Reversal (Camren/Norminah)

Chapter 39: The Invasion Part II

"We're close." Lauren's voice registered in my earpiece. My wrists began to burn, just barely crossing into the threshold of pain.

"Remember that unlike us, you aren't bulletproof Camila." Lauren spoke again, her voice metallic sounding through the earpiece. "I'm not leaving your side, and if for some reason you get caught down the barrel of a gun, the first thing you do is put your hands up and stall for time."

"So you can swoop in and rescue me?" I asked, a hint of amusement in my voice.

"No, so any of us can swoop in and rescue you." Ally replied for Lauren, her voice equally as serious, if not more.

"Will you three stop your chattering and focus?" Normani's voice broke into the conversation, her low, crackling tone causing me to involuntarily roll my eyes.

"You're chattering too." I replied.

"Ladies." Ally warned. "Right now isn't the time for bickering. Save it for later."

"Hold on." Normani cut into the conversation again. "We have a little bit of a situation up here. It seems like they knew we were going to attack."

"What?" I looked up at the moon. "What do you mean? What's going on?"

"There's a clearing of trees out here and they've got a retaliation waiting." Normani's voice was grim. "We're going in, just back us up ."

"No Mani." Lauren sped up from where she was running a single step behind me so she was a few steps ahead. "Wait for the rest of us, don't do anything on your own. We're only a few seconds away."

"Listen to her." I added. "Cause I know you aren't going to listen to me."

"Camila." Lauren scolded, turning her head back and lifting an eyebrow. "Play nice."

"I am nice."

"Ladies." Ally repeated, her voice considerably more annoyed than it had been the first time.

"Alright alright, I'll stop." I muttered, eliciting a soft giggle from Lauren. Through the trees, my eyes were starting to detect a series of humanoid shapes, some taller than the others, some nearly black against the night. Normani and her team came into view as well, each fledgling standing locked in a heated glare with the odd opposition.

"We're here." Lauren breathed, taking my hand and giving it a gentle squeeze before my team burst through the trees and assumed a rather war-like lineup. "What's going on?"

"They've created a wall." Normani replied. "Look, whatever these things are, there are a lot of them."

"Are they human?" I asked, looking from Lauren who stood on one side, to Normani who was planted on the other.

"No." Ally's voice was the one to reply, and I looked behind me to see that in the trees, her medics were scattered like jungle cats ready to pounce. "They're shaped like people underneath all that gear, and I'm seeing internal organs, but there's no sign of a beating heart or pumping blood." She explained. "They've got features... but no trace of life behind them."

"They're like the things that kept stopping us on our way up here." Lauren tensed at my side. "It's like someone's creating them."

"How are we going to find out who that someone is?" Normani asked, forming a large, menacing looking spear in her right hand blood red shadows on the ground began to advance. She held it up, and I grimaced as every fledgling who was stopped behind her advanced at breakneck speeds. The opposition did the same, moving like silent puppets illuminated by the red moon.

Turning, I shook my head at the others, and they stepped back knowingly, awaiting my order. Normani's defences were impeccable. Each mutant that fought with her could either manipulate earth, stone, metal, or some other tough to break material that was similar to her ice. All I could see was furious clashing of weapons, and the figures just kept pouring out of the forest depths like ants from a hill.