[OLD] The Phoenix Project (#3)

Fourteen

The sun had just begun to creep into the sky by the time the Supers were preparing to leave. Although she wasn't coming, Summer walked with them to the deck to say goodbye.

Ivy fought back a yawn as they crossed the deck.

"Good luck, guys," Summer said.

Ivy and the others thanked her and wished her goodbye, then began to make their way toward the chopper. Victoria hung back, and the others paused.

"Thanks," Victoria said. "Good luck with your... uh... appointment."

Summer replied with something Ivy didn't quite hear.

Ivy yawned. "Well," she said. "I bet Claire will be glad to see Victoria getting along with everyone now."

"Yeah," Tyler added. "I mean, I haven't been here quite as long as you guys, but it was kind of surprising seeing Summer and Victoria become friends." She gave Ivy a nervous glance, as if she hated to draw her attention.

Ivy chewed her lip. She felt kind of bad about being standoffish toward Tyler—after all, that was what she'd hated about Victoria when they first met—but she couldn't bring herself to smooth things over yet.

Still, though, she nodded in agreement.

Spencer squinted as he watched Victoria turn away from Summer and approach them. After a moment, a smile spread across his face.

"Ha, yeah," he said, barely loud enough for Ivy to hear. "Friends."

Ivy frowned. She meant to ask Spencer what that was supposed to mean, but her gaze flickered to Malcolm and she lost her train of thought.

Malcolm's stared out at the ocean, and Ivy would guess he was zoned out if she didn't know what he was like. She got the feeling he was always aware of everything that everyone around him said and did.

"We ready, then?" Victoria asked when she reached them.

"Yep." Spencer turned around and opened the chopper door. "Let's go."

~

Ash stood with his arms folded as Claudia gave him instructions.

"I need to look over a file. Normally, I'd have John scan it and email it to me, but it's too big and he's busy. I need you to go to Cancer and grab it for me."

"Got it," Ash muttered.

He took five soldiers with him and flew out to the labs. The building was located in a forest near the mountains, about two hundred and fifty miles from Zodiac.

When Ash arrived, five more soldiers were waiting on the roof for him. They led him inside, to an office. Ash knocked on the door.

"Come in," John called. Ash turned the handle and stepped inside.

John nodded to a folder sitting on the edge of his desk. "That's the file Claudia asked for."

Ash grabbed it and turned to leave.

"Ash," John said. "That file contains sensitive information. It's for Claudia's eyes only."

"Right." Ash stepped out into the hall and closed the door behind him.

As he walked, he examined the outside of the folder. It was a good half an inch thick. Small red letters in the top left corner spelled out 'Phoenix Project.' Ash cast a sideways glance at the soldiers escorting him back to the roof. Would they interfere if he tried to read it?

Probably. John's commands outranked Ash's.

The soldiers came to a sudden stop. "There's been a breach in security on the west side of the building. John is requesting we go," one of them said. "Can you find your way back to the roof?"

"Yes," Ash said. The soldiers turned around and headed in the opposite direction. Once they'd disappeared around the corner, Ash looked around.

A security camera hung at each end of the hallway. This was one of the central halls, so it was more closely monitored. Some of the outer halls, however, would be camera free.

Ash continued following the path to the roof, and once he'd found an unmonitored hall, he stopped and opened the folder.

The first page contained a picture of a boy who looked about twelve. Big black letters at the top of the page read 'Phoenix-1.' The rest of the text was in some sort of code, except for the text at the bottom that stated the boy's status as escaped. Ash flipped to the next page. This one was titled 'Phoenix-2,' and contained a picture of a much younger boy and more coded text.

This one's status was listed as deceased.

Ash cursed. Was the majority of the file written in code? He flipped to the back of the folder. The last page was filled with complicated formulas and diagrams. Ash went back a page. The page on the left only read 'Phoenix Project Revival.' The page on the right was titled 'Phoenix-18,' and contained a picture of a dark-haired girl. It looked like a yearbook photo. The girl had to be around Ash's age.

This page was filled with text as well, but it was in plain English. "Raven Kalani-Jackson," Ash murmured. "Age 17. Brought to Cancer June 15." He skimmed some text summarizing what looked like procedures for an experiment—dates and statements such as 'injected Phoenix Serum,' and 'injected cryokinetic DNA.'

Ash's eyes widened when he saw what was written at the bottom of the page.

"Phoenix-18 appears to be stable," he read. "Complete list of abilities: Cryokinesis, haemokinesis, gyrokinesis, healing, telepathy."

If this girl really had all of these powers, she was more dangerous than any other Altered. But how was that possible?

Voices came from down the hall to the right. Familiar voices. Ash closed the folder and looked up.

"We won't be able to dodge the soldiers forever," Ivy said, her voice carrying around the corner. "We need to find Claire and get out."

Ash pressed himself up against the wall as the group approached.

"We should split up." Ash didn't recognize the guy's voice, but something about it sent a chill down his spine.

"There's a few different places they could be keeping her," he continued. "Cell block and labs are the two most likely."

"Okay," Ivy said. "Let's do Spencer, Ace, and Victoria, then me, Malcolm, and Tyler..."

Ash's heart skipped a beat. His sister was here?

"What, so you can keep an eye on me?" Tyler asked.

"That's not what I—"

"We need to hurry," Spencer interrupted. "I'll take Tyler."

"Okay, then maybe—"

"No time to argue," the other guy—Malcolm—said. "Ivy and I will check the cell block. You guys just follow this hall and it will take you to the labs."

A set of footsteps came toward Ash. He held his breath as Ivy and Malcolm hurried past the small corridor he was hiding in and continued down the hall.

Ash watched them disappear around the corner. Moving as quietly as possible, he followed them.