Wings of Destruction
Chapter 7
Cabin Fever

-

Mandy paused when she stepped up to the local coffee shop of the town. Outside, it appeared empty with only one person sitting with a cup of java and reading the papers, but peering inside the place it was littered with people. She bit her lower lip when she gazed down at the card in her hands, telling her the address of where the meeting would take place.

Stuffing it back into the pockets of her low-cut jeans, Mandy took a deep breath and entered the building. Immediately, the scents of coffee and perfume engulfed her. Plenty of people were chattering away about their latest designer clothing while others were arguing about the latest artist that was just found up the upscale part of town.

"Ma'am?" The man behind the counter smiled at her, his golden eyes genuine as they locked on to hers. Mandy smiled back as she stepped up to the counter.

"What can I get for you?" He asked as he stared into her face, wondering if she were single or married.

"Just a Mocha Frap," she replied as she dug into her back pockets for some change. "This place is busy." She murmured.

He glanced around the room to all the people and shrugged as he took the money from her hands. "Yeah but—most of them are regulars." He turned away to carry out her order and Mandy turned to look at each person.

If they're regulars, then they aren't who I'm looking for. She stared at the backs of the two men who were staring up at the photographs hanging on the wall and knew, by their black attire and berets, that they were artists. She gazed to the other side of the room as she saw a group of girls gossiping and showing off their new designer clothing.

"Here you are," he returned with a smile as he handed her the cup. "You're new around here, right?"

"Yeah—yeah I am," she replied nervously. "Thanks."

Mandy quickly rushed out of the building and took a seat outside. The air of freshness washed over her and she immediately felt better about the environment of the Eastern territory of Earth.

-

Justin gazed at the coffee shop from the front seat of his car. He didn't see anyone just yet; just a few regulars and two girls sitting outside. One girl had just come from inside with a cup of coffee while the other was reading the papers. He couldn't see much of the first girl, but the one that had just stepped out of the building was very young—though it would be hard to tell if he wasn't so straight in his inspections.

He shut his eyes and landed his head softly on the steering wheel of his black Jaguar XK-RS Concept. The engine softly purred into his ears, reminding him of his agreement with Vix. Vix had hit a nerve in his body when he gave Justin the car; Justin never had life easy and this car—besides being his favorite conceptual machine man had ever invented—was bought directly out of the factory before it even hit the streets.

When he pulled back to stare at the two girls outside, his eyes furrowed as a young man—or boy?—stepped up to the second girl. He kept the gears in standard with the break on and sat back to relax. Perhaps he would be able to sit and watch just a little longer before he'd have to make his appearance.

-

"Excuse me," Chis smile as he leant over one of the sitting chairs. "Is this seat taken?"

The girl had shoulder blonde hair and adorable blue eyes. She smile and replied, "No." Chris nodded then took his seat across from his and released a light breath.

"Nice day," he stated. She took a sip of her drink and raised her eye brows at him. She didn't say anything, but replied to him through the use of her facial expressions. He looked over to her as she held her drink closely in her grasp and gazed around at the area.

"I'm Chris," he tried again to make conversation. She only looked at him blankly before finally whispering, "Mandy." Chris smiled.

"Are you supposed to be waiting for anybody?" Chris asked. Mandy took a quick look around her surroundings before returning to him with a half, worried smile.

"Yeah," she mumbled. "A group of them."

Chris smiled. "Me too." Mandy stared at him for a moment longer as she blinked in confusion. "I'm skipping school—first time in my life."

"How old are you?" She managed to get out above a whisper. She figured she would be the youngest, but Chris looked like he was fairly young as well. Chris smiled.

"I'm sixteen. I'm in college—but mostly because I studied so much I learned my way through." He looked down at his fingers as they fidgeted in his lap. "And you?"

Mandy looked down at the cup in her hands as she set it on the table. "Fourteen," she mumbled back. Chris looked up with a serious gaze on his face.

"You're fourteen?" Mandy nodded. "So young and you're—you're going to be fighting?"

Mandy looked down, the truth hidden behind her made-up lies. "Yeah," she whispered. "I'll be fighting at fourteen." Truth to be told, she wasn't going to really be fighting anyone but herself; she'll be fighting herself to keep hurting her own body.

"So, how many more will there be?" He wiped off the fright on his voice about her age and smiled. The air was tense and it shouldn't be as frightening.

