Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Nick fell asleep a short while later, the events of the past few days taking a significant toll on him. Thankfully, he had a dreamless sleep, even though it didn’t last long. He was awoken a few hours later to a pounding at his door.

“Nick!” he heard Josh yell from the other side. “We have a mission! We have to go now!”

Nick slowly sat up in bed, rubbing his face. Even though this was only his second mission, his enthusiasm was gone. He didn’t expect things to go any better now than during training.

He grabbed his bag from the floor and pulled out his Dark Angel costume, putting it on as quickly as his depressed self would allow. A minute later, he pulled open the door to see Josh standing there, frantically hopping about.

“Took you long enough!” he said as Nick emerged. “Come on! Everyone is already heading down.”

Nick had to break into a run to keep up with Josh, who was sprinting out the door. A minute later, they were boarding the Falcon at breakneck speed. Tom shot Nick a furious glance as he ran aboard, but didn’t say anything.

As the jet began to pull away from the hanger, Tom began to speak. “Okay team, here’s the rundown. There was a break-in this morning at a technical warehouse in downtown Chicago. The CIA wants us to examine the scene and collect any evidence we can.”

“What?!” Henry cried, frowning and folding his arms in front of him. “They called us out for that? First a hostage crisis, and now this? I don’t think they respect us anymore.”

Lizzie tried to stifle a laugh, but to no avail. Tom shot them both a glance, silencing them. “This particular break-in has a similar signature to the hostage situation from a few days ago. The CIA is currently investigating it, so any information we can gather from this one could prove very valuable.”

Nick, who had been slouched down in his seat, perked up when he heard this. If this break-in was related to the hostage situation, then it was also related to the Pentagon break-in. Those three things all had one thing in common: Blackwell.

Raymond called from the front of the plane, letting them know it was time to jump. Beads of sweat began to collect on Nick’s forehead as his heart sped up.

“Don’t worry,” Erica said, walking up next to him. “I can help.” From the look she gave him, he didn’t know if she was talking about the jump or something else.

The back hatch opened, letting the roar of the outside air fill the cabin. Tom jumped first, followed by Lizzie and Josh, then Henry.

“Come on!” Erica called above the torrent. She took his hand and squeezed hard, preventing him from letting go. Even though she wasn’t nearly as intimidating as Tom or Henry, Nick winced beneath her iron grip.

She led him to the edge. Nick gulped and together, they jumped.

If Nick thought the second time would be better than the first, he was wrong. His stomach flew into his throat again as they fell towards the earth.

Unlike last time, however, Erica was there. She indicated for him to spread his arms out wide, which he did. His hand still held firmly in hers, they began to slow and level out until they were flying fully horizontal.

They were about a thousand feet above the ground, soaring like birds. Nick looked over at Erica, whose hair was flapping behind her, making it look like golden flames were flying from her head. She looked, dare he say it, beautiful. He was almost disappointed when they began to descend.

They touched down on the ground in a back alley of what Nick assumed was Chicago. Looking down the alley, he saw traffic zooming by, and suddenly, a frantic thought appeared in his mind.

“Wait a second,” he said. “We just jumped from a jet and flew to the ground in broad daylight. Aren’t you afraid of being seen?”

Henry snorted. “Not in the slightest. The armor on our suits is specially made to reflect sunlight while in the air. If anyone looked up, they would only see a glare, let alone a person.”

Nick had never studied the plates on their suits closely, but as he examined them, he noticed they were surprisingly smooth for armor. Sure enough, he could see his reflection clear as day in the hard surface.

“Come on everyone,” Tom said, slipping on his mask. The others followed suit and chased after him as he ducked in through a door leading into the building next to them.

They entered a dark corridor. Not bothering with light, Tom sped down the passage, the others following close behind. A moment later, they emerged into a large storage area filled to the brim with shipping crates. Together, they formed a network of winding passageways that resembled a maze.

“What was stolen?” Erica whispered, breaking the silence.

