by A M Lopez
A chuckle came from the other side of the room. "Best keep Ms. Firecracker over here away from him." Connor inclined his head to Eva who crossed her arms and looked the other way.
"Not my fault he's a --" Eva stopped talking and winced. "Sorry, Aaron."
"No apology needed. It's understandable." Aaron said, while getting up from her seat. "Well, we should get going, wouldn't want the Director getting angry."
~
"What do you mean he got away without a trace? This was the first lead we've had in months!" The Director's tomato filled face got close to Aaron's.
Aaron took a deep breath in and painted a mask over her face. "Yes. However, we did bring in this." She motioned to Arthur, who walked up to the desk and slid the leather book towards him.
The Director grasped the book and opened it. "Why is this relevant?"
"Ezra said he saw Richard reading this before everything happening."
"We'll have the lab research it. In the meanwhile, your sister is here. See if you can learn something from her." The Director left his desk and headed out into the middle of the station.
"What do you mean sister? Since when do you have one?" Eva sputtered, slapping her hands on her thighs.
"Since she was born, little ninja. You have a lot to learn." Allison passed by Eva who was left raging as the team followed the Director out of the room.
"My daughter! Welcome!"
Eva's jaw dropped, not at the welcome, but at the team presented before her. A taller, stronger version of Aaron settled in front of her. Two blonde sisters stationed behind her, brown eyes narrowing. On the other side, two boys rolled their eyes and motioned for the sisters to leave. They waved at the Director and headed into the nearest elevator.
"Daddy!" Aaron's sister ran towards her dad and tackled him in a hug.
"That's Chloe." Allison whispered over to Eva, startling Eva so much she backed into Connor who steadied her.
"Tell me, what did you all find out?" The Director set a hand on Chloe's shoulder.
Chloe's caramel eyes shone up at her father, making Eva give a weird look up at Connor, who shrugged.
"Well, we infiltrated a dead lab. When I say dead, I mean it literally. There were dead people all over the place, but there was something weird about them." She put a hand on her hip, giving a quick sweep of her eyes on Astrolabe. "We did some quick tests, and turns out, Richard had been trying to mutate them."
Arthur gave a small gasp and the team looked at him.
We'll talk later. He mouthed.
The Director’s brows furrowed. “That is concerning.”
Chloe nodded slowly. “We know.” She turned to face the members of Astrolabe, specifically Aaron. “What did you find out with the energy spike?”
Aaron took a step forward, but the Director scoffed. “They let Richard escape and came back with a book an uncreditable source claims he read.”
The team stiffened behind Aaron. Eva clenched her jaw, attempting to keep herself from making the situation worse. She saw Dimitri’s hands tighten into fists, noting that he and Arthur had moved closer than the last time she looked at them. Arthur’s fingers twitched, as if he had a few ideas on what he could use his talents for. Connor had become a statue, unmoving. Allison’s eyes were narrowed, gaze flicking between Chloe and the Director.
Chloe smirked, looking her younger sister in the eyes. “So, Aaron messed up. Again.”
Allison took a step forward, no hesitation in her body. Connor grabbed her with lightning speed, preventing her advance. Even still, her eyes never left Chloe, as if the girl was her prey. The Director was about to reply but a ding from his phone interrupted him. He checked the notification that had popped up, sighing.
“I have to go. Good job, Chloe, I’m proud of you. Maybe you can mentor your sister and actually make her a decent leader. Goodbye, pumpkin. I will see you at the next meeting, Aaron.”
Eva glared, body moving with no intention of stopping. Connor used his other hand to pull her back, his grip like a vice.
“Bye, daddy!”
“...Goodbye, father.”
When the Director rounded the corner, Chloe turned back to Aaron, smugness written all over her face.
“Baby sister, how nice to talk to you again.”
Aaron sighed. “I would say the same back under different circumstances.”
Chloe laughed, head held high and looking down at her sister. “Please, don’t lie to me. You hate me and the feeling is mutual. So, how about you get out of my way and go back to living in my shadow where you belong?”
