Previously on Ordinary People. Sarah is caught up in a strange new case, full of mystery and an unknown antagonist with extraordinary abilities. The United is preparing to attack their first target: Military Base 21.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN "SHATTERED SURFACE"

(The United)

The clock struck at midnight.

A hanging gloom of overshadowed grey clouds sifted easily through the darkened sky, a complete feeling of the event to come. Darkness. Ominous. It was the night to attack Military Base 21. The clouds acted as a suffocating spy in the sky, smothering the brightness of the white circle. The moon struggled to spread its light in the shadow of night, but a silver gleam managed to slip past the floating black masses.

Military Base 21. Fortitude of strength. Of power. Evolved humans were shipped by the truck-full to it, where they were processed. Interrogated as to whether they were terrorists, against the country, or as patriots, protectors if it. There were some who were found guilty for terrorism. Nobody knew where they went, or how The Government was able to nullify their powers. But those who showed their loyalty enlisted as soldiers for the cause. And so they were trained at Military Base 21. Evolved humans and humans alike fighting alongside each other for a similar goal.

Unit 18. Entitled such for the eighteen individuals it contained. The United had freed a lot of evolved humans. Many stayed to join in its army, but not all of them had offensive weapons at their disposal and not all of them had a useful power to begin with. Unit 18 held soldiers. Evolved humans with useful powers or proficient knowledge in combat and weaponry.

Twenty-one individuals hid in the shadows just outside the perimeter of the military base. They were ready. The first of many missions to come. The United would strike first. The United would draw first blood.

Dawn stood shoulder to shoulder with her old friend. She kept her wondrous and ever curious eyes on the massive building before her. "Will?" she asked.

"Yes?"

"When do you want me to possess you?"

He shook his head. "Not this time, Dawn. We're gonna need all the men we can, and since you're possessing the rock-man already, you should stay in his body."

She slowly nodded her head. "Yeah… okay."

Philip tapped the communicating device in his ear, opening a channel to the other twenty soldiers with him. "Ladies and Gentlemen. This is an important date. We will be making history. The Government's fear and oppression has gone on long enough! Their squabble against evolved humans has become a war, and we are the soldiers. This is the night we fight. This is the night we attack. This is what The United was made for."

(Inspector Brown – New Jersey)

It was only a matter of time. He knew it. Inspector Brown never trusted The Guardian Angel and suddenly she was stealing from an armored bank truck. Vigilantes don't fight crime without payment. Somehow they get their finances. He didn't know how long she'd been stealing money, but she got over confident and made a mistake.

He wasn't going to let her get away again.

The siren blared. It's repetitive squeal rotated evenly in the glass. Lights flashed. A constant beat of red and blue. Intertwining with the brightness of the city lights it created a disorienting order of color. Cars pulled to the shoulder of the street to allow him to pass by more quickly. He pressed harder on the pedal and sped passed them.

Wind blew through his hair from the open windows. Robert Brown abruptly turned the corner. The rubber of his wheels screeched against the street, sending a fleeting message of urgency. He was in a hurry. The engine roared powerfully. The hum vibrated through the metal and across his fingernails. Robert narrowed his eyes and clenched his teeth.

He wasn't going to let her get away again.

Static buzzed on the radio frequency. His eyes darted to the device briefly before drawing his attention back to the road. It crackled once more before the voice of Kelsey Walters entered into the car.

"Inspector, there has been reported sightings-"

"If this about a hijacked armored truck then I already know about it."

"What do you plan to do about it? There are rumors that it's The Guardian Angel. The person you would not allow me to arrest-"

"I know all about the rumors, which is why I'm in pursuit-"

"No need, Inspector. I'm already here."

"What?"

He turned another corner. A lamppost was dented, bending backwards like a broken twig in the wind. The glass of the light bulb shattered, pieces of it scattered on the sidewalk. The armored bank truck was on its side, rammed partially in the building wall and the dented lamppost. Kelsey stood next to the wreckage, her car parked not too far away with two other suited men waiting in front of the hood.

Inspector Brown parked his car and stepped out.

"You run quite the city here, Inspector. I'm not impressed."

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm here on business."

