3
A warm breeze blew through the empty town as we walked down to the subway. It was only mid-August, so the sun was just starting to set, causing our shadows to look lanky and thin. I glanced at the screen of my phone and saw that the time read 5:56 pm. I growled silently. Ryan had insisted on not Shifting there, even though the station was only half a mile away. But the walk made it seem like 100 miles away.
I looked over at Lin, who was in front of me and slightly to the right. She had her arms spread out and seemed to be soaking up the warmth of the sun. The edges of her dark hair almost glowed behind the sphere of light, making them stand out. But I found it amazing that she reminded me so much of someone else I knew. I directed my gaze down near the ground and knew what I had to do. I had to get revenge on them. I wandered deep into my thoughts, allowing the slight tendrils of resolve to form in my brain. I was concentrating so much that I started when a low voice to my left said, "You ok?"
I turned my head to see Aiden looking at me. His golden red eyes were filled with curious concern. I was surprised at how much he changed since I first met him. His light brown hair had grown a little longer and he looked about an inch taller. But, he was still packed with muscle in his arms and chest, and had on a white T-Shirt with gray shorts and Vans.
"I'm fine," I replied quietly so that no one else would hear. Not that they would, since Alex and Ryan were a little ways ahead of us and Lin was listening to music. Jam had requested to stay for whatever reason I didn't know. "Just thinking." However, Aiden saw through me pretty quickly.
"You want to get even with them for what happened with your mom, don't you?"
I tensed slightly, but nodded.
"I wouldn't try it yet," he said. "It would only get you hurt or worse. You should wait until we're ready to battle."
Aiden turned to look straight ahead, but I continued to stare at him for another second. Finally I looked away, feeling more resolve than before. I didn't care what he said, this was something I had to settle now. For better or for worse.
After about 20 minutes, we finally made it to the subway. I was immediately drawn to the fact that everything was old and closed up, signifying years of disuse. This was the one time Ryan had allowed us to use our Shifting powers. One by one, each of us teleported to the other side of the fenced off entrance. I had only learned to Shift through objects with openings in them recently, and I had gotten pretty good at it. When it was my turn, I had to take a deep breath, and focus on being on the other side of the metal poles of the fence. Instantly, I couldn't see, breathe, or feel anything for half a second. Then, when the world came back, I was on the other side. Smiling, I continued down underground.
Now, we all walked into a large room that probably used to be the main lobby. Darkness swallowed every part of it, so I couldn't make out anything clearly. But Ryan and Alex had brought high-tech flashlights, which they pointed at two cars sitting idly on the tracks in front of us. They were a dull silver color and looked like they used to belong to another train. But they were a little rusted and didn't make a ride in them seem likely. Lin must've been thinking the same thing because she took one look at them and immediately doubted they could run.
However, Alex held a hand to one of the doors on the first car and caused it to change into a small pencil. He was already in and walking toward the controls before it clattered to the ground. Ryan and Aiden followed. Lin folded her arms and frowned as she entered the car. I brought up the rear. From the light that the flashlights poured out, I could see that the passenger car was about as large as a small hallway, with white, curved walls, seats made out of a fabric that was worn out, and large windows.
After Alex put the door back, he and Ryan went into the driver's car to get the train running. The rest of us went to sit down in the seats. Lin chose the third one in the right row, while Aiden found one on the left. Not seeing why we should spread ourselves out, I took the seat next to his. Thankfully, he had a flashlight of his own, and positioned it so both of us could see what we were doing. We sat in silence for a few moments and I genuinely wondered if the train was going to work. I was just about to make a joke about it, before the overhead lights in the ceiling turned on, glowing a dull yellow, and a low hum began. Then, the train gave a slight lurch, and started to rumble slowly down the track. It gradually gained speed until it was going about 50 miles per hour.
But it turned out to be a pretty smooth ride. The only sound was the low hum emanating from the engine and pitch darkness was all I could see out the windows. Lin was scrolling through something on her phone. Looking over at Aiden, and, even in the low light, I could see he had earbuds in and was listening to music. However, on closer inspection, I realized that he was completely asleep. His eyes were closed, with his mouth slightly agape, and he was leaning back in his seat. I rolled my eyes and turned away, trying to keep not to think about how nervous I was going undercover into enemy territory.
