Ivy's heart pounded as she stood in front of the jetchoppers. The air was filled with tense conversation, and the ship's deck was bathed in the fading light of the setting sun. With a deep, shaky breath, she dialed the number Ben had given her and held the phone up to her ear.
No answer. Ivy sighed and slid the phone back in her pocket. She'd hoped that she could convince Ben to get the Neutrals to help with the attack, but it clearly wasn't going to happen. Oh well. They'd be fine on their own.
She'd talk to him after the battle.
Spencer made his way through the crowd, Ace right behind him, as the second-to-last chopper took off. Newman had asked them to wait after the others left, for some reason.
Spencer moved to stand next to Ivy. "You got everything?" Ivy asked.
"Yep," Spencer said. He held out the bomb, and with some hesitation, Ivy took it. "Don't worry," Spencer said as she examined it. "It won't go off unless you put in the code. I've also got the flash drive... oh, and here." He pulled a vial out of his pocket.
"There was some chemical left over," Spencer explained. "I thought what you did to the cell bars back at the SCI facility was pretty cool, so I figured we'd hang onto it. You know, in case we need to blow something else up."
"Sure," Ivy said. "Here, how about I take that—" She grabbed the vial and handed the bomb back to Spencer. "—and you take this."
"I'll be right back," Victoria said. "I have to grab... something."
Ivy frowned as Victoria ran inside. She glanced at Spencer. "Do you know what Dr. Newman wanted? Because we really should get going."
Spencer shrugged. "He said he'd be out in a sec."
Ace perked up and sniffed the air. Barking, he ran toward the door. "Hey!" Spencer shouted. "Ace, what are you doing? Get back here."
The door opened and Newman stepped out, smiling. Someone behind him pulled the door open a little wider, and the world seemed to slow down. Seconds dragged by as Newman stepped out. Victoria came behind him. She was pushing a wheelchair.
"Hey guys," Summer said. "Long time, no see."
They all stood in shocked silence for a moment. Finally, Spencer flew forward to hug Summer. Ivy's face broke into a grin as she and Claire joined him.
"You're okay," Spencer said. "We were so worried. Dr. Newman wouldn't let us see you, and—"
Summer laughed as they pulled away. "Yeah, I missed you guys too."
Spencer looked up at Dr. Newman, then back at Summer. "What's with the wheelchair?" he asked. "Can you—?"
"My legs are fine," Summer said.
Dr. Newman nodded. "She'll be able to walk soon, but she's been in a hospital bed for weeks."
"Two blood transfusions and three surgeries," Summer said.
"Four surgeries," Newman corrected. "But yeah. We'll have you try standing soon."
Ivy looked up at Victoria and frowned. "Victoria," she said. "Is there something you're not telling us?"
Victoria folded her arms. "What do you mean?" She glanced at Dr. Newman.
"Victoria's been helping me around the lab," Dr. Newman said. "I had her help me with Summer."
"Wait, she got to see Summer before us?" Spencer asked.
Summer rolled her eyes. "Settle down. I know everyone loves me, but you don't have to fight about it."
Spencer hesitated, then smiled. "Right." He turned his head and looked out at the deck. "We really should go."
"Yes," Dr. Newman said. "Of course. I just didn't want Summer to be swarmed. Good luck, and stay safe, okay?"
Ivy and the others nodded.
"And if you guys see Terrence," Summer said. "Kick his butt for me."
"Will do." Spencer nodded at Ivy and Claire. They followed him and Ace to the last jetchopper. Ivy glanced behind her. Victoria and Summer were talking. Summer said something, and Victoria nodded before turning and hurrying over to the chopper.
Ivy climbed inside and sat down on the bench. The chopper rumbled as the engine roared to life and they took off.
After the excitement of seeing Summer had worn off, they fell into a tense silence. This was it. If everything went as planned, tonight would be the end of Scorpion.
The chopper lurched and Ivy was thrown against the window. The jet tipped as they swung around to fly in the other direction.
"What's happening?" Victoria asked.
"There are soldiers on the roof. We're regrouping a little ways away from here," Spencer said.
A few minutes later, they were landing in the middle of the trees with the other choppers. Spencer stepped out first, and Ivy followed. The other Supers were gathering in a loose circle. Ivy noticed one of the other kids shoot a confused look at Ace when he jumped out of the chopper and walked over to Spencer.
"We're going to have to approach by foot," Spencer said. "I don't know how much gunfire the choppers can stand. The trees will provide enough cover for us to reach the building. Any questions?"
"Be careful," Tyler spoke up. "The ground isn't solid everywhere. There are some spots where you'll get stuck in the mud or water."
"You sound like you speak from experience," Ivy said.
"I do," Tyler said. "I broke in here before the attack on the White House."
Wait, seriously? "Well that would've been useful when we were planning the attack."
"I was only inside for a few minutes. And if someone had asked for my opinion..."
"Look," Spencer said. "It doesn't matter now. Let's go, everyone. Watch out for unstable ground. When we get close, we'll separate into our teams."
Ivy joined the others in trudging through the treacherous landscape. It took about fifteen minutes for the building to become visible through the trees.
Spencer stopped and held up his arm, signaling for everyone else to do the same. "How are we getting in?" he asked, his voice carrying through the trees. "There's no doors at ground level."
There was a moment of silence before Ivy spoke up. "I have an idea," she said. She reached into her jacket and pulled out the chemical. There was still quite a bit left. "Think there's enough here to blow a hole in the wall?"
Spencer grinned. "Definitely."
Ivy had Claire telekinetically spread what remained of the chemical on the wall of the building. Everyone moved back into the trees, and Ivy torched the building.
The explosion was much bigger than Ivy thought it would be. Fortunately, the others had moved far enough away that they were unaffected, but Ivy was thrown backwards. She hit the ground hard.
Ivy gasped for air and tried to sit up. The edges of her vision went black, and it took a moment for her to move. As she struggled to breathe, Claire ran over to her.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
Ivy nodded. "I'm fine." She managed to stand up.
All of the trees in the immediate vicinity had been ripped out of the ground by the explosion, creating a small clearing next to the building. Ivy looked around in awe as the others hurried over.
Smoke and dust clouded a massive hole in the side of the building. "Team one," Spencer shouted. "Go."
About ten Supers emerged from the crowd and hurried over to the building. Ivy's heart pounded as she watched them disappear into the smoke.
Spencer pulled out his walkie-talkie and clutched it so tight his knuckles turned white. "If we don't hear from them in five minutes, I'm sending team two in.
A tense four minutes and twenty-two seconds passed before the radio crackled. The others gathered around as the team one leader spoke. "We're on the third floor," they said. "There are still some people below us but its mostly clear. Almost all of the Altered and soldiers are on the top floors."
"Okay, I'm sending in team two to help you," Spencer said, with a nod at one of the Supers. "Any idea where the server room is?"
"Not yet, but I'm betting the twelfth floor."
"All right," Spencer said. "Keep fighting. Once we know where the room is, we'll need to set up a distraction elsewhere so my team can get in."
"Got it."
Ivy took a deep breath. The smell of rain hung in the air. As thunder sounded in the distance, she sighed. "Would it be dramatic to say that I'm pretty sure the universe hates me?"
Spencer glanced up at the sky. "Eh..."
Ivy's blood ran cold when she heard it. Very faint, but definitely there. A clicking sound.
"Please tell me I'm imagining that," she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. She glanced at Spencer, who's face told her it wasn't.
"I stand corrected. The universe definitely hates you. Sorry Ivy." Spencer cupped his hands around his mouth. "Everyone get closer to the building, now! If that clicking sound gets any louder, we're all going in."