain down on my small bed, in a vain attempt to forget what I had read. When a memory surfaced, I was numbed.
The memory was of me, from what I could tell I was three years old. I cold hear rain pelting the roof of the building I was in and wind trying break down the walls. There was a beautiful woman, with white silvery hair crouched down next to me and a stern looking black man standing behind her, face expressionless. I could see the woman's lips moving but I only caught a few words. Thinks like daycare and that she loved me.
The man watched the woman and I a few seconds later before turning to talk to someone behind him. When I looked curiously around the now crying woman I could see the man was talking to a younger looking Jackie. When the man looked back at me I saw his eyes filled with tears, but I noticed very few fell. The younger looking Jackie left the room and the bigger black man turned to me.
He gave me a hug and slipped something off my neck. My half there mind hazily supplied that it was a necklace I'd had since birth. This action seemed to make the woman cry harder.
The memory is suddenly sharp and in focus not in the semi haze that's been around it.
"My little minx," the woman is half wailing, sobbing into the man's shoulder.
"Maria, go get your mother a tissue." The man's accent is thick, but I understand him easily, as if I had for years. I didn't really register the fact he'd called the sobbing woman my mother.
I ran from the room, hoping to please the stern looking man. When I came back, tissue box clutched in my small three-year-old hands the man and the woman were gone.
When I opened my eyes, Falcon was shaking me and calling my name, half-frantic. I blinked, and then realized I was crying from the dream memory. When Jackie came in to see why Falcon was yelling my name, she barely seemed surprised to see me in tears and Flacon trying to figure out what was wrong and give me a shoulder to cry on.
I vividly remembered Jackie telling me that no, it hadn't been a dream but a memory and that the two people had been my parents. She had told me almost everything she herself was crying. She apologized again and again while Falcon just held my, letting me cry on his shoulder.
James radio buzzing was what brought me out of my half remembered thoughts
[Guys my arm is numb. I can't move it either. It's not broken and it has no bullet holes in it.]
[Falcon thought for a minute, [Stun gun. Uh, don't get shot?]
[Gee thanks.] Crackled back over the radio.
I turned to the small group going in with us, "Alright, everyone have everything? Once we're in we can't really leave. Ash and Eric will be here to keep inside the system and keep watch. Now all we have to do is wait on James to open the door. Everyone get ready."
Everyone on the secondary infiltration team readied themselves; Falcon grabbed his arrows, Thorlina grabbed and tools she would need. I gave the other girl a smile when she looked over at me. I was glad Lina was on our side. She could be devious, most of the time she hid how really smart she was, preferred to let people think she was your typical dumb blonde. That was one of the reasons Flacon and Lina fit so well together, they were so similar.
I snorted when Lina took off her jacket, revealing a red shirt reading; my boyfriend is like a Flacon… Hard headed. Her green eyes sparkled as she moved over to me, blue jeans long enough to cover her red converse dragged across the concrete.
I grinned up at her, "Ready for your part in phase two, Lina?"
"But of course!" I gave her a hug just as Falcon came over.
"Ready, you two?"
I grabbed my bag and told Falcon to tell me when James got out. I pulled a black box out of my bag and moved over to Ash and Eric.
"Okay, how does this thing work, you two?" Eric's eyes lit up, giving him a 'kid in the candy store look' as I held up the inconspicuous looking black box.
"Well, its original purpose was to make a perfect connected copy of the system. Plug it in once and we'll always be in the system after that. We would get the same updates as the school does, the same info, and it would give us time to crack all the codes before you next decided break-in."
See? These if these two ever join the army, I'm moving to Sweden!
I looked between James and Ash, "Dude, your awesome. That's like the best idea ever." Eric blushed and Ash grinned.
Falcon walked over deadly serious and my breath caught in my throat, did something happen to James?
"Minx, can I talk to you for a minute?" I nodded and followed him away from our tech support twins, and towards the computer set up as a map of the school. "Minx, are you worried about James?"
I felt like I might stop breathing, "Yes, He's not hurt is he? He's fine, right!"
Falcon nodded, "yea he's fine. Just wanted to check. He's fine…"
Ten seconds later I was glaring at Falcon as we enter the school. James was fine, his only injury being a singed shirt and numbed arm.
I pulled out a map and slipped on a headset, as did everyone else, [Alright Ash, Eric. Tell us where to go.]
[Alright!] Ash's voice was half worried half excited, [Do you guys see a hallway labeled "Walkaway?" Normally only teacher walk down it.]
[We see it, what about it?]
[Right now it's the only hall without the guns. I have no idea why, but take that route, from there going left into the second hall.]
I nodded, and then remembered she couldn't see me, and verbally thanked her, [Alright, we'll radio in if we need help or reach the main CPU… which ever comes first.]
I turned to look at the others pointing to the hallway on the right of us, "Alright this way, and then the second hallway on the left is what Ash said."
James grinned and mock bowed, making everyone laugh, despite the tense situation, "Lead the way, O All knowing Minx."
I grinned and marched over hearing James being to laugh, "C'mon guys, follow Minx.
Endnote:
Reviews:
Awesomechick: What's confusing? I'm glad you like the chapter!
Legion22: Thanks for bing my first reviewer, and giving me some advice.
Ninja Daughter of Hermes: I'm glad you think so!
To all who asked:
The parents of the kids will be revealed soon. It will be somewhere in chapter 3 or 4.
Until next time, read and review!
