Chapter Two: The More The Merrier
Trinity nervously drummed her fingers on her legs; the trip to Corinth was taking longer than she thought it would. Then again they had only been gone ten minutes and reached the city limits only two minutes ago. She glanced out the side mirror and watched as Triyon slowly grew smaller and smaller.
"Can you go faster?" she asked after another minute.
Aaron didn't reply he just stepped on the gas pedal and they sped off down the disserted road. He caught her nervous habit of finger drumming out of the corner of his eye.
"Nervous are we?" he asked. "Trinity, I hate to be a downer but have you even thought about how you're getting into Corinth? There are shields up around it, and the gates are locked."
Trinity remained positive and turned her head to Aaron, "Actually I was thinking about it. And I'm not sure how we're getting in but I know I'll know we'll think of something by the time we get there."
"We?" He laughed nervously, "I said I'd drive you I never said anything about actually going into the city. That is your job. I'm just the bus driver."
Trinity was ready to argue with Aaron but the scenery outside the window caught her attention more. She had never been outside of Triyon before. The buildings had given way to rolling hills and grass and a forest of trees and wild flowers. It was beautiful. It wasn't like Trinity has never seen a forest before, there was one in the city park, but this was something else. There was something about being free from the buildings that made Trinity view every little piece of nature differently. It would have to wait though; Trinity tore her eyes away from the passenger window and starred down at her lap.
She had to think of a way to get into Corinth. Maybe there was some kind of security tower she could break into and unlock the codes. Then again if there was a security tower that meant there were people guarding the city, which would prove more of challenge than the entry codes.
"Trin. You know I'm your friend right?"
"Of course." Trinity said dully resting her head on the back of the seat.
"Then can I tell you that this whole rescue mission is insane?"
Trinity smirked, "Sanity is relative."
Aaron blinked and looked away from the road for a moment, "Relative to what exactly?"
"It's an expression Aaron." Trinity sighed pinching the bridge of her nose. "How much longer till we get there?"
"Soon enough." Aaron scoffed.
They fell silent. Trinity didn't want to speak her mind was too focused on the looming idea that she would be seeing her father after 14 years. It was an exciting prospect. Trinity felt butterflies in her stomach the more she thought about it. The two of them were silent for a few minutes before the sound of a sneeze broke through Trinity's thoughts.
"Bless you." Aaron and Trinity overlapped each other.
Trinity blinked and turned to look at Aaron, he glanced back at her.
"I didn't sneeze." she said.
"Me either."
Trinity unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to search the backseat. There was a blanket covering something rather lumpy. It appeared to be a pile junk at first glance but the blanket suddenly moved and Trinity tore it back to reveal a person beneath.
"Derek?" Trinity gaped. Aaron craned his neck to look at the back seat.
Derek Grover sat up from the back seat a look of defeat on his face, his cheeks slightly red in embarrassment. Nervously he laughed and gave a weak wave to Trinity.
"Hey Trinity, hey Aaron."
The breaks were applied with force causing Trinity to lose her balance and hit her head on the roof of the car. When they came to a stop she reached over and hit Aaron in the arm for the lack of a warning. He looked reproachfully at her and shrugged before turning his attention to the boy in his back seat.
"Derek what do you think you are doing? How did you get in here?" Trinity snapped.
Derek swallowed and stammered out his reply, "I came over to talk to Mr. McAllistair about my dad's car and when it would be ready. I heard you shouting about going to Corinth and I may have overhead a few other things as well and, I wanted to come along. So I go in the back when you two weren't looking."
He sulked in the back, feeling the daggers being starred at him that very moment. He was unwanted and an unwelcome guest. Trinity's look said it all. She was annoyed and shook her head sitting back in her seat.
"Come on, we better take him back." Aaron said readying to turn the steering wheel.
This didn't sit well with Trinity at all, "What? No we'll have to back track and it'll only take us longer to get to Corinth."
"What you propose I do, take him with us?" Aaron fought back.
Trinity glowered and set her jaw. "No."
"But I want to come." Derek tried to make himself known but the others ignored him and argued amongst themselves. He sat back and sighed letting them duel out his fate.
"He can walk." Trinity said after thinking for a moment.
Aaron did a double take at a loss for words, "I'm not kicking him out of the car to walk back to Triyon. We're going to have to take him back."
Derek launched forward in his seat he tapped them both on the shoulder. Trinity and Aaron whipped around.