“We don’t know,” Tom replied. “The CIA intercepted the call. No officers were dispatched, so we’re first on the scene. We need to find out as much as we can. Fan out everyone.”

The team split up, each choosing a different part of the densely packed warehouse to explore. Erica looked towards Nick, but he didn’t acknowledge it. He disappeared into the maze before she could get a word in.

There was very little light in the warehouse. The only way Nick could see where he was going was from the dim glow emitted by small windows near the roof. He ducked and weaved through the network of crates, looking for anything that looked disturbed. Despite his effort, ten minutes later, he still had nothing to show for it.

“Bennet.”

Nick spun around at the sound of his name. From the sound of it, whoever had spoken was standing directly behind him, but when he looked, no one was there.

“Have you decided Bennet?”

Nick spun around again, searching for the source of the voice, but still could not see anyone.

“No? Choose quickly. I would hate for you to be left behind.”

This time, Nick recognized the voice: Blackwell. He stopped looking around, knowing now the voice was coming from his own head. Suddenly, a voice rang out through the warehouse, but this one wasn’t coming from Nick’s head.

“Guys come quickly!” Josh yelled.

Nick turned in Josh’s direction and sped off into the maze, with only a small glance around him. Choose quickly…

A few moments later, Nick emerged into a small opening bigger than the rest in the crates. Standing in the center was Josh, bent down over a body lying on the ground. Josh had removed his mask and his hands were pressing down on the body. Nick’s heart stopped when he saw they were covered in blood.

“Nick!” Josh cried. “Get over here!”

Nick ran up and crouched down at his side. The person on the ground was a woman. Her red hair was draped down over her face, which was eerily pale. Her eyes were shut tight.

“Josh… is she…” Nick trailed off.

“Not yet,” Josh said. “But she will be if you don’t help me! Apply pressure right here!”

Josh removed his hands and Nick’s heart lurched. There was a large stab wound in the woman’s stomach. Blood was pouring down her sides and pooling on the cold concrete floor. Nick was amazed it was even possible for her to still be alive.

“Nick!” Josh yelled, snapping him out of it. Nick only slightly hesitated as he pressed his hands down on the wound, causing new waves of blood to cascade across his fingers, but gradually, the bleeding slowed.

In the meantime, Josh had removed a knife from his belt and had begun to cut the sleeve off of his suit. “I need something to use as gauze,” he explained.

“Here,” Nick said, removing his mask. “Use this.”

Josh grabbed it and slashed at it with his knife until it was no longer a mask, but a large piece of fabric. He bent down next to Nick and applied it to the wound. Together, they sat and pressed down, trying desperately to stay the bleeding.

“I’ve called an ambulance,” Nick heard Lizzie say behind him. He had been so engrossed in first aid, he hadn’t even heard her arrive “They’ll be here in a few minutes.”

“Then we have to go,” Tom said, who also had arrived. “We can’t be seen here.”

“No,” Josh said in what sounded like a growl. “We can’t just leave her here. She’ll die if we don’t keep pressure.”

Tom cursed loudly. “Josh you know the rules. No one can see us in uniform.”

Josh stood up quickly, leaving Nick to deal with the wound. He slipped out of his suit’s top half as quickly as he could, leaving him in a white T-shirt and the black suits bottom half, which could have been passed off as a pair of sweat pants. He was quickly down on the ground by Nick’s side again. 

“No one has to see us in uniform,” Josh muttered.

Tom angrily sighed. “Fine. You stay, but the rest of us have to go. Where’s Erica and Henry?”

Nick finally looked up and noticed Lizzie and Tom were present, but Erica and Henry were indeed absent. Suddenly, a large crash echoed in the warehouse, followed by a loud cry of pain Nick instantly recognized as Erica.

He was running before a second thought even crossed his mind.

 

Henry and Erica were unprepared, which is always dangerous when someone could be waiting to ambush you.

Erica had finished her examination of her section of the warehouse when she heard Josh shout out for everyone to come quickly.

She dashed through the rows of boxes, trying desperately to find where he was, but she was soon forced to accept she was lost. That’s when she ran into Henry.

