Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Columbia Pictures and to the writers and producers and whoever else I may have forgotten to mention. The only things I claim to own are my own characters and the plot of this story.
The bus rumbled around the corner and prepared to stop at the little white house in the middle of the street. Connor had his head rested against the window and was prepared for the stop. He cleared his throat as he cast a glance across the aisle. Allie and Summer were sitting there, heads together as they poured over a notebook that was open on the former's lap. The two of them were on some sort of committee for fundraising at school and were looking over some proposed ideas for some mid-spring auction. As the sound, Allie glanced up. "Oh, that's my stop!" she said as she closed the notebook and stood up.
A few rows ahead of them, another girl stood up as the bus squealed to a stop. Dalhia quickly made her way down the aisle and stairs, then practically flew up the front walk. The door slammed behind her before Allie was even halfway up the bus. She hesitated for a moment, apparently confused, then continued on. She gave a friendly goodbye to Mr. Flannigan and then made her way down the stairs. As the bus pulled away, she turned back to the street and waved at Connor. He smiled and waved back.
There was suddenly a weight on the back of his seat. He looked up to find Cindy leaning over the top of the bench and smiling at him. "What's up?" he asked.
"Connor and Allie, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" she began to sing cheerfully. Connor snorted and reached up to push her back into her own seat, but his smile didn't fade.
Even though the thought that Allie and Charm could be one and the same occasionally popped up in his mind, he couldn't deny that the two of them had become pretty good friends. The weeks after she'd returned from her trip home, she was finally able to show him pictures of her horse. Though her eyes had teared up as she did, she hadn't cried. Three weeks out, Connor could tell that she was still struggling with the loss. Every now and then, when something reminded her of horses, he'd noticed her stiffen briefly and then slouch. He didn't quite understand it, because he'd never had a pet before. But he thought it might be somewhat like he'd felt the day his parents had dropped him and Jack off at Area 52 and never returned.
The bus made a few more stops before his backpack buzzed. It took him a moment before he realized that it wasn't just his backpack buzzing, but also the rest of the team's around him. Summer pulled hers out of her bag at the same time Connor found his. "Alright, guys," she said quietly.
The rest of the team turned their attention to where she sat, getting as close as they possibly could to hear her read the message. "Another break-in, this one in Los Angeles. Highest priority. We're to get off at Connor's house and the van should be there," her voice was quiet as she could be while still being heard.
By the time she'd finished, the bus was already slowing to turn onto the street Jack's house was on. One glance out the front of the bus let Connor know the white unmarked van was already waiting for them in the driveway. The moment Mr. Flannigan began to slow, the entire team stood and rushed up the aisle. The driver gave them a questioning gaze as they all filed off, so Connor hurriedly came up with an excuse. "We're having a surprise party for my brother tonight and they're gonna help me set up."
The man merely shrugged and shut the door behind Connor as he hopped onto the grass of the front yard. The team waited until the bus had turned the corner before climbing into the idling van. As soon as the door was closed, Marsha began to brief them.
"Same group again," she said as she whirled the passenger seat of the van around. "But this time, they made a mistake. They managed to take out most of the cameras except for two older models that are on a separate circuit from the newer ones. As of two minutes ago, the thieves were still there. Looks like there's four or five thieves inside with six hostages being held somewhere the cameras can't see."
The partition came down between the cab and the passengers and immediately lit up with plans and news broadcasts. Around them, the different windows changed from the rolling desert to maps and the two camera feeds. Marsha tapped something on her tablet, bringing one of the feeds up on the main screen. "These two cameras are usually video only recorded on VHS tapes. But a few weeks ago, the security department installed a device to be able to remotely monitor them. The device isn't even on any plans for the building, so that's probably why the thieves didn't loop them. This is the camera that monitors the main data farm."
As the team watched, two grainy figures appeared on the screen. One of them was the woman Connor had fought at DataTech. The other was a man he didn't recognize, although the figure was turned partially away from the camera and leaning against one of the servers. The woman motioned with her hands at something out of the camera's view and a moment later the man also motioned in the same area. They stood there for a moment before moving out of the shot. "That's about all we have for the moment," Marsha said as she briefly flicked to the second camera's feed. There was nothing of interest except a large metal door that was ajar. "After the last mission, Jack thought it would better if he stayed away from piloting your transportation for a bit. So, we're going to meet them at base."
The rest of the short trip was spent planning the team's strategy. They had determined that the best point of entry would be through the same side door the thieves had entered through. The alarm had already been tripped and Marsha had made sure it kept sounding. It would be the perfect cover for them to slip in. According to the camera's the thieves were staying near the main server room, which was near the middle of the building. If the police approached from the other exits, it would force the thieves back to their entry point, where the Zenith Team would be waiting.