While the trip back to the high school was relaxing, it was also long and boring. I Shifted a pair of earbuds into my hand from a McDonald's cup on the floor, and tried to watch a few videos on my phone. But the low lighting made my eyes squint a little, which didn't feel comfortable, and eventually I gave up. About an hour later, I could feel my eyelids starting to droop and no matter how hard I tried to fight it, I eventually succumbed to sleep.
A strong jolt startled me awake, and for a second I thought we were being attacked. However, from the cramped position I found myself in, I saw that everything was fine. Shaking the pins and needles feeling out of my feet, I sat upright and looked to see if Aiden had gotten up. However, he was still asleep, which was to be expected. There was little that could wake him up easily; Ryan had told me they had gone to a football game a few years back, and Aiden had slept through half of it. And the stands had been loud.
I heard Lin yawn and stretch, and knew it was time to go. I went through my phone, and found a quirky song that I had kept in the files and held it up to his ear, letting it play at high volume. His eyes flew open and he jumped out of his seat, looking around. Once he knew there was no danger, he took his earbuds out, and scowled at me. I shrugged. That was technically the only way I knew of to wake him.
"We're on," I told him standing up as well, Shifting my phone and earbuds into an Invisible Suit. I watched Lin do the same. By this point, we knew what our phones looked like, enough to use it in Shifting.
We all walked out of the car and saw Ryan and Alex waiting, suits in hand.
"What was with that sudden stop?" I demanded. "You guys nearly gave me a heart attack."
"Alex didn't realize the station was closer than he thought," Ryan grumbled. "I think you'd know how it goes from there."
"I haven't used this thing in a while," Alex replied. "It's not like these types of trains are popular nowadays."
"It doesn't matter," Aiden said in a serious tone. "Let's just do what we came here for."
Ryan nodded. "All right, let's go."
He and Alex turned their high powered flashlights on, and we all made our way to the staircase that would lead us back to the ground level. With each step that we climbed my anxiety worsened, but I pushed it back by focusing on the task to complete. Each of us had been given two Stunning Darts, and the Invisible Suit, used to get in and sneak around the school. If any of us found Brydon, we were supposed to insert the dart into his neck, which was apparently where it worked best. Then, we'd summon another Invisible Suit for him and inconspicuously get him out of the school.
He made it sound so easy; just go in, take one of their members, and escape. But I knew better. We all did.
"I don't understand," I said, once we got above ground. "Why didn't we enter through one of the stairways underground?"
"It would look too obvious," Ryan replied as we started walking down the sidewalk. The moon wasn't particularly bright tonight, so he appeared more darker and menacing.
I eyed him incredulously. "Going through the front door is just as obvious."
"And because they're probably using the base down there as a way to capture us or to find out we're coming," he said curtly. "Besides, who said anything about using the front door?"
"How else will we get in?"
"I'll show you when we're there," Ryan said with an air of finality. He turned his head forward and kept walking.
I rolled my eyes and kept quiet the rest of the way. Once we passed the trees with branches hanging over us, the sky opened up, and I couldn't help but tilt my head up to see better.
It looked like something out of a picture. While it was mostly black, there were slight traces of blue and purple, as if someone had painted over them. Stars dotted every part of the sky, some clustered in groups placed sporadically all over the heavens. I smiled a little, though it couldn't be seen in the darkness. The sky had a sense of infinity to it, as if it went on forever, a feeling even more pronounced on Earth. But, I knew the beauty it contained came from a certain evil. There had been news reports about how the radiation from the Nucleon War was lifting, and how the world was going to become more safer to live in. What they hadn't realized at first, was that the radiation had gathered in our atmosphere, which was the cause of many problems and phenomenons. One of those being the dramatic color shifts in the sky. You could walk out of your house on any ordinary night and find a display as great as the Northern Lights. It all seemed unbelievable and real at the same time.
This all made me wonder what I would do when the fighting was done. After the group of these rogue Shifters were gone. I now regretted not getting out and enjoying the life I once had when I still had the chance. All of the sudden, any apprehension I'd felt before disappeared. It was all replaced by eagerness, and determination, to make use of that chance when the time came.
It took about 15 minutes, but the high school, the place I haven't seen in months, finally came into view. It seemed different somehow, affected by the dark forces that had taken over it. Ryan held up a hand to stop us once we reached the small field near it. Trees lined the side where we were standing, obscuring us in shadows.
"Best that we put the suits on now," he said in a low voice.