She was rounding a corner when she ran full on into a figure running the opposite way. With the low light, she couldn’t tell who it was and her instincts kicked in. She pulled the figure off of her and thrust him into a crate, holding him in a deadly choke hold.

“Erica,” she heard Henry wheeze. “It’s me!”

She instantly let him go, letting Henry crumble to the ground. “I’m so sorry Henry,” she said. “I couldn’t tell it was you.”

“Obviously,” he said, massaging his throat. At least his killer sense of sarcasm survived unscathed. He stood up and his gaze fell behind her. His eyes widened in shock.

“Look out!” he cried, shoving her out of the way. Erica heard a swish in air and the sickening thwack of something slamming into Henry as she was thrust to the ground. She sat up quickly when she heard Henry cry out and saw a knife now embedded deeply in his shoulder.

He had fallen to the ground again and was groaning in pain. “Not my day!” he cried, clutching the knife, preparing to pull it out.

“No!” Erica said, grabbing his arm. “It’s serrated! Leave it in!”

Henry stared at her like she was crazy. “How do you expect me to fight with a knife in my shoulder?!”

Fight. The word shot alarm bells off in Erica’s mind and she was able to turn around in just enough time to deflect another knife flying her way. Three men materialized out of the darkness in a triangle formation. The men on either sides were huge, but Erica’s eyes caught on the man in front.

He looked like he could give the hulk a run for his money. His muscles bulged as he approached, but that wasn’t what freaked Erica out. Her eyes lingered on his face, where a long scar ran across one eye, leaving it milky white.

“Now aren’t you special?” The man in front chuckled. “Not many people could deflect a knife thrown by me.”

Erica growled deep in her throat, trying her best to appear like she wasn’t intimidated, which she definitely was.

“Henry,” she murmured. “You take the goons. I’ll take the leader.”

The man in front chuckled. “You can try sweetheart, but I assure you, I will not be going easy.”

“I assure you,” Erica responded. “I won’t either.”

With that, Erica and Henry leapt forward and attacked.

Another crash pierced the warehouse, followed by another cry of pain, causing Nick’s pace to quicken. Nick rounded a corner and he froze in his tracks, trying to register what was before him.

Several figures were engaged in intense combat. Erica was one of them, fighting a particularly nasty looking ones. Henry was behind her, fighting two men simultaneously, but clearly losing. This was in part due to the knife which was protruding from his shoulder. They were fighting around two shipping crates, which had fallen from the top of the stacks beside them. Nick only had time to wonder how they fell off in the first place when one of Erica’s combatants raised their hand, causing a crate from the top to wobble and fall to the ground, nearly crushing Erica in the process.

“They’re Enhanced too?!” Nick cried in his head.

Thankfully, Tom wasn’t as phased by this newfound knowledge. He rushed forward and crashed into one of the men fighting Henry, sending them both sprawling onto the ground. They both leapt to their feet and began fighting fiercely. Tom’s combatant was actually giving him a run for his money.

Nick, on the other hand, ran towards Erica. Up close, he could see a deep gash in her forearm, which only made him angrier. Unfortunately, Erica’s current combatant utilized the wound to finally get the better of her. He aimed a well-placed kick to her chest, sending her flying backwards into a fallen crate. She gasped as the wind was knocked out of her and closed her eyes tight in pain. He quickly drew a knife from his belt and flung it at her hard, a cold look in his eyes as he looked down on his next victim.

Time seemed to slow down as the knife flew towards its target. Tom was too busy with his own enemy to notice. Henry was fighting a losing battle of his own against a much larger foe. Erica was in no position to help herself as she closed her eyes, accepting the inevitable. That left only Nick.

His heart beat a million miles a minute as the knife cut through the air. Power surged through him as adrenaline flew through his veins. He had to save Erica. It wasn’t a matter of if he could do it. He had to do it.

“No!” he screamed, flinging his hands forward and shutting his eyes tight. He stood silent for several moments, not daring to open them. Slowly, he cracked them open.