By the time the van pulled through the gate to Area 52, the team had their game plan down pat. Once they gained entry to the building, the team would stick together as they made their way to the main server room. Only Tucker would be left behind to guard the exit with a squadron of SWAT team members as backup outside. They had decided their main threats were the two that had put up the most fight in their previous encounter, the thieves called Flash and Nyx. It was assumed the one with computer skills, Byte, wouldn't put up too must of a fight. But the unknown thief they had seen on the camera feed earlier was the variable. His powers were unknown, and therefore posed a problem. After Nyx and Flash were taken out, he was the next target. And Charm would be saved for very last.
The van screeched to a stop outside the hangar, and the team jumped out. Jack was leaned against the entrance waiting for them. As the team filed inside, he reached out and ruffled Connor's hair, smiling a little bit. "Gotta admit, little bro," he said as he scrambled up on the platform beside Connor. "It's good to have you back."
Connor smiled and nodded, then proceeded to fill Jack in on the plan while Summer spun up the ship. It wouldn't take long for them to reach Los Angeles.
The California National Guard had cleared them a space to land and the LAPD had managed to divert all the media away from the landing zone. The platform descended from the cool interior of the ship into the heat of southern California. Connor covered his eyes for a moment while they adjusted to the sudden brightness after nearly an hour in the dim cabin of the ship.
He heard heels clicking across the metal platform then transitioning to pavement. Blinking, he realized Marsha was approaching a man who was standing in the outer ring of the LZ. By the man's appearance, Connor could only assume he was a commander or perhaps the chief of police. The team stepped off the platform and followed behind her.
"-released two of the hostages after a negotiator convinced the leader they were in need of medical attention," the man was saying as the team neared. "They're both being checked out as we speak before being transported to UCLA medical center for treatment. We were waiting to see if any of your people wanted to speak to them."
Marsha cast a glance over her shoulder, and Connor saw Summer shake her head subtly. "No, I don't think we'll need to talk with them. Just get them the help they need," Marsha replied. "Our team already has a plan in place, and all we require is the LAPD's cooperation."
She went over their plan with the man, who merely nodded his head. He was silent for a moment before responding. "That sounds doable. The only thing I would add is that we now know where the hostages are being held. They were locked into a maintenance hallway that runs alongside the server room. We'll have to ensure the hostages are safe before the fireworks start."
"That shouldn't be a problem," Jack explained as he stepped up beside Marsha. "Your people can work on getting them out while the team distracts the thieves, Mr-"
"Ah, forgive me," the man said. "In times like these, occasionally formalities get lost. My name is Captain Julian Howard. I'll inform my men of their duties and we'll be waiting for further commands."
He dipped his head in farewell and turned away from the team. The moment he was out of earshot, Dylan spun around to face his friends. "Alright, everyone. This is it. This time, we can't let them get away. We all know the plan. Stick to it and try not to die. Now, let's do this."
"Nice pep talk," Tucker muttered as the team moved closer to the building.
"Thank," Dylan quipped. "Gotta stay positive in times like these."
Summer rolled her eyes and Connor smirked. It was good to know their fearless leader never lost his sense of humor. In front of them, the door the thieves had entered through sat ajar. Beyond, Connor could see the hallway illuminated by flashing red lights. Dylan stepped up to and slowly pushed the door open just as the backup SWAT team rounded the corner. The lieutenant nodded at them and Dylan returned the gesture. The officer tapped the button on the radio on his shoulder, "It's a go."
And just like that, the Zenith team was off. As Connor passed over the threshold, he heard several loud thuds echo through the building followed by a chorus of shouts. The team was running down the hallway when a loud crash shook the building. The wall beside them collapsed inward to reveal the smirking faces of the two thieves. Nyx and Flash.
"Well, well, look what we got here, sis," Flash drawled as he glanced at the woman next to him. "A group of heroes. Didn't we kick their asses the last time?"
Nyx's smirk drew upward into a cat-like grin. Instead of responding, she clenched her fist, shadows curling around it. And just like that, the fighting began. Connor lunged at Nyx, hands outstretched to create a concussion. At the same time, Dylan jumped after the other thief, disappearing halfway only to reappear on Flash's shoulders a moment later.
Connor felt the building shake again as his hair stood on end briefly. He ignored it, instead focusing on his opponent. She had dodged his first blast, but she couldn't avoid the swift kick he'd followed it up with. She flew back into a server. The housing cracked and gave way around her, but still the thief got up. In a split second, shadows gathered around the edge of Connor's vision, collecting over his face in an attempt to smother him. He clawed at them, but his gloves were too bulky to get a good grip.
Just before they fully closed, the shadows scattered. Connor gasped for breath and saw Cindy hefting a metal desk above her head. He guessed she must have hit Nyx with the desk, because one glance told him she had created a crater in the opposite wall. Cindy seemed to have the situation handled for the moment, so he turned his attention to Dylan and Summer, who were engaged with Flash. The thief seemed to have the upper hand, as both of Connor's fellow teammates were breathing heavily. Dylan was favoring his left leg but was still managing to put up quite the fight and Summer's hair was standing on end. And yet Flash was beginning to wear them down.
