The Mutatio Disease

Sector Eighteen

- - - - Sector Eighteen - - - -
- - - - Part One - - - -
What'd You Do That For?

     Inferno, Jumper, Trip, and I stood in front of the door. Splice One (we had started to call them One and Two) was also with us. Valkyrie, Ghost, Stratus, Splice Two, and Bella made up the other team. Bella had named herself Haze, after discovering that her power could do much more than color the air. She could cast illusions with enough practice, but she mostly worked to create confusion by making the air foggy or hard to see through.

    The ground of humans behind us were nervous. They all wore heavy-duty police armor and guns. A few were true police, and others brave citizens.

   "You guys snatch any raider that comes out of here," Inferno told them. "Be careful not to touch their skin. Any of them could be infected or rational Mortems."

   "How will you be sure that the raiders will flee through here?" One asked.

   I answered, "We've blocked the other doors. I've also jammed the others shut. The doors that we will go through are the only open ones."

   The leader nodded. "Good luck."

   Jumper leaned his ear against the door. Inferno nodded, so Jumper grabbed Splice One and they teleported inside. A knock told us it was safe, and since Splice One was connected to Splice Two, they would be moving at the same time.

   I opened the door mentally, stretching my consciousness out like a sleeping limb. Using it a few, small times would limber it up for full use. After learning that I could hold millions of pounds -- equal to an overpass -- with my power, I was fully prepared to unleash on the people that had kidnapped me, hurt me, and hurt my friend long ago.

    Splice One suddenly held up a hand. "Wait. The other team encountered raiders just beyond the turn." 

   I narrowed my eyes, stretching my consciousness out. With a flick of my wrist, two bodies hit the ground as their own sleeping darts embedded into their skin. "Taken care of."

   Trip peeked around the corner, impressed as Inferno lead the way. He and I knew the place the best, and I held up the rear. Whenever we would encounter a raider, either I'd hit them with their own dart, Trip would switch them around until Jumper could hit them, or Inferno would use Splice's help to find another route.

    "Where are we, Argentum?" Inferno asked quietly at an intersection in the underground tunnel. I closed my eyes, feeling the area like it was a map. Everything was made of metal, so this was a playground for me.

   "The main room is close. However, the keeping room with all the Mortems is further down. The lifts are too small for us and controlled by raiders. We will have to fight our way to them and take control of the lifts."

   Inferno grimaced. "That means that two of us will have to remain above to protect the lifts."

  "Not necessarily. I can control them. As long as I'm awake and rational, we have no need for that."

   "Just make sure no one hazes over," Jumper muttered. "I'd rather not deal with your crazy ass."

   "Thanks a bunch, Jumper," I said dryly.