"I think three others," she replied as she rubbed her fingers on the cup.

-

Vincent hopped off the stolen bike and headed up the steps towards the coffee shop. He didn't care about the bike he stole from the college campus; the asshole who drove it could afford a better one, anyways. On his way towards the front door, he saw three people sitting outside; two were chattering away on the left side of the walkway as the third was sitting behind a newspaper on his right.

The girl on the left—the other was a boy—had blonde hair that he hasn't seen on girls in years and blue eyes that glimmered against the sunlight. The boy had short blonde hair and blue eyes as well, but looked oddly dressed to actually be considered a male; most men these days wore slacked off clothing and this kid wore a rich-kid outfit.

The girl on his right, though hidden behind the newspaper, was dressed in black and he could have sworn he saw a braid hanging behind the chair's back.

Vincent slowed his walking down just a little as he neared the group. He knew some of them were already here—and he had a sudden guess as to where. He stopped when he reached the gathering and sat down in a chair besides the table where the two were sitting. The boy blinked over at him with confusion as the girl only stared.

He stared back at the girl, already feeling a sense of pleasure entering his mind as he pictured her in his arms beneath his body. In his mind he was riding her like a cowboy to a wild stallion. She must have felt it because she looked away from him and down to her drink in front of her, a faint blush coming into her cheeks.

"Hello," the boy smiled over. Vincent turned his gaze slowly to him and stared back. "Are you here about the meeting?"

He continued to stare into the boys eyes and slowly nodded. The boy must have felt himself being under pressure because he looked down to his hands as they sat on his lap. Vincent returned to the girl and continued to stare.

"Do you mind not staring at me?" She asked as she turned to him. "Please?"

Vincent ignored her and continued staring, picturing her beneath his body, wracked in pleasure as he took her over the edge. In his mind, she was screaming out his name as her nails dug into his back, leaving fresh marks in his skin. Her hair was tossed across the pillows as her clothes were scattered throughout the room. The sheets were thrown from the bed as the two wrestled. He claimed her lips with his and succumbed the two of them to the lowest depths of Hell where sin was everything that Heaven was.

"She asked you to stop staring at her," the boy's voice was raised and urgent. Vincent tore his gaze away from the girl's eyes and back to the boy. He was fuming with unhappiness and his fists were balling at his sides. The boy suddenly stood, not liking the blank stare that Vincent was giving him.

"It's not nice to stare at a lady," the boy growled. Vincent pushed himself up off the chair and stood his full six-foot-three form and stared down at the young five-foot-eight boy below him. The boy swallowed hard and kept his glare; Vincent knew this boy wasn't used to standing up for anyone or himself and in stead, backed down and returned to his seat.

"I'm sorry if I scared you," Vincent gazed over to the girl and gave her a wicked grin as he bowed his head. He relaxed and crossed one leg over the other.

The boy let out a heavy sigh and returned to the chair he was previously sitting in. "Those are dog tags, right?" The boy nodded at the chain around Vincent's neck. The two metal tabs stood out against his white tank top and black pants; his military boots were laced all the way up his shins.

Vincent looked down at the tags as he lifted them up in his hands. "Yeah," he replied hoarsely.

"Were you in the military?" The boy smiled, obviously trying to start conversation. Vincent dropped his tags and stared back.

"No," he replied rudely. "But I was in basic several times."

"Why?" The girl asked, her voice coming out of the shadows. Vincent turned to her and smiled evilly. "I've been a bad boy."

-

Mandy dropped her gaze from the new person who decided to sit right near them. He was frightening her a little but she was enjoying the attention. He looked big and buff and she was very much attracted to him. His shoulders were broad and his arms were thick, probably laced with so much muscle it would be impossible to find any bones inside the skin. The tank-top he wore was so tight on his chest that she could see exactly how strong he was. His brown hair had shown he was in some sort of military training, as having a crew cut, and his green eyes were so intense it looked as if he's seen death and only ignored it with so much as a shooting of another body.

When he stared at her, she felt like she was on fire. His gaze was so intense that she was beginning to feel her body awaken. When she stared back at him, she could see herself on top of him, riding him, pleasuring him. She enjoyed the imagination so much that she was beginning to get aroused and if Chris wasn't besides her, she would ask him if he had wanted to go somewhere to 'talk'. But Chris had caused the two of them to really break their locked gazes because her question had gone into the air, alone. She only asked him to stop staring at her because she was getting uncomfortable thoughts entering her mind; perhaps if Chris knew that by noticing the blush in her cheeks, then he would have kept his mouth at ease.

