‹ Prequel: Move
Risk
Disease
We all walked into the living room except for Riley. He crouched down on the floor to seem like he wasn't there. I sat on the chair across from Diane and Bria. Riley and Ann moved the two other chairs over to me and sat on either side of me.
"So," Bria said, "what's new?"
"Well, uh," I said looking in the kitchen at Riley, "Riley and I are getting married."
They both jumped to the edge of their seats. "No way!" Bria said.
"I'm so happy for you!" Diane said. "Where is he?"
I shrugged. "He said he was going out with some of his guy friends."
"Oh." Diane said.
I looked back into the kitchen. Riley looked at me as he grabbed the phone. I nodded. He nodded back. I looked at Ann. I raised my eyebrows. Her phone began ringing. She dug it out of her pocket and answered it.
"Hello?" Ann said.
I looked at Hunter. "Who is it?" He whispered playing along. I shrugged.
"Oh, alright." Ann said to Riley. "Yes, I'll be right there." Ann hung her phone up and slipped it back into her pocket.
"Who was it?" Bria asked.
Ann sighed. "It was Lauren." Ann was better at this lying stuff than any of us.
"What did she want?" I asked her to make it seem even more real.
"She said we were needed. Not you but, us." Ann said.
"Oh, well, you better go then." I said.
"Wait," Diane said, "why would we be needed if our boss is right here."
I raised my eyebrows. "You better just go if Lauren called. She never calls unless it's important."
"Alright," Bria said getting up. Diane got up with her. "well, we better go." They looked at Ann and I.
Ann leaned over. "You guys go. I'll catch up with you."
They nodded and moved towards the door. Bria opened it and turned back to me. "Congrats! Tell Riley I said so."
"Will do." I said. They waved and exited the house. I crossed my legs and placed my head in my hand. Ann jumped up right when the door slammed shut.
Hunter slowly got up and they both stood in front of me. Riley came out of the kitchen and stood behind them. Cassidy came through the hallway and stood next to Ann.
"What now?" Cassidy asked.
Hunter turned around at the voice. "Hey, Cass."
"Don't seem surprised." Cassidy said.
Hunter gave a half smile. "I'm not. Being the first surprise makes unlikely appearances likely."
"Still a doof." Cassidy said.
"And you're still the annoying not so step-sister." Hunter told her.
Cassidy tilted her head. "Yet I still have the long introduction and you have a four letter word."
"As always."
I sighed and set my hands down on the arm rests of the chair. "You seem very relaxed in this situation that we are in."
Ann looked at me. "I need to leave, soon."
I looked at her from the corner of my eye. "So you can go out killing people?"
"Capturing people. I capture people, Alyssa. I don't kill them unless it is necessary."
I stood up from the chair in one swift motion. "Who are you to choose if it's necessary to kill someone?"
"I'm not the one, remember? Your father is the one. So, don't blame me. I already told you I didn't want to be involved." Ann said.
I clenched my jaw and moved past all of them. I went into the kitchen and opened the basement door. I peered down the stairs.
"Hey, Jack?" I yelled down the stairs.
Jack came to the bottom of the stairs. "Yes?" He said.
I raised my eyebrows. "What will it take to make you find the cure for the disease faster?"
Jack began walking up the stairs. He stopped a few stairs away from me. "It would help if I had a sample of the disease."
I nodded and moved back into the kitchen. Jack came off of the stairs and into the kitchen. The others came into the kitchen and stood behind me. I felt Riley's presence right behind me.
"How do I do that if it is airborne?" I asked.
Jack sighed. "You'll have to get a person that has it in their bloodstream."
"So," I said, "do I just grab somebody off of the street that has already died from the disease?"
Jack sighed. "I wish it were tat easy. Unfortunately for us, your father and the government have taken all of the bodies into an underground building where they incinerate all of them. They also have been taking the people that have been exposed to the disease. And, like you heard, everyone else is being evacuated."
"Right." I nodded in dissatisfaction. "What exactly am I supposed to do?"
"Well," Jack said, "the easiest for you is to break into that facility and get a body. To make it more fun than that, you could kill your father and save all of us."
I creased my forehead. "That wouldn't be the easiest. Couldn't I just bring a human to Texas and have them inhale the disease?"
Jack smiled. "I thought you were trying to save people."
"It's one person." I said. "If this disease isn't cured, a lot more people will die."
Jack pursed his lips. "Just, choose someone who doesn't have anything left for them."
"Like a hobo?" I asked.
Jack creased his forehead. "That's not exactly what I meant but, if you feel that's easiest."
I nodded. "Our kind doesn't need much permission."
Jack shook his head. "You don't have to keep calling us that. We have a name."
"We do?" Cassidy said. I turned my head slightly towards her.
