TheBroker

  Greg crept forward, slowly moving across the carefully trimmed grass. His fingers brushed against the surface, his powers set to as loossible. Just enough to reduce the sound of impacts from footsteps and ease the pressure on the grass itself. It was great practice, really, he should holy do it more often. Just maybe not in this particur text. His gut twisted nervously again and he gnced back at the others, “This is a really, really bad idea, did I mention that earlier? I feel like I haven’t said that yet,” He whispered urgently.

  Behind him, in a line, were Alex, John, Lily, Snow, Cass, Val, and Ollie. The whole crew plus the new addition that Lily had insisted ing along with them. Apparently Cass was cool now, she retty and ughed Greg really wasn’t sure about it. Alex ractically vibrating with excitement, John was as deadpan as ever despite the mild sweat on his brow, Lily looked apprehensive and curious, Snow as just as eager as Alex. Cass and Val were keeping a rather than showing aion about their current course of a while Ollie stared at their destination with bated breath.

  “Dude, don’t chi out now,” Alex grunted, “We’re so close!”

  Greg smiled widely at him, his eyes wide with barely restrairess, “Then you lead the way, into Sonya ovna’s beach house. The Sonya ovna, who sells guns and military hardware.”

  “I doubt she has onized security, for the beach house,” Ollie pointed out, keeping his voice low with everyone else, “Definitely has some kind of advanced security, though.”

  Greg poio Ollie, “See? Smart guy! Listen to him!”

  The moment after he said that, two forms darted past him. He barely had a moment to react before whirling around to see short bck hair and long blonde hair darting towards the small hedge that lihe outer isnd-side patio of the beach house. A momehe two figures leaped into the air, almost in unison. They flipped, bending backwards in mid leap before pivoting into a perfeding oher side. Lily gnced over at Cass and shot her a thumbs up, the blond girl rolling her ams and smirking at the others with a raised eyebrow.

  Greg chewed his lip.

  “I’d let her bend me like that,” A small voice echoed in his head. He and the others left behind all turowards Snow who stared back at them bnkly, “What?” She asked, “I would.”

  “T M I, Snowe,” Alex grunted aered a track-runners posture.

  Greg groaned, “I guess we’re doing this,” He muttered as a hand cpped onto his shoulder. He looked back to see John inches from his face, his deadpan expression broken only by a nearly curved smile. For John, the look ractically psychotic. He darted past Greg who hurriedly spped his hand to the ground and reversed gravity even more, the others in hot pursuit. John sailed over the hedge, Snow unched herself before letting herself float until Lily caught her, Ollie, t’s surprise, threw himself into a front handspring and used the gravity to hurl himself past the defes. Val just hopped over, no effort.

  The hing Greg knew, he was standing oher side as well, rubbing his head and looking around, “I ’t believe we’re doing this,” He murmured, still trying to keep his voice low.

  “I ’t believe we didn’t do it sooner!” Alex ughed and Greg held up his hands desperately to try to get his friend to quiet down. It was no use, “Ho-lee-shit! This is it! Sonya ovna’s beach house, where she has all those wild parties. Supermodels, heroes, the rid powerful,” He said with a too-wide grin. “ you imagine all the cool stuff that’s probably here? We gotta check it out, right?”

  “Hey, she didn’t say we couldn’t go,” Lily said, shrugging, “Besides, if there's an obstacle, I hop over it. It’s kind of my thing.”

  “Hell yeah! Parkirl gets it!” Alex barked, g his fists.

  “Parkirl?” Lily asked, squinting at him.

  “I wao see it too,” Cass said, looking up at the building. “How she lives in her downtime.”

  “You know… most of us are going to sign with ASTA right? Won’t we get in trouble?” Greg tried o futile time to speak up for reason.

  Val scratched his head and walked past him, “Just don’t touything or do anything stupid and you got nothin’ to worry about, it’s Alex we should all be ed about.”

  “Huh?” Alex bnched.

  Ollie nodded, walking with Val, Cass and Snow close behind. Snow stuck her to at Greg as Ollie gnced back, “This is a ce of a lifetime, I am to take it, personally. It could give me some insights about my future sponsor. The only person who would actually cause arouble is Alex.”

  “Hey!” Alex growled.