"I'm Vincent," the guy—Vicent—stated through a voice that sounded hoarse all of a sudden. He was still staring at her and her blood was stirring from it.

"I'm Chris," Chris replied with naivety. "Are you here for the group meeting?"

He turned to Chris and nodded. "Yeah. I only joined because I want to see Synodd burn." He looked back at Mandy and grinned. "They're evil and self-centered."

Mandy blushed and felt her cheeks redden. She knew what he really meant by 'evil and self-centered'; he was talking about what he wanted to do to her. She took a sip of her Mocha Frap and swallowed hard. Apparently, Vincent knew she was uncomfortable and only winked when she swallowed hard; she knew he wanted her to save her swallowing for another time.

"And you are?" He smiled over at her.

"Mandy," Mandy replied. "Just called me Mandy."

"How pleasant," Vincent muttered, "that I know the name to the face in my dreams."

Mandy smiled and blushed beneath his intense gaze and felt more than just her cheeks redden. Chris was blinking in confusion as he darted his gaze between Mandy and Vincent. Was Vincent hitting on her instead of hinting danger to her? How did he know what to do to get her to invoke him back?

-

Justin let out a huge sigh. Those were them, alright. The three sitting around the table, gossiping; those were the people he was going to fight besides.

"Why do I let myself get into these things," he muttered beneath his breath as he retrieved the keys from the car.

He slowly shook his head and stepped out of the vehicle. The door shut behind him and before he headed towards the group, he checked himself out through his reflection. His tan khakis were a comfortable fit with his blue t-shirt. Actually, he felt like his old self back on the streets again. His brown hair was clumped together and despite how much he combed it, it remained knotted. His blue eyes sparkled with the earring in his left ear.

When he got closer to the group he began feeling his stomach churning inside. He hated meeting people; he may have been able to lead a group of them at one point in his life, but if he were to lead this group just the same way the two guys would be his hit-men and the woman his whore. No, things have changed and for that reason, so has he. He saw the same girl he at the space port on Colony 3 that had helped him board, but she didn't remember him. He had to use her once again to get back to Earth.

He stepped up to the gathering and nodded his acknowledgement to the gruff looking guy that just recently showed up.

"Hi," the other boy smiled. Justin pulled out a chair across the table from the other guy and raised his eye brows towards the boy. "I'm Chris."

Justin ignored him and crossed his arms over his chest. "This is Mandy and Vincent." Chris continued. He pointed out each one.

"I'm Justin," Justin replied deeply. He could care less; he was just about as nervous as a child on their first day of school.

"There's supposed to be one more, I think." Chris looked at Mandy. "Right?"

"Five pilots to fight Synodd," Justin muttered beneath his breath. "One is left to show."

Vincent turned to him and nodded. "I'm Vincent."

"Justin," Justin replied. "What branch?" Chris blinked at Justin, confusion swept clearly across his face.

"Marines; you?" Vincent smirked and tapped his fingers on the tabletop.

"Basic; that's all." Justin looked down at his shoes as his ankle twitched a little.

"Yeah, Marines taught me all I needed to know," Vincent paused and glanced over to Mandy with a grin on his face. He saw Mandy blush again. "Especially how to use my weapons in the right way." Mandy lowered her gaze as the blush deepened.

"But," Chris spoke up. He turned to Vincent, his eyes showing pure innocence. "There's only one way to use a weapon."

"Nope," Vincent turned to face Chris with a grin. "There's many ways to use a weapon. For example, my favorite is the shotgun," he turned to Mandy with a wink. "I usually like to pound it into the victim until they're very weak, and then shoot them with the ammo."

Chris looked down in confusion. Justin shut his eyes as a smirk came to his face; this guy was great. Mandy only reddened even more—if possible—and fluttered her eyes at him. Her smile was big and inviting.

"But," Chris raised his voice just above a whisper once again. "Why do you fancy the shot gun over an AK 47?" He blinked in wonder.

"Because, unlike some beasts who shoot rapid fire power," he tore his gaze away from Mandy to Chris, "I fire a huge load."

Mandy's smile parted some and she looked down to the cup in her hands. She knew exactly was Vincent was meaning, just then—and so did her new 'friend', Justin. He was comparing himself to a dog; while dogs shot rapid times, he just shot one massive load.

