Twelve

  Oh Yeah. It’s All Coming Together.

  Matt kept on driving for a few hours.

  The highway turned to roads-less-traveled that gradually became tracks far away from the beaten path.

  The sun was low on the horizon by the time my group of friends and I were bouncing along a rutted trail carved deep through the surrounding woods. I had no idea where we were and quite frankly, I was comforted by that for once. The forest was cool and green and peaceful. After another five minutes or so, a structure materialized out of the brush. It soon revealed itself to be a squat, moss-covered cabin tucked under the canopy of several towering pines. Matt pulled the truck around beneath its vine-veiled carport and finally let the engine rest. I hopped out and put my feet on solid ground again for a much-needed stretch, as did the others.

  “What is this place?” Brooke asked.

  “My uncle’s family cabin. He and my dad used to bring me up here during the summer. I don’t think they know I remember how to get here, so we should be safe for a while,” Matt answered.

  He stepped up to the shack’s side door and reached to the top of the frame, retrieving a hidden key. Unlocking the entrance, he invited us in as he went around turning on some lights. Despite its decrepit exterior, the interior of the little lodge was clean and well kept. We passed through the small kitchen and dining area to the living room where a screened-in porch separated us from the darkening forest to the left. On the opposite side, a towering stone fireplace stood guard beside the hall that presumably led to bedrooms and bathrooms.

  Lucas and Conor bee-lined in that direction with their hands between their legs. Brooke, Brynn, and Matt busied themselves with closing the blinds and lighting the fireplace. I stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, feeling overwhelmed and hyper all at once.

  “Guys, I … I need to go get some air and stretch my wings. I’ll be right back, I promise,” I turned back to the kitchen door.

  “Wait! Here, take this,” Brynn hurried after me, gently grabbing my wrist and pressing something into my hand. “Take my phone. I can use Brooke’s to text you if we need to.”

  I gave her a grateful nod and squeezed her hand, slipping the phone into my pocket as I stepped out. The forest was dark and quiet, the natural elements incredibly calming after my mental sensory overload ordeal. Branching off to my left, I saw a path leading deeper into the woods, and I followed it. My feet were bare, but the ground was covered in soft moss and mulch, the rambling, root carved rabbit trail eventually leading me to an open space. The small clearing was just wide enough for me to spread my wings. One solid, downward thrust launched me into the air.

  Rushing higher and higher, I closed my eyes, feeling tiny ice crystals sting my cheeks as I lofted through the clouds. I tucked my wings in and rolled, swooping into a turbulent stream of wind, the force of it making my stomach drop with spine-tingling thrill. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself soaring over a floating vista of towering nimbus anvils. For a moment my breath caught in my throat, staring around at the massive piles of water vapor floating motionless and glowing bright pink and orange in the last remnants of the sunset. I carved a path around them, ever so carefully dipping my wingtips through the clouds. Skimming just inches from the cottony forms, I ran my hands through the mist and watched the water bead on my skin like tiny, spherical diamonds. Everything just seemed … perfect … gliding up where the only sounds were my wingbeats and the wind in my ears. I was weightless and free. Nothing could touch me. No gun toting goons. No FBI spooks. I looked down at the ground several thousand feet below and wondered how they’d found me again.

  Cullen and Verbeck said they’d been investigating flickering lights and power surges. I don’t remember seeing anything like that except maybe a little when …

  The lightbulb clicked on above my head when I recalled the moment I’d accessed the well of energy living inside me.

  Power surges! It wasn’t until I started using my powers that they came after me! And the men in the room I escaped from before, they reacted to my telepathy. Can they sense my energy somehow?

  I felt the weight of Brynn’s phone in my pocket and took the thought a little further.