  Lily sighed and nodded before patting Greg on the shoulder, “See, nothing to worry about. Just keep an eye on Alex and everything will be okay,” She said and made her way towards the door leading into the building with the reg let out a sigh, there was no way he was talking them out of it, might as well just roll with it. He rubbed his ned gnced up at Alex who made eye tact with him.

  Alex’s nostrils fred, “I-I’ll show you guys!” He barked and marched past them. “I’m going in first!”

  Snow raised a hand, “Oh no,” She said, her artificial voice deadpan, “Don’t do it. You could set something off,” She added, taking no steps to stop him.

  Val snickered as Ollie stopped a few paces behind Alex who grabbed a hold of the handle. He tugged ond it opened without aahere was a long pause as everyoared at him and the spot where the door had been shut.

  Nothing happened.

  They all stared stupidly at the opening leading into the darkened interior for a few seds, even Cass’ expression had gone ically ft. They looked at one another for a moment, then back at the door where Alex had already disappeared iheir eyes widened and they raced in after him, scrambling through the entry and onto a narrow path of what looked like hardwood floor. The moment they stepped on it, the fllowed a little beh their feet, casting just enough light around them to provide personal visibility. They could see one another and a few feet in front of their faces but that was about it. Greg tapped his foot against the floor and raip of his shoe over the wood, it slid right over the seam betweewo pieces, not even a bump. His lips formed a lihe floor is a s,” He said.

  The nced down at their feet and tapped against it themselves, the floor seeming to glow around their feet where they stepped but it was some sort of eborate illusioed by the ss that made up the entire floor. “That’s cool,” Lily murmured.

  Cass looked up and she air, “Do you smell that?” She murmured.

  The others sniffed before Ollie spoke up, “Fresh air? But I don’t see any openings in the walls.”

  “There are some vents on the sides of the room,” Snow’s voice joined in, filling their ears for a moment. She rest her hands on her hips and looked around the room, “It’s way too dark in here,” She said, “’t ect to the work so I guess the only option is…”

  Greg paused, resting his hand on a rail that appeared to follow the narrow path that formed a square around the rge room, he g Snow and got a bad feeling, “W-wait!”

  “Lights!” She broadcasted, making the sound audible to anyone and anything that could hear.

  Immediately their entire world ged around them. The almost pitch darkness of the tral room of the beach house exploded with light and color. Around them the sheer walls became a perfect mirror of the outside. Greg blinked against the sudden ge in lighting before whipping his head to the left as he heard shouting. He froze. He could see the other aspirants pying volleyball in the distance. He looked up, there was the sky, a few stray clouds drifting overhead. He could hear the trees rustling as a breeze washed over him.

  “She turhe entire room into a s to project whatever she wants,” Cass said breathlessly, turning ihere’s even a breeze. Do you feel that?”

  “Woah,” Johhed.

  “No kidding,” Alex murmured before letting out a gasp, “Dude, look in the middle of the room!”

  They all turned as oo see what the path that ed around the room overlooked. There was a living-room and lounge in the ter, slightly recessed, ating oo step down a bit to enter. Inside were a number of couches and chairs spread out in a fortable fashion, they looked a little out of pce with the ‘grass’ and ‘sand’ beh them. Yet the little forts weren’t what garheir attention. A rge half-pilr hung from the ceiling to hang about te above the ground. Numerous ft panels adorhe upper half of its surface. Greg frowned when he saw one move a bit. He took a step to the left and one of the pailted to point in his dire.

  “What is that?” Lily asked.

  “They look like direal speakers,” Ollie said, “I’ve only seen them in articles before.”

  They all drew a little clreg uo help himself with his curiosity. He stepped into the recessed lounge and the pilr immediately reacted. Part of the pilr shifted and popped open revealing what looked like a C-shaped rail that projected out of the side. The rail split in half and began to move in a circle around the lower half of the n, some kind of silver fabric following behind it. It only stopped when it returo its starting point, meeting its other half again. The silver s stretg just a little to form a seamless e with itself. A momehe s came to life and Greg was immediately bsted with the world news.

  “Two navy subs were lost today when-” He covered his ears, it wasn’t loud, but it was so clear it was jarring. He took a step to the right and it followed him, “-a strike team is being assembled but without a clear location to iigate the Pandora-” He pressed his hands against his ears again.