In that moment, Allison ripped her arm out of Connor’s tight grip and was about to lunge at Chloe. Suddenly, Aaron’s arm raised and blocked her path.
“She is not worth it, Allison. You will only be helping her by attacking.”
Allison growled but stepped back, allowing Connor to grab her once more. Chloe smirked at Allison, whose eyes narrowed in response, before turning her attention back to Aaron.
“Maybe you won’t be hard to teach after all.”
Aaron scoffed. “Despite the fact that my name holds the same beginning sound, you are the one filled with arrogance. And since you probably don’t know, that type of rhyming is called alliteration.”
Chloe glared, baring her teeth. “You think you’re so clever, but then… why doesn’t daddy love you? What is so wrong with you that he doesn’t even acknowledge your existence half the time? There are probably many reasons, but I will tell you two. You are pathetic and our family’s weakest link.”
With that said, Chloe turned around and silently walked away into the elevator her team had taken. Allison was struggling against Connor the whole time, both of his arms now holding her back. Aaron closed her eyes and took a deep breath, head falling. Dimitri stepped forward, placing his hand on Aaron’s shoulder.
She looked up and their eyes caught. A small smile graced Aaron’s face, relief filling the team. Dimitri stepped back to stand at Arthur’s side, his hand lingering on Aaron’s shoulder before following him. She glanced once at the two places her family members exited before turning to her team.
“Let’s go to Dawn and discuss our next plan of action.”
The majority of the team nodded their heads in agreement and followed Aaron as she led the way.
Arthur spoke up from the back of the group. “We might need to get supplies, so I think we should walk and talk.”
The only people who didn’t turn to look at him were Aaron and Dimitri. Arthur kept silent until Aaron nodded her head, silently asking for him to continue.
He took a deep breath. “All of you know our backstory…We were kidnapped and used as lab rats…” He glanced at Dimitri, who gripped his hand tighter in encouragement. “When we joined Astrolabe, we made sure to read up on all testing that included similar intentions, such as mutation. We didn’t want— I mean— We...”
Arthur hung his head, his pace slowing. Dimitri let go of his hand to wrap his arm around Arthur’s shoulders, forcing his twin to keep up with the group.
Dimitri continued. “We made sure to keep tabs on all of the testing that fell under those fields and haven’t stopped. So, unless there has been another test since the last time we checked, only one person can help us.”
Allison tilted her head, still calming herself down. Connor’s brows furrowed, staying silent.
Eva asked, “Who?”
“James Hale.”
The trio’s heads snapped to Aaron, waiting for her to resume speaking.
“I have read all of the files HQ has, so I know a thing or two. Arthur, while I talk please check to see if there were any other tests on mutation that had promising results.”
Arthur nodded his head, quickly pulling out a small tablet from his pocket and typing rapidly.
Aaron explained. “Mr. Hale was the scientist in charge of a test on mutation in which the subject had 90% chance of survival. However, he shut down his project and retired. His location should be updated on the H
Q’s database, but last I checked he was living in Ranison.”
Eva froze for a second, memories of her dimension flying through her mind. She immediately shook her head, now was not the time to be getting lost in her past. Regaining her pace, she saw Connor looking at her in concern. She smiled and nodded to let him know she was okay.
“Everything you said was correct, Aaron. And there have been no tests that have surpassed his, nor have there been any recently. Mr. Hale’s test, the Xenia Proposal, is our best attempt at understanding mutation. I have his most recent address here.”
Aaron nodded. “Thank you, Arthur. I believe our best chance, until the book we recovered is translated, is to go give Mr. Hale a visit and ask for his work.”
Eva’s brows furrowed. “Why do we need to ask for his work? Doesn’t the HQ have it on file?”
Dimitri sighed. “While HQ does have files on every test that is run, people usually keep some information to themselves. Until we see Mr. Hale’s work, we can’t be certain that we have everything.”
Aaron looked over her shoulder at her team. “So, is everyone in agreement to visit Mr. Hale?”