Jack nodded. "Yes, we do. There are two kinds of us. Protectors and destroyers. Protectors are people like us. People who try to use the powers for the good. People who want to help the humans even if they don't like us."
"Well, I can tell you I don't like the humans that know what we are." I said.
Jack shrugged. "I think that's a fact for every single one of us. Good and bad."
"So, technically protectors don't want to help the humans that don't like us." I said.
He shrugged again. "I guess so. My words do sometimes come out wrong even if I am a super genius."
I tilted my head. "Don't remind me. So, what were you saying about the destroyers?"
"Well," Jack said, "I haven't really said anything." I tilted my head the other way. "Anyway, destroyers are the people of our kind that want to either destroy the human race or destroy the protectors. It's all quite a big mess."
I raised my eyebrows. "I'd say so."
"Well," Riley said, "who wants to risk their lives by going to Texas?"
I turned to look at him. I raised an eyebrow. "We all know you, me, and Cassidy can't die from it."
Riley sighed. "Yes, well, like I said, who else wants to risk their lives?"
Sam, Tobey, Peter, Eve, and Brittany stepped out from behind the living room wall. I creased my forehead.
"How the hell did you get in here?" I asked them. Hunter, Cassidy, and Riley turned to face them.
Eve stepped forward. "That would be me."
I creased my forehead tighter. "Right. Teleportation."
"We'll all take the risk, Alyssa." Sam said.
"Even you, Peter?" I asked.
He nodded. "I'd like to kill a few people who have ruined my life."
I nodded. "Of course that would be the reason for you. Not to save the entire human race."
Tobey came forward. "Have you looked at the news lately? More than half of Texas is dead and almost the entire states of Oklahoma and Louisiana. We don't have much time."
I turned to look at Jack. "How long will it take after you have a sample?"
Jack shrugged. "It might take a day and night of work."
I widened my eyes. "We need to go." I turned to look at the others. "Now. Who's coming."
Everybody stepped closer to me. Even Jack. I looked at each of them.
"You're all going to take this risk?" I said. They all nodded. "Alright. Eve, we'll need to transport."
Eve looked frightened. "Okay. We'll all need to hold onto each other."
I reached for Riley's hand and he took mine. I gave Jack m other hand. All of us joined hands. Riley took Cassidy's hand and Cassidy took Hunter's. Ann grabbed onto Jack's other hand. Everyone else joined the line. Eve closed her eyes. I waited for it to happen. This was a risk I was willing to take. It was a big risk.
"So," Bria said, "what's new?"
"Well, uh," I said looking in the kitchen at Riley, "Riley and I are getting married."
They both jumped to the edge of their seats. "No way!" Bria said.
"I'm so happy for you!" Diane said. "Where is he?"
I shrugged. "He said he was going out with some of his guy friends."
"Oh." Diane said.
I looked back into the kitchen. Riley looked at me as he grabbed the phone. I nodded. He nodded back. I looked at Ann. I raised my eyebrows. Her phone began ringing. She dug it out of her pocket and answered it.
"Hello?" Ann said.
I looked at Hunter. "Who is it?" He whispered playing along. I shrugged.
"Oh, alright." Ann said to Riley. "Yes, I'll be right there." Ann hung her phone up and slipped it back into her pocket.
"Who was it?" Bria asked.
Ann sighed. "It was Lauren." Ann was better at this lying stuff than any of us.
"What did she want?" I asked her to make it seem even more real.
"She said we were needed. Not you but, us." Ann said.
"Oh, well, you better go then." I said.
"Wait," Diane said, "why would we be needed if our boss is right here."
I raised my eyebrows. "You better just go if Lauren called. She never calls unless it's important."
"Alright," Bria said getting up. Diane got up with her. "well, we better go." They looked at Ann and I.
Ann leaned over. "You guys go. I'll catch up with you."
They nodded and moved towards the door. Bria opened it and turned back to me. "Congrats! Tell Riley I said so."
"Will do." I said. They waved and exited the house. I crossed my legs and placed my head in my hand. Ann jumped up right when the door slammed shut.
Hunter slowly got up and they both stood in front of me. Riley came out of the kitchen and stood behind them. Cassidy came through the hallway and stood next to Ann.
"What now?" Cassidy asked.
Hunter turned around at the voice. "Hey, Cass."
"Don't seem surprised." Cassidy said.
Hunter gave a half smile. "I'm not. Being the first surprise makes unlikely appearances likely."
"Still a doof." Cassidy said.
"And you're still the annoying not so step-sister." Hunter told her.
Cassidy tilted her head. "Yet I still have the long introduction and you have a four letter word."
"As always."
I sighed and set my hands down on the arm rests of the chair. "You seem very relaxed in this situation that we are in."