"So, what exactly are we doing here?" Mandy asked, trying to change the topic. She knew Chris was about to ask another stupid question and to save him the trouble of looking like an idiot once more, she opted for another topic.

"Well," Vincent spoke up. "We're supposed to be waiting for one more person. I don't think any of you know where our cabin is, do you?"

Chris shook his head. Mandy only took another sip of her Mocha Frap. Justin mumbled a soft 'no'. Vincent pushed back in his chair and looked at Mandy's chest quickly before her face.

"So, how old are you?" He smiled.

"I'm fourteen." That wiped the smile off his face.

"Fourteen?" He repeated out loud. When she nodded, he felt anger. Why was she attracting him at such a young age? "How can you be fourteen and look twenty-one?"

Mandy blinked at him. "I look twenty-one?" When he nodded, she smiled. "Well, I'm not but people say I look eighteen; not twenty-one."

"What about you?" Justin turned to Vincent. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen." He replied. "You?"

"Seventeen." Both of them looked down in thought.

"I'm sixteen," Chris smiled and added himself in. His smile faded away when his words reached nobody's ears.

"Who's the fifth person supposed to be?" Vincent looked up.

"We don't know," Chris replied, but once again his words went no where.

"I wasn't told much, but he's supposed to find us and bring us to the safe house," Justin replied.

"A safehouse?" Chris blinked.

"I wasn't told much either, but this person knows us and will find us," Mandy replied. Vincent nodded at her, his attraction bleak for the current moment.

Chris lowered his head and pouted a little. He was being nice and these people were just as rude as the kids in his school; if this kept up, he'd leave. Suddenly, a beeping noise that sounded like it was coming from a watch sounded. The four of them looked up and around in utter confusion.

"What in the hell?" Vincent muttered and looked around. "Who here has a watch that beeps?" He received only 'no's' in return.

The other girl he saw when he came up to the patio folded up the newspaper and set it on top of the table. The beeping stopped and it was quiet once again. She stood up, her black cap was low on her face and black glasses set on her nose to cover her eyes. Her braid trailed all the way down to her hips and she left her table.

"Follow me," she raced out as she walked through the group.

Justin looked up. "That's him." He got up and walked behind the girl.

"Don't you mean her?" Vincent replied before standing up and following behind Justin. Mandy stood and quickly caught up with Vincent and Chris followed behind.

They followed this new comrade until they made it to the parking lot. She headed for a black minivan and quickly got into the drivers side. She turned and glanced to her group as they came up to the jeep.

"Get in," she grumbled. Justin stepped around the car and sat besides her on the passenger's seat. Chris sat in the middle and Vincent and Mandy sat in the back.

"Who are you?" Vincent asked.

The girl ignored him and started up the engine and sped off away from the building. There was a forest lining the south horizon of the area not even a mile away and she headed for the nearest deer trail that would take them deeper inside it. She slowed the car down as she entered it and stayed hidden behind the trees. She stopped, held the break down, and stared back at the building.

Justin stared back at his car, wishing the trip to the woods would end soon so he could go back for it. It was a beauty, his car. He didn't even have a name for its perfection but in the split second he was staring back at it, everything about it had changed. The building exploded without a moment to waste and fire rose up to the sky. Where they were just sitting not even ten minutes before was up in flames with fire lapping at the sky.

A part of the roof had shot off and blew up into the air, suddenly crashing down onto the Jag sitting just outside on the parking lot.

"My car!" Justin shouted. He tried the knobs but the doors suddenly locked. He plastered his hands to the window and screamed out again.

"Oh my God," Mandy muttered, her eyes huge.

"Holy shit," Vincent trailed off. Chris only stared, his eyes enlarged as well and his mouth gaped open. This was the fist time he's ever seen an explosion.

"My car—what happened to my car!" Justin shouted out again, trying at the knob and slammed his fist against the window; the window didn't even crack.

"Dude," Vincent muttered, "I'd say it got totaled."

"You!" He tore his gaze away and roared out at the new girl. "Do you know how much that cost me!"

She only stared blankly back at him, as if she didn't give a rats carcass about it. "Nothing, but still." He replied before turning back to the window. "I got it for free because I accepted to fight and it was a concept car to begin with."