  Maybe they’re not sensing me at all. Maybe not physically … but electronically … satellites …

  Then my musings were abruptly interrupted by a cascade of pins-and-needles poured down my spine from the back of my neck. One that had nothing to do with the bone cold chill of the atmosphere. I banked and swerved, dropping out of the sky towards the familiar tinge of energy that had suddenly gripped me. Directly below was a cluster of multicolored lights set in the currently pitch-black landscape. Fragmented images flickered in my mind’s eye. Remnants of my digital deep dive.

  A building complex in Virginia.

  Langley.

  CIA headquarters.

  How had I already flown so far? I didn’t know where my friends and I had come from, but I hadn’t thought about how close it might be to state lines. I took the air under my wings and descended towards the tree line, the invisible line still reeling me in towards the plaza. Keeping out of range of the lights, I carefully dropped onto the boughs of a huge oak, feeling my hearts pounding. I’d finally realized what that familiar energy I was sensing was.

  My pod! It’s here!

  I could feel its presence somehow radiating up to me through the layers of dirt, metal, and concrete, from somewhere just underground. An almost overwhelming urge to just smash my way down to it momentarily consumed my mind, but I forced it back with my voice of reason. I couldn’t just barge my way in. That would cause way too much trouble. Besides, once I got to my pod, where could I take it? It wasn’t like I could carry it all the way back to Matt’s cabin. But I at least wanted to make sure my precious machine was safe.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  I could just turn invisible and walk right in but then they’d know I’m here! I ground my teeth in frustration. There has to be a way I can at least see inside … cameras … what about cameras? Maybe I could get into them.

  Pulling Brynn’s phone out of my pocket, I opened an internet page, beginning to dig into the code behind it. Dialogue boxes and data streamed in shifting columns of ones and zeroes, soon filling the small screen. After a few seconds I was only half aware of what I was doing. It was like instinct. Like I’d become just as fluent in polymorphic programing as I had in everyday English. The CIA’s firewall was beefy, but it was no match for my mind. In less than a minute, I was in.

  One by one, I accessed the security cameras until I found the room I was looking for. A basement level, not quite beneath the building, but slightly dug out to the side. Cradled in a metal frame, my pod was the central focus of the large, sterile-looking space. Its glossy white shell appeared undamaged, though covered in a bunch of adhesive sensors whose wires trailed back to several computer arrays. No one was in the room at the moment, so I moved on to the other areas visible through the cameras. The majority were office suites or cubical filled accommodations, but one in particular piqued my curiosity, and not just because it was at least three times bigger than the rest. The far wall was covered floor to ceiling in television screens all displaying something different. Against the perpendicular walls were four desks, each one occupied by two people and a computer setup. Everyone present seemed intensely focused, and my nosey self wanted to be part of the action.

  This seems like the hub of everything. I decided. Now, who’s running it?

  My eyes focused on a male duo lurking in the shadows back by the door. The first was an older gentleman with thinning grey hair, and an odd air about him that made me think I shouldn’t underestimate him. Close to his right was a younger man, tall, fit, and athletic, his short, black hair thick and curly and skin like burnished bronze.

  A glance at the CIA’s employment records informed me that the older was the agency’s director, Nathaniel H. Wayland. The younger was his high-ranking right hand. A special agent by the name of Markus G. Avari. Both stood, stoic as statues, studying the techies who were busy typing. As I watched, director and special agent began talking, and I scrambled to link into any available audio. Jumping on the Wi-Fi, I found and enabled a wireless conference microphone closest to the two.

  “I want this handled, Avari,” Director Wayland growled in a hushed tone. “I’ve got the DOD breathing down my neck about it. If we don’t neutralize this situation soon, I’ve been informed that more drastic measures will be taken.”

  “This case is the agency’s top priority, I assure you. I’ve pulled in every agent I can. Surveillance is running 24-7. If she shows, we’ll find her,” Special Agent Avari answered.

  Wayland produced a phone from his pocket and glared like it was a lemon he’d just bitten into. “I have a meeting to brief the heads of the other agencies. We’ll need all the manpower we can get.”

  “I’ll inform you if the situation changes,” Avari nodded, and the Director left the room.

