Indigo (NaNoWriMo13)

Chapter 36 - Intervention Required

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Chapter 36 - Intervention Required

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As the final sleeper exploded into puddles of violet goop around her via indigo colour, Chloe closed her eyes and breathed silent thanks to her sister for the save. 

Chloe slouched against the building, too tired to get up. Exercise wasn't in her listed skill set for a reason. She might be able to do it, it might be a required part of her colour schedule, but that didn't mean she had to like it. Minds were her thing--minds and intellects... although Sirah seemed to be filled with more idiots than anyone dared suspect if their thoughts were anything to go by. 

Beth walked over, indigo light still threading across her palm as she offered a hand to Chloe. 

Her sister didn't look impressed, an undercurrent of worry driving her thoughts. "I told you--"

Chloe snatched the hand. "Probably the same thing you're thinking, I know. Sitting in the street isn't a good look. I shouldn't have been in that position, it was stupid, and I love you too. I'm sorry, okay?" 

Beth laughed. You're welcome, Chloe.

"Nope," said Chloe, brushing off some remaining goop that was numbing her arm. "Now we're just even from yesterday when I saved your ass." 

"Always a competition," said Beth as she started walking down the street and back to their patrol route. "Can't just say thank you."

The streets were clean of people due to the sleeper sighting, but that didn't mean they weren't around. In the night air their terrified, uncertain thoughts floated through Chloe's mind like they were all trying to talk to her at once.

Oh gods I'm going to die that thing what the hell was that thing oh my gods--

The kids, have to get to the kids, maybe if I stay near the door it'll just take me and leave the kids alone? I--I can blast it with colour, maybe! It's not much, but it'll deter it! Yea! Planning! My boss said I should start--oh geez, the hell am I even saying?

Dammit, the recorder ran out of juice before the Amber twins finished it off. How am I supposed to upload half a fight? 

Chloe rubbed her temples. 

"Panic?" asked Beth. 

Chloe screwed up her nose. "Yep, as usual." She grabbed her ears. "Dammit, I really need some earplugs for my brain."

Beth was amused. "A brainplug, you could say."

There was an insult in there somewhere, but the voices were too screaming too loud for Chloe to care. 

She wished she had an easier time shutting off her colour like Beth did. Her twin's indigo wasn't the perfect example of a colour under control, but at least Beth's bouts of unruly hues just resulted in things becoming suddenly possessed. Chloe's subjected her to the innermost thoughts of everyone around her, and most of them didn't do much for her view on humanity or maintaining her lunch. 

It did have some benefits, however. Rampant colour meant catching on to interesting stray thoughts she'd have otherwise missed and tuning into them for fragmented details she could then piece together. 

Like say, with Discord and the Elites that visited base. How they'd checked out the Amber team for potential Spectrum and left, dismissing the twins as complete airheads even as Beth manipulated their thoughts into useful information for Chloe to read. 

Or Athira, when she'd rocked up as the Owl in Chloe's bedroom with a terrified, blindfolded Elite and asked Chloe to read his thoughts, even as she was already reading Athira's. 

With a sigh, Chloe tried again to rein her colour in with a little more success. The cyclone of thoughts dulled to a whisper she'd had plenty of practice at ignoring. 

"Five sleepers in two days," muttered Beth. The physical words made it easier still for Chloe to block out the mangled ones forming inside various sizes of brain. "You think something happened to upset them?" 

"Could have something to do with our visitor," said Chloe, ensuring Beth knew she was referring to Athira before she continued. "Two days ago was when she brought her 'friend' over for a chat with me."

"Speaking of," Beth said. "What are we doing about that?" 

Chloe eyed her. "I think you know exactly what we're doing with that."

Beth returned her gaze to the ground ahead. 

So you're sure? Beth asked. Athira's going to try and break Reader out? 

Chloe nodded. "First thing to cross her mind after I told her I couldn't go deep enough to find what she wanted. I think it's a pretty solid guess."

Beth chewed it over for a second. Any idea when she's going to try?

It was a simple enough thing for Chloe to answer. 

"Weather guy said it's going to storm the night after tomorrow," said Chloe, squinting at the sky. "Although you can never be sure. Might be the night after that."

"A storm, you say?" Beth pursed her lips. "I'll have to agree with you there. There does seem to be something significant coming with the way the wildlife is acting up."

Chloe glanced at her. 

The sleepers, said Beth. They'd have to be linked into all this if it's as Athira thinks and the Wardens were planning some kind of experiments with it on Zoe.

Chloe popped her lips, letting Beth know she agreed with her. Her sister had a point. Everything was either one giant coincidence, or someone was going to have hell to pay for setting the sleepers loose across the city. 

"We should figure out exactly who's responsible for this coming storm," said Chloe. "And if you ask me, the best way to do that is follow the birds. I find their grasp on the situation to be much tighter than us humans."

Follow Athira indeed, thought Beth. "I must agree. We can't have people running around Sirah causing chaos as they please just because they live in the clouds, if you know what I mean." Wardens or no, if they're responsible they'll pay for Will's coma.

"I do indeed know what you mean," said Chloe, linking their arms. "Must just be a twin thing, us knowing what the other means all the time." 

Beth laughed. It was something of a joke between them, one that was especially fun to make in front of people with no idea of Chloe's capabilities. Like Discord. 

"In any case," said Chloe as they rounded the corner. "I do believe we should intervene on the issue, stick our noses right in the middle of it, so to speak. It can only help--" 

A group of thoughts, devious but with an excited yet worried edge to them caught her attention. Chloe glanced up, located the offenders and pointed them out to Beth.  

"Bad guys, three o'clock!" Chloe made a grab for their minds with her colour. "Hey, you lot! Stop!" 

Beth's hands lit up as the figures trying to break into the shop ran for it. "Or don't, we don't really care! You won't get far!"

Chloe groaned and ran after her sister. She hated running. 

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A/N - I felt it needed a short breather chapter before we get back into what will lead to the final sequence of events. Sorry for those who like shorter chapters, but too bad <3 Next chapter will make up for it... erm, sorta. *cough*

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