[OLD] The Scorpion Mission (#2)

Four

Ivy studied the photo she'd taken from her home at Cladis point. She hadn't looked at it much, but today could be the day she finally found him. Her brother.

He bore a pretty strong resemblance to her, from the shade of his hair to the shape of his face. The top half of the photo had been destroyed, but Ivy could just make out the ends of their mother's hair, a similar shade of auburn. There was a jagged line at her parents' shoulders, cutting off everything above it.

A lot of stuff at Cladis had been destroyed in a similar fashion. Some buildings nothing more than rubble, others in perfect condition except for shattered windows. Some of the walls in her own home were fine, while others had peeling, tattered wallpaper or were covered in cracks. It was a bit bizarre.

Ivy returned the photo to her pocket and pulled her hair back in a ponytail as she stepped out on the deck. The air was filled with the voices of other Supers as they trained. She made her way to where the jetchoppers were kept, doing a quick check as she did. The cell phone Dr. Newman had given her was in her jacket, along with a small pocket knife.

Spencer was already there, fueling the chopper they'd be taking. Claire and Ace were waiting next to him. When Spencer saw Ivy's expression, he asked, "Can Ace come?"

Spencer occasionally brought Ace along, but this was technically Ivy's mission. She hesitated. Ace was fairly well-trained, but he still wasn't very experienced. Dogs weren't exactly capable of following detailed instructions. And this mission was immensely important.

At least, it was to Ivy.

What would Summer say?

Ivy pushed the thought aside. Summer wasn't here. Spencer stared at her, his expression hopeful. "Yeah, he can come," she finally said. Spencer grinned and climbed into chopper.

Claire nodded at Ivy. "Thanks," she said. "He and Ace have been pretty much inseparable since..." Claire trailed off, but Ivy knew she was talking about the battle in D.C.

Ivy followed her into the chopper and they took off. It was a quick flight to Houston. Spencer parked in a woodsy area a few miles from the city to avoid drawing attention.

"Where should we start?" he asked as they exited the chopper.

"The last kid went missing from southwest side of the city," Ivy said. "It's close to the bay, and there's some campgrounds in the area. I figured we'd start there. Claire, if you can sense any minds that could be Supers, let me know."

Claire nodded, and they set off into the trees.

They walked for about five minutes in silence. Ivy paused, and the others followed suit. In the distance she could just make out the sound of...

"Voices," Ivy said, her voice barely louder than a whisper. "You guys hear that?"

A rustling came from their right. Around twenty teens poured out from the trees and surrounded them. Before Ivy could get in a word, the kids swarmed. Ivy's hands burst into flames and she lunged at one of their attackers.

The attacker backed off at the sight of the fire, like Ivy thought he would, but another kid grabbed her arm. He pulled her to the ground and her fire went out as she crashed into the dirt. Someone pulled her hands behind her back and tied them together.

"Bring them back to camp," a girl said.

Ivy spat some dirt out of her mouth. "Let us go," she said. "We just want to talk."

The kids ignored her, and she and the others were dragged through the trees for a good five minutes before they reached a clearing. A dying bonfire sat at the center, and a couple of kids tended to it. Ten tents were pitched in the trees around the fire.