"Come on I could be really useful. Let me come with you guys." He pleaded.
"You're too young." Trinity argued. She was using every excuse she could think of not to let Derek come along. It would just be more unnecessary people. She would have come herself if she had a car of her own to drive. That was the only reason she had asked Aaron to come along in the first place. Though she was glad he was with her.
"Am not." Derek said offended. "I'll be 16 in a month."
Aaron let out a laugh and rested his head on the wheel. "Give us one good reason why we should take you with us."
A smug grin stretched across Derek's face and he looked side to side at them both. He raised his head a little and with a serious tone he replied, "Because I have the codes to get you into Corinth."
Trinity searched Derek's face for a hint of a bluff. "You have the codes to Corinth? How?"
"I've hacked around my mom's computer before. I know the codes that will both lower the shields and get us into the city. People always say I have my mom's brain but dad's personality." he said smugly.
"Fortunately for us." Aaron added as a side comment. "But look Derek you can't—"
Before Aaron could finish Trinity cut him off, "You can come. But only because you have the codes, okay?"
This made Derek smile and Aaron ask what. Trinity rolled her eyes and ignored him; she flipped back around in her seat and re-buckled her seatbelt. It had to be fate; Derek was literally her key to getting into the city to save her father. Another branch of hope began to grow in Trinity. They would actually be able to do this now. Aaron watched Trinity hoping for further explanation but she went on ignoring him. He groaned and slammed his foot on the gas pedal. They were speeding off toward Corinth once again.
Derek sat forward in the back seat and stuck his head as far as he could between them. His boyish grin stretched ear to ear completely geeked that he was going with Trinity and Aaron. They were much older and never thought he would be able to hang out with them at any time. But here he was going on a rescue mission to Corinth.
"It's exciting isn't it?" he said bouncing in his seat as they came to the top of a hill at high speed. "I mean we're really breaking a lot of rules aren't we? This is going to be so fantastic. We're like our parents were, best friends. Partners in crime, or would it be justice? Cause we're saving your dad. How weird is it that he's still alive? He has a lot of birthday gifts to catch up on, I bet that's awesome."
"Derek?" Trinity asked after a minute trying to keep her patience.
"Yes Trinity?"
"Shut up."
Derek frowned, "Right. Sorry, I'm talking too much."
Silence fell over the car and no one spoke. It was obvious that Derek wanted to continue talking he was fidgeting in the back the whole time. Trinity and Aaron caught it out of the corner of their eyes. It made Trinity wonder how he could lay still in the back seat as long as he did. Her mind began to wander and she slowly felt her eyelids grow heavy and close.
Trinity imagined herself running into Corinth to find her dad waiting for her with open arms. She became emotional thinking about it. She couldn't wait until they arrived at Corinth. It wouldn't be too long now.
"What now?" Aaron growled. He gradually applied the breaks.
Trinity opened one eye and then other. They were coming to a stop right up next to an Eagle Squadron member. She glanced over to Aaron quick she pushed herself up a little in the seat and began to run things over in her head.
"Don't say a single thing about Corinth." she instructed.
The soldier got off his cycle removing his sunglasses and walking over to the driver's side. He leaned over as Aaron rolled down the window.
"James?" Aaron asked. "What are you doing out here?"
"I was going to ask you the same thing Aaron." James said in a professional tone. He looked into the car his brow furrowing as he recognized Trinity and then Derek in the back seat.
"We were just out a drive. Having a bit of fun." Aaron kept his cool mostly based on the fact that they had all grown up around James. He was a year older than Aaron and for a while they were inseparable.
A look of amusements crossed his face and dancing on his lips was a cocky smile. "Out for a drive? You missed the last exit about three miles back. This road continues straight onto Corinth. Don't try to play dumb with me either, I know you know that."
As Aaron stammered and faltered for a response Trinity came up with a brilliant idea and jumped on it.
"We're going to Corinth." Trinity confirmed. Derek and Aaron both turned their heads in Trinity's direction with wide-eyed surprise.
"Can I ask why?" James waited for Trinity to explain.
With a calming breath Trinity moved on, "I picked up a transmission from my father. He's in Corinth and needs help. We were going there to save him."
There was a long drawn out pause. James starred at Trinity and the other silently as if debating whether or not she was telling the truth. His serious expression broke with a laugh. While Aaron and Derek looked disheartened that their friend did not believe them, Trinity remained calm not revealing any worry at all.