I held mine up and tried to find the opening where it could slip over my head.
"Now, as for your groups," Ryan started. Lin and I looked up expectantly. We'd been waiting for hours to know this. Aiden and Alex continued getting into their Invisible Suits, so I figured they probably already knew. "Most of us are splitting into pairs. Jason, you're going with Aiden. Alex is going with me. And you're fine on your own, Lin."
"How come I'm the only one alone?" she asked skeptically. She hadn't pulled the hood up yet, so it was rather comical seeing her head floating in midair.
Ryan shrugged. "I feel you can handle yourself."
"Well, thanks for noticing," Lin replied sarcastically. She yanked the hood down, her body now completely gone. "But so help me if any of you guys bump into me."
"In order to avoid that, I suggest we all try to stay to the right of any hallways we walk down," he said cooly. He and Alex were also invisible.
After that, there was a few minutes of silence, which led me to believe that Lin, Alex, and Ryan had taken off. Aiden continued putting his suit on until, like Lin, only his head remained. Then he looked at me.
"Just put your hand on my shoulder."
I cocked my head to the side. "Where is it?"
He frowned. "Surely you can figure that out."
"Wait, I need to get my suit on," I replied, pulling it over my head.
"Well, hurry up," Aiden hissed. "We don't have that much time."
I quickly yanked it over my body, but took a moment to find the head opening in the darkness. When I finally did, and put my head through, I was surprised to feel it conform to my body and tighten so that it fit perfectly. Even though it felt a little weird walking around in it, mobility was easier. I went over to Aiden and did as he told me, groping my invisible hand around for his shoulder.
Once my hand found and secured a tight grip on it, Aiden pulled his hood up, vanishing completely. I did the same and we both began walking toward the school. The area was still noticeably being taken care of, since the grass had been trimmed to a short length, and my feet made nearly no noise on the ground. Which meant that we were undetectable, especially from a distance.
As we got closer to the school, confusion filled my brain. It was clear that we were getting in on the east side, but I didn't know how. There was only a smooth brick wall with windows running along its length. I was just about to ask Aiden, before I felt the uncomfortable feeling of Shifting up to one of the windows on the second floor. I didn't bother trying to recover from the teleportation as my fear of heights kicked in. We were crouching on the windowsill with just a few inches of space and a 25 foot drop to the ground. Sweat accumulated on my forehead and I turned to face the window, trying to keep my balance.
Just then, little pinpricks of light surrounded the glass, and I knew Aiden was trying to Shift it away. Sure enough, the window dissolved into Particles, and reformed back, this time floating above the field. Not even a second later, it fell all the way down to the ground without a sound. Moonlight lit the dark hallway inside the school.
"Ok, we're going to jump in," Aiden whispered.
"Oh, boy, I replied, figuring it was going to be tough.
I sensed Aiden start to go, so I followed. That's when my foot caught on the windowsill and I tripped.
Losing my grip, I hit the floor, feeling my shoulder and side throb with pain. It had only been about six feet deep, but the floor was hard, and it took all my self-control not to cry out. But just when it seemed like everything would be fine, an explosion was heard somewhere above. I jumped a little and my ears rang at the loud sound as the ceiling in front of the window frame collapsed.
I scrambled out of the way and watched as shards of brick and stone, most of the pieces as big as TV screens, rained down on the floor. It all continued for about half a minute before everything settled. I looked on in shock. There was a gigantic hole in the ceiling and the hallway was completely blocked by the amount of debris there. I stood up, wondering what to do next.
Ryan and Alex were walking through the first floor of the school, but they felt the force of the explosion just the same. It rocked the building with the force of a volcano, knocking them off their feet. Alex managed to keep his hand on Ryan's shoulder even as they fell. Though, Ryan didn't react in time and he felt his face hit the hard stone floor. He rubbed what seemed to be a bruise on his cheek as he stood up. Then he looked around, noticing the cracks that had formed in the ceiling above him.
Panicked thoughts entered his mind. How did this happen? Are the others ok?
"You good?" Alex asked in a voice barely above a whisper.
"Yeah," Ryan replied, using the same volume, even though he was shaken up.
"That blast came from the second floor," Alex continued. "Which could mean-"
"Oh, gosh," Ryan interrupted, his eyes widening, not that Alex could see that. "I hope they weren't near-"
He felt Alex cover his mouth as someone turned the corner and started walking in their direction.