CHAPTER 24 – T-minus (10)

"So you want to help find this kid? To this Brave-1," Scelesthe asks.

"Yes," I nod. "Well, he is a teenager, not just a kid."

"Teenagers are strong these days… they endure a lot of pain," Edward says, and he seems to get sadder.

"I just… wanted to see and know about you guys because of that. In case you were in that dome, and saw this kid…" I say. "That Sunday thing, I actually went to college to gain this book back. It was safe there, but I couldn't let anyone know about you guys."

"What Sunday thing?" Witch and Forcerer ask.

Scelestha scoffs loudly.

"Is it perhaps that Sunday when Lost-Bird went to work, and none of you realised?" Feather asks.

"Psyand told you?" Psyand's mother asks.

"I just wanted to know if Feather could read minds," Psyand says, sulking.

"Psyand, I told you that they didn't need to know that," Feather says.

"Okay then…" Sceslesthe says, "so you didn't have bad intentions. That is great. But you know about Arson, and didn't tell us. Maybe you didn't want us to doubt you, alright. But now tell us, who is this Arson?"

"And what makes them special?" Witch asks.

"Did you read their description?" I ask.

Scelesthe and Witch look into the book once again, and then at me.

"The more people who know the identity, the worse," I say. "The book can be burnt, so let us burn it."

Four rhythmic knocks on the door: brings everyone back to realising the surroundings.

Scelesthe looks at Witch and asks the sword to be lowered. Everyone goes back to a nothing-happened-here pose.

Scelesthe goes to the door, and we peek towards it too.

"Hey guys, happy new year," a sweet voice of Thunder says. "Was your new year's resolution to be dumb?"

"What happened?" Scelesthe asks, getting alert.

Thunder groans and gets in, without asking permission. "Relax, nothing too bad."

Thunder comes in and looks at all faces. Thunder forms a suspiciously-huge smile.

"This one is new," Thunder points at Edward. "Is that… I don't know, the guy they said you caught last night?" He glares at Scelesthe.

"Can you just tell us what you came here for? We have this place under control," Scelesthe says.

"Bingo," Thunder snaps his fingers and points at Scelesthe. "Right choice of words, as you DON'T have this place under control. A thousand people just STUFFED into two buildings."

"There is enough of space," Rusk says.

"There is… but have you protected the building you are in? I have been protecting the building I'm in, since last night. From right after I woke up from the fainting," Thunder says. "Also, you didn't care to check on your fucking ALLY. Who is me by the way."

"Thunder!" Psyand's mother says in a low-piercing tone.

"What?" Thunder looks at Psyand's mother, who points towards Psyand, using her head.

"Oh, hi kid," Thunder says.

"Psyand," Psyand corrects.

"Right-right. You are that kid from last night, who went on to fight that monster. Didn't get time for introductions, with all that FAINTING."

"Still Psyand."

"Right, ok, anyways. We are not that close to be hissing at each other. Can we just, care for the people? You are like, staying at the first floor here. Close but far from the entrance. Did you think about the causalities?"

Before anyone else speaks…

"-I apologize," Scelesthe says. "It is my fault. I shall stand guard."

"We shall," I say.

We all exchange glances, solemnly smiling at one another. Psyand's mother gives a tense look, but she nods and smiles, agreeing. Psyand looks at me unsurely. Rusk just shrugs, giving a dry smile-

"Okay but, could anyone accompany me? I'm just there, alone. Lonely. All out of love. Desperate. Seeking attention…" Thunder says.

We just look at Thunder, letting him continue on and on.

"…scared," Thunder says in an obvious imitation of stuttering and sad tone, "trying to be brave for the others, fighting," he seems to say it with a different accent, with an h-sound at the start, "cold in the open-"

"-we get it," Witch says. "Or I hope they do, cause honestly I don't. But, you need help I think."

"She means in acquaintance way," I say.

"Okay, so who is coming?"

"Could you step out for a second?" Witch asks.

"She means we'll discuss about it," Scelesthe says.

"Geez, I got it both the times, relax. I'll give you time," Thunder says, walking away.

After Thunder leaves…

"I don't trust you," Witch tells me. "So I will be in whichever building he is in."

We have a person directly linked to Saturn Organisation- oh well, I did this to myself.

"Alright, I'll take Edward with me then," Scelesthe says.

"I'll… join you," Forcerer says, looking at Scelesthe.

"I'll go anywhere at all," Feather shrugs.

"I'll join the team without Thunder, because… his illusions and my shield at one place is… useless. I feel," Rusk says.

"I guess I'll be going to Thunder. As you know: I have talked to him before. So you can join the others, Rusk," Scelesthe says.