Everyone nodded at her.
Aaron pulled out her phone. “Alright. We need to gather resources, Dawn is running low. I just sent everyone a list of what they need to acquire. Allison, you are exempt from this so you can run diagnostics and make sure Dawn is in working order. We meet in the ship’s conference room within the hour. Let’s get back in the fight as soon as possible.”
~
Allison groaned loudly. “Where the heck are the twins? Everyone was supposed to meet here hours ago.”
Eva interrupted her moping. “They are actually only five minutes late as of right now.”
“That’s five minutes too long.”
Connor laughed as he watched Allison complain. The female in question had draped herself across a chair dramatically.
Aaron shifted her weight from one foot to another. “Maybe I should try to contact them. They usually are very punctual, if not early.”
As Aaron was pulling out her phone, the doors to the conference room burst open. At the sight of what Aaron saw, she jumped six feet up.
"What the Grinkle is that monstrous thing?" Aaron yelled and hid behind Connor.
In Dimitri's arms was a fluffy ball of feathers. It's white neck moved up, showing its eyes.
"Bucaw?" A small sound came out from it.
"Everyone, meet Clark Cluck Thompson. Clark, meet everyone." Dimitri's blue eyes shone as he held out the animal.
"I don't care about its name, what is it doing here?" Aaron screeched, holding onto Connor for dear life, causing him to laugh.
Clark had the ability to look offended along with the twins. Arthur humphed and crossed his arms. "Clark is a silkie chicken. He is adorable and he is staying with us."
"No. Absolutely not." Aaron shook her head, but Allison paid no attention and ran towards the chicken.
"Aww...he's adorable! Where'd you find him?"
Arthur smiled and waved his fingers causing the bird to chirp. "Well, it's a funny story."
Aaron narrowed her eyes at him.
"We were walking around the city when some strange people came up to us and asked us if we saw a fluffy chicken around."
Dimitri interrupted. "They wanted to kill him for food."
Eva winced. "Oof. Harsh."
Arthur continued his story. "At that moment we hadn't seen Clark, so we shook our heads and went to gather materials." Arthur paused and quickly glanced at Aaron before continuing. "We encountered him on the corner, he was hiding from the people. We saw his adorable face and couldn't let them kill him so we brought him in."
"So technically, we helped a chicken fugitive." Dimitri patted its head.
"We already have a monologue prepared for him. Listen!" Arthur shut his eyes for a moment, causing the rest of the team to look at each other in confusion.
He abruptly opened his eyes. "Hello." Dimitri mouth-played dramatic music in the background. "My name is Clark Cluck Thompson. I was never chosen for this life. But it was either this or nuggets so I think I did okay."
Eva glanced at Connor who was stifling his laughter. Aaron didn't find it the least amusing.
"Fine. You're keeping it in your room though. I don't want bird droppings all over the place."
Allison, Arthur, and Dimitri looked at each other radiating happiness, and yelling in victory.
"Welcome to the team, Clark!" Allison said.
Chapter Twelve
Time passed as the team put away their supplies and like any other mission, met up in the Conference Room. They gathered around the table, and Aaron sat at the head.
"Alright. Before I explain our steps, I just want to say that I have made a decision and I hope you all are with me."
Eva furrowed her eyebrows. "Of course. What's going on?"
"As you all know, my father isn't the most..…" She paused. ". . . supportive."
The room was quiet before murmurs of agreement sounded out.
"Yep, not at all."
"Really? I didn't notice." Among other sayings.
"Okay, okay, everyone quiet down." Aaron looked directly at Connor, who faced her head on. "Connor, despite what the Director said, it's your choice as to what we do with your father. I will back you up, no matter what."
Connor's eyes widened with every word Aaron had said. Before he could respond, Eva butted in. "Same goes for me. I care more about you than that pesky Director." She looked at Aaron. "Sorry."
Aaron nodded.
"We will back you up too, Connor." The twins simultaneously nodded.
"As will I. You're like a brother to me." Allison inputted, her green eyes sparkling.