  I angled the camera and focused it on Avari. Something about him brought up images of a panther. Maybe it was just his jet-black suit, dark skin, and the way his eyes scanned the room. I wasn’t exactly afraid of him though. He didn’t seem to have any malicious intent toward me. He just wanted to catch me. It was his superiors who had other intentions.

  If Special Agent Avari catches me, that’ll be it. His bosses will ship me off to Area 51 so fast I won’t have time to react. I started bouncing my knee again. And if this is one of Dr. Agoka’ta’s tests, if I get caught, I bet that’ll mean I’ve failed.

  Assuming it was a test.

  Assuming Dr. Agoka’ta was still out there.

  Aye yah, stop questioning.

  I ground the heel of my hand against my forehead. If only I could just get to my pod, the information buried in it could give me the answers I so desperately needed.

  But not tonight. I took a few deep breaths and calmed back down. I need to think this through. Plan it all out. Make sure I don’t get caught.

  Disconnecting from the CIA’s system, I erased any and every trace I might’ve left behind, making sure Brynn’s phone was clean. I perched on the roof for a few more minutes, just watching and listening. The only sound I ended up hearing was my own stomach voicing its needs. I hadn’t eaten anything since that morning and neither had my friends. Given that it was almost midnight, I was sure they must’ve been starving too.

  Tipping forwards a bit, I braced my legs on the edge of the roof and launched away as I spread my wings. It was then I realized I had absolutely no idea where I was or how far I’d flown. Everything looked the same from the sky, even more so in the darkness, and I hadn’t exactly been charting a map along the way. Another cluster of lights materialized below and I dipped down to scope it out. As luck would have it, I spotted a man crossing a street with two bags stuffed with take-out containers. He momentarily placed them on the roof of his car while he rummaged in the back seats. I kamikazed like a hawk, snatching the bags and shooting right back up in one swift, smooth arc. Securing them in one arm, with the other I retrieved Brynn’s phone again and found Brooke’s number in the contacts.

  “Genesis? Is that you? Are you okay?” Brynn picked up immediately.

  “I’m just peachy, and I managed to snag some dinner! But I seem to have gotten a little lost. Is there some way you can guide me back?” I asked.

  There was a pause and some muffled discussion before she answered. “Ok, the guys are going to find my phone on Brooke’s tracker. Don’t hang up and we’ll keep you heading in the right direction.”

  Following their callouts, I flew through more floating cities of clouds, reveling in the beauty and thrill of flying. My wings had gotten so much stronger. I hardly had to flex them to elicit a burst of speed. Twenty or so minutes later, I spotted the tiny blip of Matt’s family’s cabin. It really was in the middle of nowhere. Even to my eyes its lights were just visible under the thick surrounding canopy. I saw my friends come out the front door, watching in wonder as I circled above their heads several times, figuring out the best way to land. At last, I stretched my wings back and dropped down in a dramatic gust of wind and dust.

  “Awe, yeah, superhero landing!” Lucas fist-pumped the air.

  I laughed, puffing a strand of hair out of my eyes. “More like never had to deal with tall trees landing, but it'll do.”

  “Did’ja see any cool stuff while you were up there?” Conor asked.

  “The clouds were pretty incredible, but you won’t believe what else I found,” I grinned.

  We went back inside the cabin and as everyone dished themselves up a late-night dinner, I told them how I’d stumbled across the hornet's nest. The next few hours were spent in deep debate over a rough building schematic I managed to piece together from my memories and a whole pad of memo paper. By the time dawn light was coloring pink on the horizon, my friends were sprawled asleep in various positions on the couch and floor, but we had a plan. It was a half-baked, semi-based on several action films amalgamation of a plan … but it was a plan nonetheless.

  I stepped out onto the cabin porch as the sun shone through the trees.

  The light making my feathers shine like fire as I grinned up at the sky.

  Wait for me, my family … I’ll be home soon.