Secret Super (Book 1)

15. The Power Plant

She fished a small black device out of her pocket and tossed it at them. Zadia caught it, turning it over in her hands and prodding it curiously.

"It's a bioscan copier," Kian said. "It'll let you get into the building using a guard's handprint after you change into the uniforms and everything."

"Where will you be?" Kara said.

"I'll be inside, taking care of the generator," Kian said grimly. "You two-- your first priority is standing guard. Anything happens, contact me." She tossed Kara a tiny glittering object.

Kara caught it and opened her palm. "A hearing device," she said. Kian nodded, and Kara fastened it behind her ear.

"We can talk to each other through the earpiece. Try not to bother me if it's not life-threatening. Anyway, once you're inside, try to sabotage the conveyor belt. If I fail, that'll delay the flow of coal into the power plant for a few days at least. Got it?"

Zadia nodded, her mouth dry. Her heart was beating a million miles per hour. Maybe getting involved with this whole thing had been a mistake. She tried to conjure an image of Em in her head to steel her resolve. Em throwing back her head and laughing, Em regaling her with stories of her crazy coworkers, soot under her nails after coming back from the factory, Em shriveled and fading on a hospital bed with a death grip on Zadia's wrist. With a jolt she realized she couldn't remember the color of Em's eyes.

". . . and you should find the conveyor belt there," Kian was saying. "Here, I'll show." She held her wrist up to her mouth and muttered, "Inside of a coal power plant."

A hologram popped up from the device on her wrist, except it displayed a diagram of a leafy green plant's reproductive system.

Ezra's lips twitched. Kian gave the hologram a dirty look. She said again, enunciating more clearly, "Inside of a coal power plant." This time a diagram of a power plant popped up above her wrist, rotating above her hand.

Kian started explaining the diagram and dread kept mounting in Zadia's chest. Lights and music drifted down the street through the hazy Smog. She felt a chill crawl down her spine.

When she finished talking, Kian led them through the streets until they could see the power plan towering in the distance. She gave them black masks and gloves, which Zadia was happy to wear. Even if Ezra disabled the cameras, she'd rather her face was hidden.

Kian glanced at her watch. "Grab onto my arm," she said.

Kara shrugged and grabbed her arm. Zadia hesitantly took the edge of Kian's sleeve. "What are we doing?"

"Getting past the electric fence."

A flash of green light blinded Zadia. Suddenly all the air around her compressed like she was getting pulled through a tube with the walls pressing in on her. Her breath stuck in her throat. She tried to scream but couldn't make a sound. Her limbs felt they were being pressed out with an iron. A popping sound resounded in her ears.

Then it was over, and she was standing in a field, bent over and gasping for air. An unpleasant tingly feeling rolled over her body and she tasted bile in her throat. "Could-- have-- warned us!" she wheezed, glaring at Kian.

Kara was clutching her stomach, looking queasy.

"Sorry," Kian said with a smirk. She flattened down her hair and twisted around to point at the power plant. "Over there," she said, pointing at two dark figures clustered under a streetlight, guarding the back entrance. "Distract them so Ezra and I can get in." She glanced at them, arching an eyebrow. "You can handle that, right?"