  “Snow! you shut it off?” He shouted, “Please!”

  A few painful seds ter, the voice of the reporter stopped ringing in his ears. He let out a groan and allowed his arms to fall to his sides befng at everyone else, “That was-” He paused whe their eyes, “What?”

  “I didn’t hear anything,” Val said, scratg his head, “You okay dude?”

  “I heard an aheme song,” Ollie murmured, “I hope I didn’t interrupt someone’s pylist.”

  “I heard a football game,” Alex added.

  They all looked at one ahen up at the ft pahat were still shifting to point in their dire, “I think we should move on,” Greg murmured, “Or better yet, leave.”

  “That’s going to be difficult,” Cass said ftly. He turned and fixed her with a stare only for her to gesture over her shoulder at the pristine se of the outside behind her. An uninterrupted view. Not even a door hao break the illusioared at the wall where the door should be, trying to figure out where the door could possibly start or end. “I think we’re out of luck as far as going out the way we came is ed.”

  “Why the hell would she make the door handle vanish?” Greg pined.

  “Aesthetics?” Lily said, shrugging off to the side while she and Snow patted the sides of one of the couches experimentally. They looked at one another and nodded before hopping onto the couch, Lily stretg out and Snow rexing on top of her. “It feels like a water bed, but less wobbly,” She sighed, “Oh that’s nice.”

  “There’s a hall over here!” Alex called, “Splits off!”

  “Stairs, a sub level,” John murmured oher side of the room.

  Alex looked up at Greg and grinned. Greg closed his eyes tightly and sighed, “You have got to be…” He frowned, “Okay, let’s have a look around since we’re here already. Just be careful! Everyone pair off! I’ll go with Alex, keep you out of trouble.” Greg grunted.

  Alex shrugged, “Right, right, fine. Whatever. I’m taking the left hall.”

  “We’ll hold down the fort!” Lily called, waving at them from her fortable spot. Snow looked like she was already dozing off.

  “With Val,” John muttered, walking over to stao his friend.

  “Works for me, we’ll take the right hall,” Val said, pung the air a few times, “She’s gotta have a game room around here somewhere.”

  “I’ll go with Cass downstairs then,” Ollie added, gng over at the girl who gave him a sideways look.

  She shrugged and nodded, “Sounds reasonable, you have a good eye,” She said primly and made towards the stairs John had pointed out.

  The three groups went their separate ways, each proceeding into a portion of the mysterious pce that they had thought was nothing more than a simple beach house. Greg couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy about the whole thing. No arms had gone off as far as he knew, and there was no visible way out until they at least found the front door. Yet that uneasiness began to give way to something else, hungry curiosity. Just the living room alone was enough to clue him in on what Sonya ovna was really using it for, a testing ground, and he was very ied in what other marvels she ying with.

  Despite his misgivings, he followed Alex into the hall leading out of the living room and bato the darkness.

  —

  Sonya huffed out a small ugh as she lounged on the beach, reing on a long chair and sipping at a smoothie. An actual smoothie this time. Her big sungsses reflected the suing down oark-white skin. Her frilly pink bikini shimmered a little as she shifted, gng over to the woman ying on the beach chair o her, “Have some intruders in the beach house,” She snickered as a message came through in her HUD. She ope and smiled at the selfie of Marta and Barry’s smiling faces on a boat with the water behind them. They’re so cute.

  Car gnced her way, tilting her own sungsses down a bit. While Sonya had gone for revealing, Car had gone for a bit more modesty. The one piece she wore was a bit transparent down the middle, giving a slight low-cut look but it was also apanied by a sheer skirt that went down to just above her knees. “Will that be a problem?” She asked.

  Sonya snorted, “Heaven’s no,” She said, waving a hand. She didn’t keep anything of real importahere, nothied to Ishtar anyway. “I’m just surprised that Cass and Lily decided to participate in some home invasion.”

  “They’re basically college students,” Car pointed out, “Of course they’re going to get into trouble,” She shook her head, “That pce is Amos’ current pyground, right? Testing stuff out to put in your new house?” She asked.

  “Yep,” Sonya said, reing ba her chair, a smug smile pying on her lips, “This should be iing.”