"You're father is alive? And he's in Corinth?" James repeated the information.
Trinity nodded. "I wouldn't lie about this James. He's there."
The smile faded. James regained his professional self and stood up straight for a minute.
"No one is allowed to go to the city, that's why we post a man on patrol out here. You know I'm going to have to call you three in." He sounded disappointed about the matter but obviously not disappointed enough that moment to decide to let them off with a warning.
"No you don't" Trinity said quickly.
"Trinity are you out of your mind?" Aaron asked in a harsh whisper. Her eyes darted to Aaron for a second to acknowledge his input but followed back over to James who was now bent over again to see into the car.
"Come on Trinity, you know I don't want to but I have to." He said shaking his head and reaching for his walkie.
"Come with us then. We could use someone who is skilled in fighting on our side. We don't know what will be there in the city, and we'll fare better with you by our side."
James scoffed, "I don't think so Trin."
James radioed for his father. There was a voice on the other end telling him to hold on. It was Trinity's last chance. Putting everything on the line she went for it. Putting on an act of disappointment she gave an exasperated sigh.
"That's too bad. If you were to come with us to Corinth you could help us save my father. Think of how your father, Coloniel Scott Truman would reward you if you were able to save his friend, his old companion, the same one that he fought with to defeat Venjix. If you were to rescue Dillon you'd be a hero. He might promote you to, I don't know, Eagle One."
Trinity glanced over at James. He was clearly thinking on everything Trinity had said. She could see the wheels turning in his head. Trinity worked hard not to smile. She knew how hard James was trying to work to get moved up to Eagle One. Right now he was sitting below what Trinity would guess to be an Eagle Three level. If this didn't work then Trinity didn't know what would. Sure enough when Scott's voice came over the radio, James blinked and looked down at it.
"Nevermind. False alarm." James spoke into it. He turned off the radio and looked to Aaron, Trinity and Derek in turn. "Tell, me how do you expect to get into Corinth?"
"That's where I come in." Derek couldn't help but speak up. He was still overjoyed to be coming along. The smirk on his face quivered a second, as he looked to Trinity afraid she might scold him for talking but she didn't do a thing.
James looked to Derek raising an eyebrow. "You Derek?"
"He has the codes to get into city." Trinity said. "But we're not allowed in there. You said so yourself. And it's too dangerous to go without someone to protect us."
"I'll go." James said debating no longer. He looked reluctant and yet eager at the same time, like the two were battling each other. Trinity let the smallest smile on her face. "I'll follow behind you three."
When they were on their way once more Aaron turned to spare a look at Trinity. He was in disbelief at what had just transpired back there. Scratching his chin Aaron smirked at her.
"You are truly evil, you know that?"
Trinity looked blankly back at him, "I honestly have no idea what you are talking about."
"And what happened to don't say a single thing about Corinth?" he pressed.
Trinity shrugged. "It slipped out."
Aaron shook his head. "Slipped out, yeah right." he muttered under his breath.
Derek chuckled and sat back putting his hands behind his head with a relieved and look of ease on his face.
"That was close wasn't it? That was smart, Trinity tricking him into coming along. It was kind of cool, but kind of scary at the same time. But at least now we won't have the Eagle Squadron on our tails. And if there is some crazed mutated monsters in Corinth at least we have James to fight them off. You think there will be food there, I didn't really have lunch and it's getting close to dinner. Think we could—"
"Derek." Aaron began working hard not to raise his voice, "If you keep running your mouth we're going to have a problem, a problem that involves Trinity literally throwing you out of the car. Could you please keep it quiet for a few more minutes, we're almost there."
Trinity stifled a laugh. She was glad that Aaron said it and not her. Trinity caught the sight of James on his cycle in the side mirror. She wondered if everything she spouted off would turn out to be true, if Scott would actually promote James for helping to rescue her father? Trinity didn't want to be completely full of crap, it sounded like a plausible scenario. They all would be rewarded wouldn't they? Then again it could back fire and each of them would get in serious trouble for going to Corinth in the first place.
"Trinity, look." Aaron nudged her left arm.
She looked up; there was Corinth as they came over the last hill. Trinity found herself holding her breath as they drove the last miles to reach it. Her father was just beyond the metal walls of the city. Trinity was certain she would soon see her father again for the first time in 14 years.