Ann looked at me. "I need to leave, soon."
I looked at her from the corner of my eye. "So you can go out killing people?"
"Capturing people. I capture people, Alyssa. I don't kill them unless it is necessary."
I stood up from the chair in one swift motion. "Who are you to choose if it's necessary to kill someone?"
"I'm not the one, remember? Your father is the one. So, don't blame me. I already told you I didn't want to be involved." Ann said.
I clenched my jaw and moved past all of them. I went into the kitchen and opened the basement door. I peered down the stairs.
"Hey, Jack?" I yelled down the stairs.
Jack came to the bottom of the stairs. "Yes?" He said.
I raised my eyebrows. "What will it take to make you find the cure for the disease faster?"
Jack began walking up the stairs. He stopped a few stairs away from me. "It would help if I had a sample of the disease."
I nodded and moved back into the kitchen. Jack came off of the stairs and into the kitchen. The others came into the kitchen and stood behind me. I felt Riley's presence right behind me.
"How do I do that if it is airborne?" I asked.
Jack sighed. "You'll have to get a person that has it in their bloodstream."
"So," I said, "do I just grab somebody off of the street that has already died from the disease?"
Jack sighed. "I wish it were tat easy. Unfortunately for us, your father and the government have taken all of the bodies into an underground building where they incinerate all of them. They also have been taking the people that have been exposed to the disease. And, like you heard, everyone else is being evacuated."
"Right." I nodded in dissatisfaction. "What exactly am I supposed to do?"
"Well," Jack said, "the easiest for you is to break into that facility and get a body. To make it more fun than that, you could kill your father and save all of us."
I creased my forehead. "That wouldn't be the easiest. Couldn't I just bring a human to Texas and have them inhale the disease?"
Jack smiled. "I thought you were trying to save people."
"It's one person." I said. "If this disease isn't cured, a lot more people will die."
Jack pursed his lips. "Just, choose someone who doesn't have anything left for them."
"Like a hobo?" I asked.
Jack creased his forehead. "That's not exactly what I meant but, if you feel that's easiest."
I nodded. "Our kind doesn't need much permission."
Jack shook his head. "You don't have to keep calling us that. We have a name."
"We do?" Cassidy said. I turned my head slightly towards her.
Jack nodded. "Yes, we do. There are two kinds of us. Protectors and destroyers. Protectors are people like us. People who try to use the powers for the good. People who want to help the humans even if they don't like us."
"Well, I can tell you I don't like the humans that know what we are." I said.
Jack shrugged. "I think that's a fact for every single one of us. Good and bad."
"So, technically protectors don't want to help the humans that don't like us." I said.
He shrugged again. "I guess so. My words do sometimes come out wrong even if I am a super genius."
I tilted my head. "Don't remind me. So, what were you saying about the destroyers?"
"Well," Jack said, "I haven't really said anything." I tilted my head the other way. "Anyway, destroyers are the people of our kind that want to either destroy the human race or destroy the protectors. It's all quite a big mess."
I raised my eyebrows. "I'd say so."
"Well," Riley said, "who wants to risk their lives by going to Texas?"
I turned to look at him. I raised an eyebrow. "We all know you, me, and Cassidy can't die from it."
Riley sighed. "Yes, well, like I said, who else wants to risk their lives?"
Sam, Tobey, Peter, Eve, and Brittany stepped out from behind the living room wall. I creased my forehead.
"How the hell did you get in here?" I asked them. Hunter, Cassidy, and Riley turned to face them.
Eve stepped forward. "That would be me."
I creased my forehead tighter. "Right. Teleportation."
"We'll all take the risk, Alyssa." Sam said.
"Even you, Peter?" I asked.
He nodded. "I'd like to kill a few people who have ruined my life."
I nodded. "Of course that would be the reason for you. Not to save the entire human race."
Tobey came forward. "Have you looked at the news lately? More than half of Texas is dead and almost the entire states of Oklahoma and Louisiana. We don't have much time."
I turned to look at Jack. "How long will it take after you have a sample?"
Jack shrugged. "It might take a day and night of work."
I widened my eyes. "We need to go." I turned to look at the others. "Now. Who's coming."
Everybody stepped closer to me. Even Jack. I looked at each of them.
"You're all going to take this risk?" I said. They all nodded. "Alright. Eve, we'll need to transport."
Eve looked frightened. "Okay. We'll all need to hold onto each other."
I reached for Riley's hand and he took mine. I gave Jack m other hand. All of us joined hands. Riley took Cassidy's hand and Cassidy took Hunter's. Ann grabbed onto Jack's other hand. Everyone else joined the line. Eve closed her eyes. I waited for it to happen. This was a risk I was willing to take. It was a big risk.