[OLD PREVIEW] The Supers Experiment (#1)

Three

"Wait, Wren," Ash spoke up.

"What?" Wren asked, halfway into the cockpit.

"Do we have a location on the Fortuna?" Ash asked.

Wren rolled her eyes. "You're worried about them?"

"We have a much smaller team than usual. If they know where we are—"

Wren cut Ash off. "I'd like to see them try to get their pathetic little boat up here in time."

"It's not a boat, it's a battleship," Ash replied. "And if they're in the area, they could catch up. The weapons facility isn't far from shore."

Ivy sighed while the two continued to argue. "I'm not sure I want to be working for these people," Ivy muttered to Claire. Claire nodded in agreement.

"Do you have any idea what they're talking about?" Ivy asked.

"Not really. Scorpion is the organization they work for. I have no idea what they need the materials for." Claire rubbed her forehead and winced. "There's something else that's strange, too."

"What?" Ivy asked.

Claire pointed to the soldiers. "I can read Wren and Ash's minds, but I can't read the soldiers. I don't know why."

About a minute later they were slowing down again. Wren walked over to the door and grunted as she pulled it open.

"Should we run?" Claire asked, her voice barely audible over the sound of the helicopter blades.

"I don't know. They'd probably chase us," Ivy replied. She honestly had no idea what to do.

"Let's go," Wren shouted over the sound of the chopper blades. Ivy shakily stood up, heart pounding. Next to her, Claire sat frozen. Ivy nodded at her reassuringly, even though she wasn't at all confident herself. Claire took a deep breath and pushed herself up.

"Ash, I'm gonna use your water, okay?" Wren asked loudly.

Ash's hand tightened around the water bottle he was holding. "You will not," he replied.

"I'm sorry, who's the team leader? Me." She took a step closer to the open door as the chopper descended. "Unless..." Wren's gaze drifted to Ivy, making her shift uncomfortably. Wren smiled.

"Maybe I should try fire," she said.

"You know what Claudia said about using powers you haven't trained with—oh never mind," Ash said, exasperated. "Do what you want. Just go!"

With one last glare at Ash, Wren hopped out of the helicopter. Ivy gasped and moved closer to the door, where she realized they were only a few feet above the ground. Or roof, she guessed, as she realized the concrete below was the top of a building.

"Go," Ash ordered. Ivy swallowed hard and forced herself to jump. Her breath caught in her throat as she fell, and she landed awkwardly on the ground. She looked up, half expecting Wren to help her, but Wren just watched her with a smirk. Ivy gave her a dirty look and forced herself to her feet.

Claire landed next to her, followed by Ash and the two soldiers. While Ivy brushed herself off, the helicopter lifted back up into the air. Nearby, a door leading inside burst open and several guards, guns up, flooded the roof. Ivy and the others were surrounded in seconds. Ivy's hands trembled as she eyed the weapons pointed at her.

Wren laughed.

"Is that all you've got?" she asked.

There was an odd tugging sensation in Ivy's stomach. A powerful blast of fire exploded from Wren's hand, striking one of the guards in the chest and sending him to the ground.