"I thought your business concluded at the Warehouse."

Kelsey kept her gaze on the overturned truck. "It did. But I'm here on a new assignment."

The Inspector's eyebrow cautiously went up in question. "What assignment?"

"It has been brought to my attention that this sector has not been fully integrated into The System yet. Why is that?"

"It's taking a little longer than The Government expected," he replied. "That doesn't mean they have to send one of their evolved pets here to make sure I'm doing things correctly."

She cringed slightly at his comment. The term "Evolved Pets" did not bode well with her. "Whether or not you're doing procedure correctly is not up to me. My assignment is get things done. Something you haven't been doing."

"What does that mean for me?"

"Don't worry, Inspector, you are still the head of New Jersey's Police Department. But I will be running most, if not all, precincts in this sector."

"This is my crime scene-"

"Yes, but I'm here to supervise."

He held his tongue.

She casually brushed him off by kneeling down and inspecting the scratches and dents in the rear doors.

He sighed. He glanced at the two silent men that had accompanied her quickly before investigating the armored bank truck wreckage himself.


Dawn stood alone in the darkness of the shadow of a tree. She stared intently at the large military base. She knew the importance of the mission at hand, but all she could think about was Will and Jeanette. There was definitely something between them. And she was jealous. Not because of Jeanette's and Will's apparent attraction, but because he was not spending as much time with her. It seemed like he was ignoring her.

Will was her only source of family.

He was the first person to care for her for who she was.

But now he was ignoring her, seemingly more interested in Jeanette.

Dawn narrowed her eyes. "Jeanette," she scoffed.

She looked at the other twenty individuals with her. They anxiously waited for Manuel's signal to engage. Some continually checked to see if they're weapons were filled with ammunition, a habit that they couldn't rid themselves of. Others silently stared at the monstrosity of their psyche. No one had done anything like they were attempting to do. If everything went according to plan, then they'd hopefully be the last. But there was always doubt in their minds. Failure was not far behind.

"They're just standing around doing nothing. When are we going to attack?" she whispered to a nearby stranger.

"We're waiting for the signal," he replied.

"I know, but still... I'm bored. What am I supposed to do in the meantime?"

He shrugged.

Dawn crossed her arms in annoyance. Glancing at the young man before asking, "What's your power?"

He sighed. "I can mentally control insects."

She slightly chuckled to herself. "Sounds pretty useless."

Sadly, he nodded his head. "You have no idea. So far I can only control flies. And even then, not all of them listen to me."

"Are flies considered insects?"

He shrugged.

"Well, if it makes any difference, I'm sorry. Why are you in Unit 18 then?"

"They needed soldiers. So I volunteered. I may not have a very useful ability, but I can still fill some of those government bastards with bullet holes."

She smiled. "Sometimes I wonder if the people who are reading about my life think if I'm useful or not. I wasn't in the second season very much. And my power is pretty one-dimensional in my opinion."

The soldier shrugged his shoulders, obviously oblivious to her ranting. "I'm just glad I can contribute something to the cause."

She agreed with his sentiments. Even though Will wasn't noticing her, she could do something to make him notice her. She stood up, saluting to the young man before walking off towards Military Base 21.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'm going to make him notice me," she replied with glee.

While Will and Philip discussed the best way to attack the entrance, she made her way off of the shadowy hill towards the large base that held an army of soldiers, human and evolved alike. Dawn continued forward, determined in her plan for attention

The cross-wired fence was the first barrier between her and the concrete walls of the base. She briefly closed her eyes, searching within Mr. Blaire's mind, tapping into the hidden power within him. The rock-like skin burst forth from her pores and covered her entire body. She opened her eyes.

The fence bent easily between her powerful palms, ripping apart like intertwined twigs, snapping and bending to her massive force.


Manuel, Jeanette and Lacie hid in the camouflage that she surrounded them with, swiftly making it through the conduit. Their feet splashed against the dark colored water. A small draft became stronger as they approached closer to the hidden opening to the generator. Jessica looked at her watch. The time was nearing for them to contact Philip.

"How far are we?" Lacie asked from behind the two.

"A meter away," Manuel replied.