Rusk nods to Scelesthe.

Everyone stays silent, and slowly everyone starts looking at Psyand, who just looks at us, confused of what it meant.

"We need to know where our infinite strength kid goes," Scelesthe says.

Psyand visibly blushes. "I… am fine with anything," she says, after looking at everyone.

"Decide one," Witch says coldly.

"I-I'll be with Mr. Rusk," Psyand says.

Rusk points at himself and looks at everyone's confused and shook reaction.

So Scelesthe's team: Forcerer, Edward, and Feather, separate from us after a very little farewell, and the rest of us just stand there at the ground floor of the building, wondering what to do next.

"I could make shields… but let us start with a ready fence to close, in case the metal-bar gate breaks," Rusk says.

I look back at the security room, which I and Scelesthe had tried to get information from, not too long ago.

"You know… times like this, I would mind you proceeding with your old plan," Rusk says to me.

"I don't exactly have that drive which Scelesthe had… but I think I won't need it now," I say.

"Let us stick to calling her Scelestha. She hated it when I called her as Scelesthe," Rusk says.

"Oh… okay."

As Witch and the others go ahead to make a makeshift and ready fence, to cover the metal gate; I go inside the room, to get access. The security room is empty and stranded. Even this security guard didn't want to do his job.

I just sigh and go to the table with the smaller monitor, and try to find a way to let it connect to my mobile. It takes a while, but I succeed in getting the whole building's feed.

I also set the computer to just record every bit of data, just in case, at a reasonable pixel setting of 720p, so that it doesn't consume too much space. But the computer only had about 200 gigabytes of space left. So considering the number of cameras… it wouldn't take much long.

I go outside and help setup some last finishes to the barricade.

We turn behind to find people just looking at us from a distance, fearing us.

"We are protecting the place," Witch speaks up.

The people still just keep staring at us, in fear.

"We are fine here," someone stutters out loud.

"Even a kid is better than you," Witch says loudly. Probably the first time she had used an actual harsh and loud tone.

"Kids aren't bad, why do you tell it like that," Psyand says.

"Not what I meant," Witch says, un-apologetically.

Psyand grumpily looks at Witch, who doesn't even sense or witness it.

"By the way, I have kept the cameras at recording. But the computer seems to have lesser space than I expected something controlling cameras to have," I say.

"We could just add another hard dark of we could find. It'll be fine," Rusk says.

"By the way…" Psyand's mother says. "Not a wish but… isn't it too silent?"

"They get easily scared," I and Witch say, and look at each other.

"But…" Witch says. "They are here. I feel them. And… they seem to be together."

"Are they planning on striking?" Rusk asks.

"I can't tell that," Witch says. "But that'd be likely, I'd say."

"That is anyone's guess," I say.

"Are they closer to the others or to us?" Psyand's mother asks.

***

Saying goodbye to Witch's team, we step out, towards the building where Thunder and the other survivors are at.

The building, even when it wasn't the same as the one where Thunder was before; it seemed to have become so. Armed humans sitting around, beyond the fenced gate. And I couldn't see the problem of why Thunder even needed help.

There even was a chance that known or unknown to each other, there were a few powered-individuals among the bunch.

"Oh, that is a nice team. I recognise all of these friends, let them in," Thunder says, looking at us from inside the closed gate.

Not so un-welcome-istic as before. They tried to shoot me the last time.

A person opens the gate and we step-in, carefully. Thunder looks at Edward and his face sinks lightly.

"We wouldn't have required another powered-individual anyway," Thunder seems to tell himself out loud, rather than to me.

"Why? You already got others…?" I ask.

"No… I'm the sole powered-individuals among these heroes, mam," Thunder says.

"You can drop the formal words. Nor call me some weird things," I say. "Better find that good grey spot."

Thunder gives a weirded out look.

"We heard…" a man says. "That one of the people with creatures is among you. Perhaps it is you. Heard you are a great marksman. Perhaps you help us, and we let you live: as long as you don't try to kill us."

Edward just silently nods and joins the group.

"You can keep the luggage…" Thunder says, and signals another person to help us navigate.

"We'll just…" Aarush says to Feather.

As I carry my own-stuff bag, Aarush gets the bag with everyone else's stuff.

The others had let Edward borrow a few clothes, as he didn't have any. Which also makes me question that what a poor life he had, even when being cloaked by the villains. He couldn't even get his own clothes.

We place our luggage into a room, and the person just lets us to unpack. But we don't.

"I was meaning to ask…" Aarush says, "what exactly is it that YOU are afraid of?"