Power Play (Book 2)

Chapter 5: Suiting Up

Winning Choice: Get you that gear so we can regroup and learn more.

Recap: Brandon reunited with Tyler, Ryan, and Susan, who were now working out of a high-tech boxcar in a train yard. They had information on groups operating out of Nevada and Hong Kong, but Brandon wanted more information before visiting either location.

“I want Nicole back, but rushing in blindly is only going to make things worse. How fast can you get the data off these systems?” I ask.

Tyler shrugs. “Depends on how encrypted it is and how long you stand around talking rather than going to get it.” 

“Go on,” says Susan. “Bring Tyler his new toys. And when you come back we’ll have a little surprise for you.”

###

All the computer gear I’d stolen was already assembled in a giant duffel bag in case I had to flee in a hurry, so it doesn’t take any time to grab. What I don’t have ready is any other part of my life.

There’s this ratty backpack I’ve had for years. Can’t even recall where I bought it but it’s been to work, gone on hikes, and come along on all sorts of odd adventures. Had you asked me six months ago I would have called it trash. Now it’s a rare memory of the life I had before the craziness. 

I peel open the zippers, the right side sticking like always, and stuff in all the clothes and personal junk I can find. As I reach for my toothbrush it suddenly occurs to me that since I can stop bullets maybe tooth decay isn’t really a problem I need to worry about. I never even questioned it all this time, I just kept brushing my teeth every morning and night out of habit.

Sometimes habits are good just for the routine. They keep you grounded. The rest of my life now fits in a backpack, so every little piece is important. I shove the toothbrush in and yank the zippers closed.

I tuck the pictures I retrieved from our house into the pocket on the front of the bag and look around my small, cruddy apartment. It seems even worse having just visited our house again. I have a few weeks left on the lease but I hope I’ll never see it again.

Shouldering the duffel and backpack I leap out the window and head for the clouds.

###

Tyler’s face lights up like a kid spying Santa Claus coming down the chimney when I dump the gear onto one of the workbenches. “Oh boy, oh boy,” he says, clapping his hands together. “You got some nice stuff!” He immediately begins fishing through the pile, sorting the different devices out on the table and muttering to himself. 

Ryan puts his hand on my shoulder. “While he’s getting started we have a surprise for you,” he says. I turn around and Susan is standing behind him with a large, metallic box. She’s sporting a grin nearly as big as Tyler’s.

“Follow me!” she says and almost skips over to the far side of the train. She thumps the box down on an empty table and moves behind it dramatically.

“Should I be scared?” I ask.

Ryan whistles. “My strange, super-powered friend, what you should be is impressed.”

Susan pops the top off of the box, reaches in, and pulls out what I can only describe as a costume. And, as much as I hate to admit it, it’s gorgeous.

She spreads the top out on the table and I run my fingers over it. It’s made of a flexible mesh that plays strange tricks with the light. Mounted over the mesh are small reinforced plates at strategic points, mainly where my joints will be. The mesh is a deep blue, turning almost black as I see it from different angles. The plates are a dark gray, and where they connect to the mesh are thin lines of silver.