 

Erica slowly cracked open her eyes.

She had to be dead. There was no other option. Everyone was distracted and she hadn’t stopped the knife herself, but then why did she still hurt so much?

She peaked through her eyelids and practically went cross eyed. The blade of the knife was inches from her nose, now hovering in midair.

But who? She looked to her right and saw Henry and Tom were clearly occupied. She looked to her left and saw Nick.

His arms were flung forward, straight towards her. His eyes were shut tight, but they slowly opened. Several emotions crossed his face at once. First shock, then excitement, then relief, and finally, rage.

Erica tried to meet his eyes to give him some sort of encouraging look. After all, he did just save her life by finally using his powers. His eyes weren’t focused on her, however, but on her attacked.

Nick rushed towards him, a look of pure rage on his face. He jumped in the air at the last minute, sending his feet slamming straight into the man’s chest as a shocked look crossed his face. 

The man stumbled to the ground, but Nick wasn’t done. He grabbed the man’s arm and wrenched back, causing him to cry out in pain. Anger boiled in the man’s eyes, showing he wouldn’t be taken so easily. He flung his hand in Nick’s direction, sending him flying through the air and crashing into a storage crate.

Erica shuddered as she saw the look in Nick’s eyes as he gazed back at his attacker. The pain didn’t seem to register with him. It was a look of pure rage. He thrust his hand forward, mimicking the move the man had used on him a second before, but to even greater effect.

The man left his feet and flew through the air with incredible speed. He crashed into a shipping crate with a sickening crash, but didn’t fall. Nick kept his arm out, holding the man aloft. He rushed forward and grabbed the man’s throat.

“Give me a reason,” Nick growled at the man. Erica leapt to her feet and walked forward to Nick’s side. The man he had pinned to the wall looked shocked, but she was quick to notice he didn’t look scared. 

“Wait a second,” Nick said suddenly, realization dawning on his face. “I know you!”

The shocked look on the man’s face disappeared, replaced by a cruel smile. “You are mistaken Boy. You have power though. I like that…”

Nick tightened his hold on the man’s throat, causing him to gasp. “Shut up,” he growled.

“Nick,” Erica said hesitantly, placing a hand on his shoulder. Nick shrugged it off, his eyes firmly planted on the man before him.

“See you around,” the man said. Erica only had time to register his words before it was too late.

Suddenly, they were flying backwards. They landed on the ground and skidded across the floor, stopping only when a shipping crate blocked their path. Erica opened his eyes in just enough time to dive to the side as Tom sailed over him, followed by Henry. She looked up to see the three men flying towards the ceiling. There was a large crash and part of the ceiling caved in, leaving a large hole just large enough for them to escape through.

Nick jumped to his feet, raising his hand, trying desperately to concentrate on the men, but nothing happened. Erica let out a depressed sigh. The power that had seemed to possess him a moment before was gone. The unpowered Nick was back.

Nick sank to his knees. Erica stood up and limped towards him, wanting desperately to console him in some way. She didn’t dare try to read his emotions now. She had a feeling her head just might explode if she tried.

“Guys!” Lizzie cried, running out from the maze of crates. “We have to go!”

Suddenly, a new voice rang out in the warehouse. “Chicago Police Department! Stop right there!”

“Run!” Tom yelled. Erica didn’t need to be told twice. She ran over to Nick, who was still kneeling on the ground, and pulled him to his feet. She quickly picked up her pace to keep up with Lizzie and Tom, who were quickly pulling away from them. They ran for the door they entered through and rushed out into the alley.

“Up! Now!” Tom shouted, pointing to the roof. He flew into the air, followed by Henry and Lizzie. Erica seized Nick’s arm and they were suddenly hurtling upward, landing hard on the roof. 

Police flooded the alleyway seconds later, but none bothered looking up. After all, there were no ladders leading to the roof, so they couldn’t have gone that way.

As more sirens began to ring out in the city, the team collapsed on the roof, breathing hard as the events of the last few minutes finally piled on.