Jeanette bent her head to the side. "Does anybody hear that?"

An odd ringing echoed faintly in the distance.

The three of them stopped running, listening intently to the faint but audible sound coming from the top levels.

Lacie worriedly glanced at her to comrades. "It sounds like an alarm."

A buzzing came from Manuel's com-device. He tapped it and opened a channel. "What?"

"Dawn decided to begin the party a little early," Philip reported from the other line. "I hope you guys have already started."

Without a word, he ran off down the large pipe, followed closely by the two other members of The United.

"Damn it!" Lacie said under her breath.

Manuel halted, underneath a small oblong hole in the roof of the conduit, leading up to the ground level of the base. It was only large enough for one person. He nodded his head. "Okay, this is the spot. Take me up, Jeanette."

She opened her hands and created a force field beneath his feet, slowly making it rise into the hole and to the next level. As soon as there was resistance, she knew that he was where he needed to be.

Manuel's voice came over the com-link. "The room is empty."

Jeanette nodded her head and looked at Lacie. "You're next."

She shook her head. "No, Jeanette. You go. You're better defensively to protect him if there's anything up there. I'll guard down here."

There was no argument. She created a force field underneath her feet and slowly made it rise into the secret entrance.

Lacie watched her go. A devious smile on her face.


An ambulance arrived on the scene, taking the two unconscious guards away to the hospital. Inspector Brown watched the bodies being carted away onto the large, white vehicle. Their cheeks were rosy, a pinkish hue on the tip of their noses. A few bruises on their faces. As they rolled by, he could only think of The Guardian Angel.

The Guardian Angel was a riddle in his mind. An enigma wrapped in a mystery with a question to unlock the door to its answer. So many questions. Not enough answers. He thought The Guardian Angel was a man before he met her face to face. He knew she was an evolved human, but he didn't know the extent of her powers. And he knew that she was a vigilante, but he didn't know her motives.

He began to contemplate his ability to protect the city when people like The Guardian Angel terrorized it.

Kelsey broke his train of thought. "Inspector, come look at this."

He nodded his head and approached the rear entrance to the armored bank truck. The secret agent held the door open coaxing him to enter. Begrudgingly he complied and stepped inside.

The first thing he noticed was the temperature. It was like a meat locker. Cold. Frigid. His breath rose out of his mouth. Like smoke of his lungs. The materialized air of the freezing truck passed in front of his eyes. "Whoa," was all he could say.

"Look over there," she said pointing to the bags of money.

He kneeled down. His fingers traced over the surface of each bag. They were not even touched, as if The Guardian Angel did not even bother to search through its contents. He made a mental note that the bags were coated with a thin slate of ice, perhaps showing that The Guardian Angel had developed more than one ability. But he couldn't be sure.

The Inspector looked around one last time before stepping out. "It's freezing in there," he stated.

"Any reason as to why?"

He shook his head.

"Is The Guardian Angel even capable of doing something like that?"

He looked back at the overturned bank truck. "I don't know what she's capable of." He paused. "But something does seem out of place."

"Could it be another evolved human?"

"It could be. But there's no clear motive. Who hijacks a bank truck and leave the money?"

"You tell me. This is your city."

"Well you're the one in charge," he shot back.

Something caught his eye. A shadow went across the trucks left side.

"What was that?"

Kelsey automatically tensed her muscles. Clenched her fist.

Inspector Brown glanced to where the two silent men used to be. They were both on the floor. Unconscious and unmoving. Immediately he brought out his Glock pistol. He brought his index finger to his lips, signaling the Secret Agent to go around him to the other side.

With a nod, she moved to where her men were laying while he went the other way, creating a pincer trap to whoever might be on the other side of the bank truck.

The Inspector crept against the overturned vehicle; hand on pistol, finger on trigger. Quickly he turned the corner and lifted his weapon just as Kelsey jumped in front with hers. There was nothing between them but air. He sighed and holstered the pistol.

Kelsey turned around to check on the two unconscious men while Inspector Brown decided to investigate where he hadn't checked yet. He looked into the driver's side of the truck. The Guardian Angel was reportedly driving the vehicle. He was searching for a clue. Anything to give him a lead.