Connor put his hands to the floor and sent as large a blast as he thought he safely could in the thief's direction. It reached him just as he was side-stepping one of Dylan's punches. The sudden tremor caught the thief off guard, which allowed Dylan to hit him square in the stomach. That hit was followed by a swift kick to the legs, which brought Flash to his knees. Summer took over, using her telekinesis to pelt Flash with assorted items from the desks around the room while Dylan took a moment to rest his injured leg.
Before he had the chance to check up on his team leader, Connor heard a shout from behind him. Turning, he found Cindy struggling against shadows trying to pin her against the wall. He moved to get a better shot at them when something crossed his peripheral vision. It was a young girl with long brown hair wearing a red jumpsuit. For a moment, he thought it was his old teammate Ace. But when he turned his head to look at her fully, he realized with a shock that it was Allie.
She dashed across the back wall and between the servers, in sight for only a couple of seconds at a time. But it was unmistakably his friend. Connor remembered that Marsha had said there possibly being a fifth thief in the building. But he'd seen the school bus drop her off fifteen minutes before they'd arrived at Jack's house. There was no possible way for her to get here before them, even if she had a head start. Unless she was a Super like the rest of the thieves.
Connor was pulled away from the figure of his friend when he heard an ear-piercing scream. He knew immediately who it was before he even looked in the direction of the sound. Cindy was nearly covered in shadows, frantically pulling one away from her face as another one took its place. In an instant, Connor was lunging toward her, tearing at the shadows and blasting them away from her tiny form. Having stalled Flash enough, Summer joined in, using her power to fling Nyx back into the wall. This time, the woman crashed all the way through into a hallway, where she began groaning in pain.
The moment her hold on the shadows were broken, they began to slither away from Cindy. Connor caught her as she fell from the wall. She gripped his suit tight, sobbing in fear. He could only wrap his arms around her before stealing a glance in the direction Allie had taken. But she was nowhere to be found. Summer rushed over to the two of them, frantically asking if Cindy was alright. The younger girl could do nothing but sob and shake her head. The light caught bright red welts beginning to swell over her fair skin where the shadows had practically climbed their way up.
They heard a grunt behind them, followed by a heavy thud. Whirling, Connor found Dylan lying in a crumpled heap on the floor. Flash was gone. A glance out the hole in the wall told Connor that Nyx was gone as well. Shouts echoed down the hallway as police swarmed the building, Marsha and Jack following closely behind. By the way the police were searching, it was easy to tell the thieves had gotten away again. As soon as she caught sight of Marsha, Cindy let go of Connor and ran to the older woman, who promptly began to console her.
The building began to fill with more than just police officers. Firefighters and EMT's had bene on scene waiting for news of hostages and damages, and now that the scene was cleared of most dangers, it was their time to shine. Connor, Summer, and Jack worriedly watched as a group of EMT's gathered around Dylan. Once they were assured that he would be fine except for a few new bruises and sore joints, Summer turned on Connor.
"What happened?" she asked, tone slightly accusing. "I saw you looking off into the hallway instead of helping Cindy."
"I thought I saw someone," he responded. "But I guess I was wrong."
"Yeah, well your 'guess' nearly got Cindy killed. You were turning to help her and then you just froze. If she hadn't screamed, I don't know if you would have helped her in time."
They glanced back to where a female EMT was carefully examining the little girl. It looked as though she had mostly stopped crying, but Connor wondered if she had seen him freeze too. He didn't even need to see his brother to know the look Jack was giving him. There would definitely be a bigger discussion on this fight when they got back to base. But for now, Connor was only left with one worry.
Allie was one of the thieves, and he had no idea what to do about it.
Author's Note: Hello dear readers! I present to you that latest chapter of a story that I haven't updated in a while. And I do sincerely apologize for that. Really. I wanted y'all to have this chapter so badly that I have stayed up well past my normal bedtime. So I hope you enjoy!
Life has this funny thing about getting in the way of goals sometimes. As I said in the AN when I updated the previous chapter, I am now engaged. In the past couple of months, my fiancé and I bought a house and then promptly realized that said house is junk and we're going to have to build elsewhere on the property. Plus, the previous owners left a bunch of stuff (read: junk) that we've slowly been cleaning out. So, the past several weeks have been endless evenings of cleaning. We still have a lot more to go, so updates on this story will probably be slower than they've been previously. I do, however, have a couple of future chapters already written out, it's just the minor matter of writing the 2-3 connecting chapters now.
I want to send a huge thank you to everyone who has read this story so far. Trust me, every time I look at the story stats and see 10+ views in a day, I get really excited. And it pushes me to write again. Reviews help a lot too! It lets me know that there are people actually reading and enjoying the story that I've written.
So, if you like this story, even just a little bit, would you mind leaving a review? And as always, feel free to message me if you have any thoughts/ideas/concerns/etc. Thanks again to everyone who has read and reviewed and followed and favorited! Every email that I get saying the story has a new follower or review or favorite motivates me to finish another chapter! ~NightRider