She looked at the fire whipping up into the sky and replied, "if you only joined because you got a car for the deal then I should go ahead and shoot you right now." She pulled her foot off the brake and sped off down the trail. Justin turned back to her with wonder, as did the rest of them.

"My name is Uno Maxwell," she stated as she sped through the forest at forty-miles-an-hour. "A man in that building was a primary target. Sergeant Ad'fern is Commander Tanner's head general for the Synodd army; without him, the military dwindles." Trees whipped past them and branches smacked at the windows. Uno continued on talking.

Vincent glanced down at Mandy. To hell with her being fourteen; if they were going to be teammates, then he'd have more hell than heaven if he had to keep his hands off her body. His hand slowly slid over hers and Mandy looked up at him in wonder. He didn't move, but kept his eyes in the corners of his face, staring at her. He looked like he was glaring, but she knew better. His hand slowly slid over to her thigh and upward towards the belt-line of her jeans.

"Vincent Anderson," Uno snapped. Vincent looked up at Uno, wondering how she knew his name. "If I catch anything in that back seat, I'll kill the both of you."

Vincent pulled his hand away and could have sworn Mandy pouted. "I may be fourteen, but I've seen more bloodshed than any of you ever will in your entire lives. I may be a female, but I've dealt with more than you will in this war."

"What are you saying?" Chris asked with curiosity. "I thought we were all a team?"

The minivan rattled and shook as she sped over a few heavy bumps and hills. Chris held on tighter to the seat, his fear of war shifting to the fear of a car crash. Justin gazed out at the trees that flew past them. Vincent and Mandy kept their hands to themselves.

"I don't have a team," Uno replied nonchalantly. "I can fight this war on my own so if any of you get in my way I won't tell you again, I will shoot you and I shoot to kill." Uno veered the minivan to a tight left and Chris sworn he felt the wheels on the left side of the car rise from the ground.

"I've actually though about killing you now and going at it on my own, but Professor G and Doctor J told me not to." The minivan leapt in the air a good few feet as she sped over a hill.

"You mean those two are still alive?" Justin shouted out past the roaring of the engine against the ground. "They died from White Fang."

"Wrong," Uno corrected. "They stayed hidden and are the most intelligent men alive." She looked at Vincent through the rear-view mirror and narrowed her eyes. "Despite what anyone thinks; they've lived nearly a hundred years, already."

"How are they still alive?" Mandy questioned. The minivan suddenly came to a skidding halt outside what looked like a tiny log cabin. A black motor bike sat just besides them.

"I wonder that myself, actually," Uno muttered. She got out of the minivan and stepped up to the cabin door. Justin only stared after her.

"Well, I guess we follow her once again," Vincent muttered and rolled his eyes. Mandy smiled and winked at him before pushing him out of the door.

"That's Uno Maxwell?" Chris muttered in shock. "She's…" He couldn't finish and quickly scurried behind them.

"She's amazing," Justin finished for him, his face in dead shock at the woman who is only three years younger.

When they entered the cabin, they immediately felt comfort. Uno didn't bother to turn and face them. Instead, she walked up to the table and picked up a black backpack then hoisted it over her shoulder. Vincent looked around the living room then turned back to Uno. Mandy stood in the kitchen and looked out at the living room through the opening just on top of the counter that split the two rooms apart. Chris and Justin entered soon after and also found the room was spacious and cozy.

"There's only two bedrooms," Uno paused as she checked the clip in her gun before sticking it in the back of her jeans. She gazed over to Vincent with a smirk. "So if you want, you and Mandy can share a room while Chris and Justin take the other."

"I'm not like that," Mandy defended herself. "You make me out to be some sort of slut." She fumed.

"But aren't you?" Uno grinned and adjusted her jacket and back. She smirked over to the other girl her age in that room, already not liking her because of her age and gender reminding her of her deceased best friend. "I mean, isn't that why you joined the team—to give them some form of relieving their stress?"

Before she turned away, she winked once at Vincent. "I'm out. Don't burn down my cabin or there will be Hell to pay."

The door shut and the four of them remained quiet. They are stared back at each other, Vincent really staring back at Mandy. The roar of a bike engine came to life just outside and disappeared into the woods that circled around them.

"Well," Chris shrugged. He pointed at the bookshelf where a series of various books and board games were stacked. He intended to enlighten the sudden shift in the mood with his own good mood.

"Who's up for Scrabble?"