A sparkling object stuck in the seat caught his eye. Reaching inside, he tugged on it until it came loose. The mysterious object was an icicle, perfectly formed. Like the end of a pick, it was pointed at each end and thick in the middle. The icicle was so cold it stung against his skin.

"What the hell?" he mused to himself.

A fleeing figure in the corner of his eye caught his attention. The shadowy figure disappeared into the alley. Quickly he gave chase, running into the darkness with his weapon drawn. It was The Guardian Angel. Before he could get another glimpse, she rose off into the air and disappeared beyond the rooftops.

Inspector Brown stood in the spotlight of the silver rays of the moon. He looked up. To the possibilities of the new case. The mysteries and the bombarding questions that plagued his mind. Raising the icy object to eye level, he made the only observation he could make: The Guardian Angel was involved in a crime. But with all of his bias, he had to admit that anything he thought at that point was purely speculation and nothing more.


Philip opened a channel on the com-link. "Dawn! Give us some cover!"

"Yes, Sir."

She stretched her arms in front of her body facing towards Unit 18. Using her mind to manipulate the ground, she made pillars of rock burst out from the earth, providing sufficient cover for the rest of the team.

A soldier from Military Base 21 swung his gun. It cracked into two pieces upon contact with her body. She turned around, a grin on her face, and pummeled him into the ground.

The soldiers were no match for Dawn's superior strength and awesome power. The rock-like skin was impervious to bullets, ricocheting off, causing her no pain at all. Her strength wasn't as powerful as Will's, but it definitely rivaled it.

But soldiers continued to defend. There seemed to be a million of them, like swarming ants, attacking her with a group of soldiers. They cooperated exceptionally well even though they had the element of surprise. As if they knew The United was going to attack.

She swung her fist into someone's face, breaking it instantly. Spinning around, her arm hit three more attackers, while others continued to shoot at her from behind.

Dawn picked up a soldier by the Kevlar vest and threw him into the spray of bullet fire. She jumped into the air and crashed down, rumbling the earth beneath them. The soldiers lost their balance, becoming a perfect target for her to attack.

Unit 18 was doing their best to be the distraction, but the battle was becoming overwhelming. Chaos roamed all around them. A vicious battle. They continued to fight valiantly, but odds seemed to be against them.


One door.

The conduit led them to a small room just outside of The Generator Room.

Jeanette and Manuel stood next to the door.

"Are you ready?"

Manuel nodded his head.

"You won't be coming back-"

"I know what I'm doing, Jeanette."

"Okay," she said with a nod. "Let's do this."

She opened the door and entered first. A low hum and a bright glow emanated from the large generator in the middle of the room. It towered over them, like a powerful battery constantly charging every electrical system in the base.

She looked at the astounding object. Turning to her friend, she gave a reassuring smile.

He nodded his head and walked up to the large device.

A gunshot rang off of the walls.

Manuel fell backwards, propping himself against the generator's outer shell. He held his stomach. A stain rose through the material of his clothes and onto his skin.

Connor Franklin, The Invisible Man, dematerialized.

Jeanette created a force field around her body.

Three bullets flew through the air towards her.

The silver projectiles connected with the invisible shield.

Manuel slid down to the ground, grunting in pain. "Run," he coughed. "Run!"


Will walked through the bullet fire from the guards who stood in his way.

He needed to get to Dawn.

She was a few feet away, using her new body to shake the earth around her opponents to make them fall into pits and holes created by her mind.

"Dawn!" he yelled.

She turned around and waved her hand while simultaneously punching a soldier with the back of her fist.

He slammed a soldier into the ground. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"When?"

"You attacked without telling anyone."

She took the rifle away from a soldier and hit him over the head with it. "Well I needed to get your attention some how."

"What are you talking about?!"

"Ever since we joined The United you haven't been paying attention to me- behind you!"

Will spun around and caught the fist of an attacking soldier. Closing his fist, he broke his hand and kicked him away. "I'm not paying attention to you?! Dawn, I'm paying attention now, what do you have to say for yourself?!"

"I… I don't know."

"We just declared war, Dawn! I'm not paying attention to you because I'm concentrating on the mission. Get that into your mind. You joined The United. You can't keep doing whatever you want!"

