[OLD] The Phoenix Project (#3)

Eight

Ivy and the others stood as close to the building as they could get without attracting the attention of the authorities. The risk of being shot down was too great to park on the roof, so they'd been forced to walk a fair distance.

"How are we getting past the police?" Ivy asked.

"We're going over them," Spencer said. He held up his hands. "Everyone get ready to run. Ace..." He looked at his dog. "Knock 'em down."

Ace barked at the closest group of officers. The shockwave wasn't very strong, just enough to knock the police off their feet for a few seconds, so the Supers could get a head start.

A bridge of ice rose up from the ground and stretched toward the building. Ivy and the others hurried onto the ice, doing their best to balance speed and caution on the slippery pathway. The bridge smashed into a window on the top floor, sending a shower of glass to the empty sidewalk below. Spencer caught up with the other Supers and shattered the ice behind him, preventing anyone from following.

Once they were inside the building, he destroyed the rest of the bridge.

"The footage showed four Altered and three soldiers," Spencer said. "Hopefully they won't be too much of a challenge. The only other people here are office workers."

"We need to move fast," Summer said. "Scorpion may not be here much longer. I'm sure they're moving as fast as they can."

"How are they going to get out? The place is surrounded," Victoria pointed out.

"I'm sure they'll find a way," Ivy said. "We found a way in, and we'll have to leave the same way."

"Right," Spencer said. "Let's go. Move fast."

They hurried down the hall, checking rooms and listening for any sign of life. Ivy was the first to hear something.

"Guys, stop," she whispered. "Do you hear that?"

The others paused. Down the hall came the distant sound of a phone ringing. Spencer frowned and opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by the sound of a gunshot.

Without a word, they broke into a run toward the commotion.

An open doorway around a corner caught their attention. When the Supers entered the room, they were greeted by three soldiers turning to face them.

Ivy's heart skipped a beat. Behind the soldiers, a few dozen people sat against the wall. Scattered across the floor were the remains of what must have been the offending telephone.

Ivy sprang into action and launched an arc of electricity at a soldier. Next to her, Summer did the same, while Spencer encased the third in ice. It took a good few seconds for the electricity to penetrate to the soldiers' armor and send them to the floor. Once they were down, Ivy turned to the hostages.

"Anyone know where Michael Jones is?" she asked.

After a heartbeat, the workers burst into chatter. But no one seemed to care enough to answer Ivy's question. Some asked about the police, others begged the Supers not to hurt them.

"What do you want from us?" one woman shouted.

Victoria's eyes narrowed. "We're not Scorpion! We're here to stop them. And we're looking for a man named Michael Jones."

Still, no one had anything helpful to offer. A few people stood up, but no one dared approach the Supers. They were all too terrified.

"I don't think anyone here can help us," Summer muttered. "Let's go look for Ash and the others."

"What about these people?" Victoria asked.

Summer shrugged. "I think they'll be fine. We took out the soldiers. Once we take care of the Altered, the threat will be gone."