I always hated the feeling of solid rock passing through my skull. But there were only a few ways of entering into the holding cell without setting off every alarm in the place.
“There, that wasn’t so bad.” Tina said as she dropped me to the ground. That was a little bump to remind me who was in charge here. Tina was frequently like that.
“So which way are we going now?” I asked, making sure my body armor was in order.
“We’re stuck here until Tech and Aaron set off the alarm, we need him to draw all the attention from the on duty guards away from the basement level. Austin and Angel can handle the off duty guards. Our job is just to secure you mother.”
A few guards went running by the crevice that we were hiding in and Tina leaned into me. Her form disappeared into mine. Even though I couldn’t really feel her, it seemed as if her coldness transfused itself into me, it felt wrong. “Are you ok?” I asked as she became tangible again. Her eyes shifted away from me, and I could tell there was something she was holding back.
“It’s ok,” I said. I wasn’t too sure what I meant by it though. I don’t know if she thought I was supporting the way she felt or showing my stance against it. It seemed that I was always this indecisive and lost. I could see every possible outcome to a situation I’m presented with after all. I can even predict the ones where the drunken guard stumbles upon us and opens fire. Sometimes, however, I never know which path I am stumbling down.
“I’m fine,” Tina said as she made some distance between us. “Aaron has linked us all together and he wants to talk to you.”
Aaron was a bit of a weird Specter. His ability allowed him to multiply his physical and mental awareness into as many forms as he wanted. This also allowed him to push his conciseness into as many people as he wanted to and link them all together.
{Yes.} I said as a loud click sounded in my mind.
{Can you hear me?} Aaron yelled. There was a small explosion in the background.
{Yea.} I whispered as I rubbed my head.
{Can you hear me?} He yelled again over the action in his background.
{Yes.} I mentally screamed back this time. I could feel Austin, Angel, and Tina’s mind reverb with the thought. This caused Tina to punch me in the chest.
{Great, Tech is working on the alarm, but its taking more time than we thought. They are trying really hard to contain this event. I’m guessing they weren’t as prepared as we thought. Nevertheless, it’s almost go time.} Aaron informed us.
My brain clicked again, letting me know that he had signed off from my thoughts. I rubbed the front of my head; a louder explosion shook the whole facility, setting off an ear shattering alarm.
“It’s go time.” Tina said as she reached for my hand.
“Let’s make it happen.” I replied with a dull enthusiasm.
Dealing with the first few guys in our path was child’s play. They barely put up a fight as we dispatched them left and right. This was, of course, until I felt a familiar buzz in the air. I turned around several times with my eyes widened. The tension in my legs began to build and I let my eyes turn black.
“Who is it?” Tina asked me as she came up from the floor.
“Don’t worry about him, I can take ‘em.” I replied.
She silently nodded her head and phased through the door on our right. As soon as she was clear, every metal item around me stood up straight. Then the hairs on the back of my neck started to tingle more intensely. “I see you’re still doing the creepy entrances.” I said as the man behind it all finally showed himself. “Long time no see, Livewire.”
Livewire was one of the seediest Agents that Attix ever dragged out of the Specter community. At this point, they were basically paying him to kill little kids. The static electricity was just a parlor trick to him, his real joy was frying Specters alive.
“It’s nice to see you too, Jetstream.”
The words hit me harder then they should have. “I’m not that guy anymore!” I scream, but something like this would not get through to a kill happy psychopath like Livewire. “And I would like to prevent this fight if I possibly can.”
“Why?” he said sharply. His shoulders loosened and he stretched his arms out wide and his hands so that his palms were exposed. “Why do you have this silly abhorrence of violence? I have heard the stories about you. You used to be a monster. The Derling twins were a work of art. I mean everyone believed it was a murder suicide.” He leaned in and whispered “Even corporate had their doubts.” With a renewed vigor and excitement at the thought he charismatically began again “That note was amazing. I was filled with just enough paranoia and hatred…” He paused to relish his words “and despair. It fills me up just to think of their mother walking in on that scene. It was so beautiful. I have a copy of it on my night stand.”
“I’m not that man anymore.” I was not going to stand for too much more of his speaking.
“Well, former Grade 3 Agent Leonardo Petta lets have some fun. I want to see who will take the other's life.” His smile was filled with glee and sinister thought. He was giddy at the idea of his immediate future.
“It doesn’t have to be this way.” I was stalling. His move had to be soon. It wasn’t like him to wait this long to attack.
“Oh now you know as well as I do that this isn’t a happenstance. It’s faith.” He said as electricity built up in his hands. Before he fired off a single shot, I was already moving. What was it with Attix and guys with electricity?
Running down the hall wasn’t my best plan. However, fighting Livewire in close quarters environments was a sure fire way to get killed. At this moment my mind was fluttering out of control. Go left, left, right, duck; don’t go that way you’ll get killed. As I passed guards, they tried firing at me, but all their weapons were getting trapped in Livewire’s magnetic field. It wasn’t my job to take him out yet, I just had to be the distraction so that Tina could get to Mother.
A few more bolts of lightning went flying past me before I heard the click in my head.
{Leon.} Aaron said, much calmer this time.
{Yes.} I thought quickly.
{Tina has reached Mother, you can let loose now.}
A smile covered my entire face. {Will do.} Before he even had the chance to exit my head I was already whirling the cabinets lining the walls, the occasional stapler or three-hole punch, and even a guard or two at Livewire. He was catching them all, and having them float around him, except the guards. He just burnt them and left them to die behind him. In fact his field was so cluttered with junk that he hadn’t noticed the several grenades I had stolen the pins off of that were mixed in with the debris. I laughed loudly as I ran and imagined what should happen next.
“What’s so funny?” He asked me when I reached the parking garage. “You think you have me beat when I see a clear shot.”
“Boom” I replied mockingly.
“Boom?” He questioned. In a split second he saw the grenades floating around him, he knew he couldn’t stop it. The explosives then did what explosives do best. The blast successfully shattered his magnetic field. His body was propelled into a nearby wall’s corner. The wall collapsed around him. He struggled to get back on his feet. A blast like that wouldn’t kill the mighty Livewire, after all. The drop kick that I was about to deliver to the back of his head was going to put him out of this fight though.
{I’m heading towards Tina.} I pushed towards Aaron as I made my way past the defeated Agent. This battle was looking up for us. Now we just needed it to stay that way.