She couldn't respond. He never yelled at her before then. She turned away, unable to look at him anymore, and headed in the direction of Unit 18's wall of cover.

Will sighed as a grenade exploded near his feat.


Dawn jumped behind the makeshift cover she had created. Alongside the wall, only five other members of Unit 18 sat. Two were firing at the never-ending line of soldiers from the military base, two others were wrapping their injuries, and the fifth was the young man who could control flies.

"Hey, Fly Man," she smiled. "Where's everyone else?"

He looked up at her. Blood trickled out of a cut on his face, and dirt covered most of his clothes. "We can't possibly win this… he should've exploded the generator by now." Bullets flew over head causing him to hug closer to the wall and kneel further to the ground. "I am going to die."

"Well, we definitely aren't going to live much longer if this keeps up."

Suddenly the gunshots subsided. Dawn looked over the wall to see the military base materialize behind a blanket of smoke. Soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder in front of the wall. Men lied on the battlefield. Soldiers of Military Base 21 and Soldiers from Unit 18.

Will flew down behind the wall of cover.

Philip leaped over the wall as well, crowding around what was left of Unit 18.

"They just… stopped."

"I can see that."

"What's the status on the generator?"

Philip sighed. "I don't know, no one's responding – what's happening out there?!"

Dawn gasped. "Look at that weird… thing they got over there."

Every one turned to the Military Base. A large satellite like weapon slowly rose out from beneath a retractable section of the roof. The Soldiers did not move. Each of them stared ahead. Taunting them.

A channel opened on the com-link. It was Jeanette. "We're coming in from the left side, give us some cover gentlemen!"

Will was the first to stand up. A cloud of dust blew in every direction as he lifted off into the sky. Philip called the remaining six to rally up behind him as they stormed the front. Weapons drawn. Eyes ablaze. It was now or never.

The mission was a failure.

Now they had to save their friends.

Will crashed down on the line, ferociously beating the unsuspecting men in arms.

Philip opened his hands and let loose a burst of flame, enveloping the ranks of soldiers.

Dawn created a small tremor, rumbling the world around them to a shaking crumbling mass.

The three other soldiers of Unit 18 shot off their final round of bullets.

Military Base 21 was surprisingly taken by surprise. They scattered and fired their weapons in a panic.

Jeanette and Lacie rounded the corner.

Her eyes were glowing again, grabbing the remaining eight in a blanket of camouflage. In a blink of an eye, they disappeared with their surroundings, retreating from the scene.


Manuel closed his eyes. Trying to lessen the pain that rose through his body. His life ended slowly. The blood trickled out of the wound like a trickling fountain. Imperfect color grabbing onto his skin.

Connor kneeled next to him. "I remember you."

Manuel defiantly spit in his face.

Wiping the saliva from his eye, The Invisible Man pressed his hand on his wound. Manuel yelled in agony. "I hope you realize that the only reason why your mission failed was because we had a spy on the inside of your organization. And I'm sure you're dying to know who it is."

He coughed, the hope of The United slowly fading from his eyes. If there was a mole inside the ranks, everything they could ever plan would end in disaster.

Connor leaned forward and whispered the name of the traitor in his ear.

"No. No that can't be."

He stood up and walked towards the door.

"You're lying!"

He opened the door and allowed a group of soldiers to enter. He turned towards the man on the floor. Before leaving, he nodded his head and said, "Finish him off."

Manuel watched the secret agent leave the room and the soldiers surround him, loading their weapons and bringing them to the fore.

"Check him for the explosives, we don't want anything to go off if we shoot him," the commander told the man to his left.

The soldier briefly checked him. "There aren't any on him, Sir."

Manuel chuckled, despite the pain of doing so. He breathed in deeply and coughed. "You're all idiots. I'm the bomb. And since I'm gonna die anyway, I don't see any reason not to let loose."

Military Base 21 shook as an explosion erupted from The Generator Room.

The smoke cleared.

Several bodies lay charred or in ashes.

But the generator continued to pump power into the building.

The Invisible Man had already taken precautions against such an explosion.


Continued…

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