“So a suicide mission…” Austin replied with a straight face.
He wasn’t moved by my ever so charming wit.
“Do I look amused?” Austin sneered at me. “You’re basically asking me to sacrifice myself and the other leaders of this hideout on a deadly mission to get your mother back.” He glared at me without blinking.
I knew he was not being cold. He was looking out for his hideouts as a whole, but boy did what he just said get under my skin.
I allowed myself to shoot up to him and pick him up by the throat. “You ungrateful child!” I spat at him. Angel already formed her weapon and held it to the back of my head. Being able to form light made you quick on your feet. I didn't blame her for drawing her weapon against me. Austin was their president, and Angel was his protector. Tina on the other hand was still trying to process everything.
“You feel better now?” Austin asked as my body grew colder. By this time he probably had already frozen ten percent of the water in my body. My propulsion was the only thing keeping his ability from freezing the blood in my veins. Letting him down easy, I backed off a little.
“Look, I just need help getting in; you guys can tuck tail and run after that for all I care.”
Standing still, probably weighing the pros and the cons, Austin starred off into space.
“Are you sure you can get us in and out? I don't need to lose any more kids.” Austin said with a raised eyebrow.
“I'm positive.” I said with confidence. In my head I was bouncing off the walls though. There were no guaranties with Attix. We could sail through this, or they could have snipers that could shoot us from two cities away. They can do anything.
“Alright,” He said as he fixed his shirt. “But if we are doing this then I need something from you.”
“Anything.” I was resolute.
“Don’t be so fast to agree, I need you to destroy their database on our hideouts.”
This request took me aback.
“But, I thought the hideouts were in good standing with Attix?”
“We are, but if at any point we decide to retaliate they know exactly where to find us and what most of us can do. I need you to destroy that info so that we can relocate.”
“I can do that.” I replied a little bit too eagerly. Destroying Attix stuff was what I did best.
“Ok then,” Austin said as he walked past me. “Tina can get us all in. Angel, you take Aaron and Clark and give us a distraction.” Austin then reached for what seemed like an intercom button that was hidden on his desk. “Tech, I’m going to need your assistance in cutting off Attix’s short wave radios. Confusion is our friend. And Leon.”
“Yea.” I replied.
“We are going to get Mother back.” Austin said with a slight smile. I could tell this was a hard decision for him. Putting one person’s needs over the safety of the hideouts was not necessarily in his favor. But boy did it feel good to have him on my side again.
“Sadly, helping you means that I’m going to have to set some other things in place, so if you’ll excuse me.” Austin said as he left the room, taking Angel and Tina with him.
So, walking out of his office, I decided to explore what was going to inevitably be my future home. I could hear children’s laughter echoing through the walls. Requiem, the name of Austin’s hideout, was built in a part of the city that had sunken underground. Its tunnels and caverns felt warm and spacious despite the way they looked. It’s clean surfaces, functioning air conditioning, and actually pleasant appearance was probably the work of a Specter.
While following a kid that looked about 11, I was lead to a classroom. The room itself was made out of metal; the shear look of it took me off guard. It was the most hi-tech thing I had ever seen, inside of a hideout that is. The Specter known as Tech was standing in front of the class holding a broken sword. It was standard issue to any guard that works for Attix. It was mostly used for silent assassinations before they brought out the big guns, no pun intended. As Tech let go of the sword, it began to float in mid air. “Reconstruction 101, turning their strengths into your advantage.” His voice boomed over the room. “You can not only control the metal in this, if you concentrate, you can do so much more.” The sword began to break down forming a multitude of weapons. It went from daggers, to throwing blades, to long pins, and then into a thin spiraling chain. “You are only limited by your imagination, whatever you think up, the item can become. Now put on your gloves and try to impress me.”
I smiled at some of the creations that the kids were coming up with. One kid turned his blade into a train that was floating around his head. Another decided to make two metal stick figures that were fighting on his desk. A girl tucked away in the corner had a full tea party floating in front of her eyes. All the while Tech stood in the front of the class and smiled. ”Some of you are extremely creative,” He said while nodding to the girl in the back. He looked over the rest of the class and said “Others, not so much. Either way, I want you to practice this in your separate quarters. I want something amazing by the end of the week. Either that or I’ll your double homework.” At this point the whole class groaned then left the room, drawing Tech’s attention from the class to me lurking in the hallway.
“Ok, that’s way creepy.” He said while walking up to me, the complete stranger watching his class. “And you are?”
“Leon, I’m a friend of Austin’s. I think.” I replied.
“Oh, speaking of Austin, he’s calling me right now.”
“Well, handle what you have to.” I said while stepping out of his way. It was sad that I wasn’t even sure of my standing with Austin. Whether he saw me as a friend or a liability, there was one truth I held on to “We are both people who do what we have to do when the time comes.” He once said to me.