Connor was taken aback. "Thank you, guys . . . I don't know what to say." He looked down.
"Don't say anything, just when you decide, tell us your verdict." Aaron declared, smiling at him.
Connor nodded, and the meeting continued. Aaron brought up a three- dimensional screen, making a man appear. His hair was brown and he had a well- structured face.
"This is James. He used to work for us before an incident happened and he left the agency. Don't ask me how he did so, I don't know." She swiped the screen. "We're heading back to the town where Eva lived. Coincidentally, he lives in the same part of town."
Eva leaned back in her chair, raising an eyebrow. "That's weird."
The figure of the green-eyed man spun around and a digital page appeared. The words 'Xenia Proposal' appeared. Aaron waved a hand towards the page.
"This is everything Headquarters has on the subject. It's not a lot, as Mr. Hale shut down his project almost as soon as it began. The reasons for that are unknown."
Connor leaned in towards the screen, trying to read the words. "What is this project anyway?"
"James Hale created this project to force make mutants. Mutants of all types such as ones that can help, create, or fight." Arthur responded.
"We don't have a lot of information, but hopefully James can answer our questions." Dimitri included.
Aaron crossed her arms. "So, here's the game plan. We're going to his house, hopefully he'll be home and we tell him our situation."
Eva hesitated, as they continued to talk and butted in. "Can we pass by my old apartment? I know no one remembers me, but I just . . ."
"I understand. His house is near yours, so we'll pass by there on the way." Aaron assured.
~
The sun was still in the sky, though already starting its descent. The sound of traffic and people moving about the city were background noise, the patter of footsteps thundering over everything else. A brick building loomed ahead, daunting. Memories surfaced unwillingly, some good . . . others bad. The walkway was cracked and faded, looking more like a path to death than one to home. The building’s front lawn was overrun by weeds, unplanned flowers growing. At the entrance, a nice garnet welcome mat sat, dirty from use. Reaching the building, Eva took a deep brea
th, pushing open the door and entering. Looking around, the room was just as she remembered.
The wooden floors clean but not shining, their dark brown color contrasting with the pastel yellow of the walls. Beautiful potted plants decorated the space with no sense of order, as if they had just been placed randomly. A grey couch to her right, worn with old age. Its tears fixed neatly but loose, as if they were stitched closed by hand. Straight ahead was a staircase, which led to the apartments above. To her left a rocking chair, occupied by a face she hadn’t seen in years. Ms. Rocky looked almost the same as the last time Eva saw her, except for a few more wrinkles than before. Her white locks pulled into a bun, a single strand falling in her light blue eyes. She was wearing black pants and a blue blouse, with black penny loafers.
Her eyes were watching Eva as she took everything in, wondering why such a young girl came into her building. Slowly walking toward Ms. Rocky, Eva saw kindness and caring in the old lady’s wide, welcoming eyes. Ms. Rocky was slowly swaying in her chair, eyes never leaving Eva’s form.
“Can I help you, little lady?”
Eva smiled gently. “Yes, I wanted to ask about the apartment upstairs.”
Ms. Rocky’s brows furrowed, lips coming out slightly. “I’m sorry, that apartment has been taken already.”
Eva forced herself to keep still, refusing to fidget. “May I ask by whom?”
Ms. Rocky raised a brow, hesitating. “A nice couple, who’ve been together for a long time. They have a kid on the way. Why do you ask?”
“No real reason, I was just curious about who was lucky enough to get it.”
Ms. Rocky laughed, relaxing in her chair. “It isn’t one of the best apartments, if I am being honest.”
Eva smiled weakly, a wistful look in her eyes. “But it can be a great home… Have a good day, ma’am.”
Turning on her heel, she briskly walked out of the building to Ms. Rocky’s confused farewells. She didn’t stop until she had gotten across the street, taking a deep breath. Looking back, Eva took one last glance at her old life. She realized that while she missed what the apartment meant to her, safety and shelter, she didn’t miss the loneliness in the memories she had made there.
