Twisted

by J. L. Meyrick

  “Get changed.” A simple order set Liliana’s heart racing a little. She had been exercising and preparing for the mission, yet the idea of fighting Yates still made her nervous. She still had some bruises from their last training session, after all.

  A moment later, Liliana was in her fighting gear, minus the suit, of course. Yates had arranged some slim fitting clothes, the perfect stretchy material for training and fighting. They covered her from neck to ankle, but they was breathable and cool. Yates stood on the mat across from Liliana, wearing a matching outfit, the only difference being the headscarf Yates wore.

  Why was she more nervous about fighting Yates in a practice round than the mission tomorrow? She was in no real danger from Yates. But the way they stared down at her as they prepared for the sparring match was daunting, to say the least. Out of the corner of her eye, Liliana could see that Johnathon had joined them in the gym. He hesitated as he noticed they were about to fight, but then found a seat along the back wall and settled in to watch.

  Great, now I have an audience, Liliana thought to herself, wishing Johnathon hadn’t joined them. She didn’t have long to get annoyed with Johnathon before Yates launched into an attack. Liliana dodged the attack, sliding around to the side, letting Yates carry on past where she had been standing. As Liliana moved to the side, she twisted and threw her leg out to make contact. But Yates had moved out of reach too quickly.

  Liliana took a couple steps backwards to reassess quickly, then she launched into an attack of her own. Previously, she had been mainly defensive, but she wanted to try something different today, to work through the stress she was feeling. Yates had a brief look of surprise at her change in tactics but blocked her attacks easily.

  Liliana was consistently trying to land hits on Yates, punch after jab, but nothing was landing. Yates was blocking her while getting in a few jabs of their own. Liliana’s ribs were feeling the fight, she needed to make a move soon, otherwise Yates would have her on the mat again. She needed this win. An idea popped into her head, and it only took a split-second decision to follow through. Liliana threw a left-handed punch, knowing it wouldn’t land. As the punch was blocked, she dropped to one knee and hooked her right arm under Yates’s right leg and yanked, hard. That knocked Yates off their feet, taking their own hard fall onto the mat.

  Before Yates had a moment to get their feet back underneath them Liliana rolled them onto their front and pinned their arms behind their back. Climbing on top of them, Liliana used her feet to trap Yates’s legs, using everything she had to stop Yates from wriggling free of her hold.

  “Nice move!” Johnathon shouted from the sidelines.

  Yates nodded in agreement, motioning for Liliana to let them up again. Liliana stood and offered Yates a hand up. Pleased she could finally defeat Yates, she wasn’t ashamed to say she was a bit too proud of herself for the victory.

  “Yes, well done, Ms Masters,” Yates said, catching their breath. “You’ve improved nicely. Good tactics in the heat of battle.”

  “Thanks. I still couldn’t land a punch, though,” Liliana replied.

  “Fighting isn’t all about hitting. There are many methods to success,” Yates said. “You are good with problem solving, add that to the tech in your suit and you’re well prepared for tomorrow.” Liliana couldn’t help but puff out her chest a little in pride. It meant a lot to hear that from Yates; it helped to ease her stress about the mission. She might actually stand a chance of coming through this crazy plan.

  Chapter 26

  Liliana met Yates and Johnathon in the living room after a scoldingly hot shower, which was very much needed after her sparring match with Yates. They all needed to go over the plans one last time before the big day tomorrow. Liliana was both excited and stressed out by the impending deadline.

  “Sentinel is expecting an escape plan to happen the day of the move, which is why we will move in just before dawn tomorrow, a full twenty-four hours before he’s ready,” Liliana began the discussion. She checked the clock on the wall and noted the time. “We have twelve hours until the mission begins. We need to make sure everything is packed and ready and get some rest ourselves.”

  “We’ll all go in together, through the singular breach point,” Yates said, pointing at the underground car park they had spotted on their reconnaissance missions. “Then, we’ll split off into our designated positions. Once we have Mr Victor, we will make a hasty retreat. No fighting unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

  “That’s right, we don’t want any bloodshed. Max already has a poor reputation with everything that’s happened, we don’t want to make it worse,” Liliana agreed. If they could show that Max was harmless, even during a prison break, it would help his image.

  “Johnathon, your suit is ready for you.” Yates turned to Johnathon. “I admit, it doesn’t do too much, it doesn’t need to. But it will protect your identity.”

  “Thank you.” Johnathon was grateful for the effort Yates had gone to for him. “I have little in the way of family, but I want to protect what I do have.” He looked relieved yet prepared for the mission. Liliana was glad Johnathon had joined them but even happier to know that Johnathon had found a purpose. He had admitted to her he didn’t know what to do with himself, with his powers. This mission had given him a path forward.

  “If all goes well, we should be back here tomorrow morning with Max,” Liliana concluded. Then the fun would begin.

  *

  Rose knew something was going to happen. She felt it in her gut. Liliana was planning something and it was about to go down. She wasn’t going to wait until moving day to make a move. She wasn’t that stupid. The stress was getting to be too much, waiting to hear what she had done, if they had captured her. Rose loved Max; she knew he was a good guy down to his soul. But this was too much. Liliana was going to go too far, she just knew it.

  Rose sat in her living room, watching the news, just waiting for the story to break. An attempted prison break, perpetrators captured, soon to be named. She picked up her phone and opened her contacts to Liliana’s number, sorely tempted to call her to put a stop to whatever she was planning.

  But as soon as she would make that call, she would put a massive target on both their backs. Liliana was only suspected right now. If Rose tried to stop her, her guilt would be confirmed. And they would take Rose down with her.

  She had to leave Liliana to her choices if she were to have any chances of success. Rose hated it, she felt next to useless. She sat hunched forward over her phone, stuck in her indecision, heart and mind telling her different things. Oblivious to her surroundings as she fought with her conflicting emotions.

  She didn’t hear the window crack open behind her, or the soft steps on her thick carpet. She didn’t notice the figure looming over her as she stared at her phone, willing Liliana to make the right decision without her input.

  Just as she started to gain awareness of her surroundings and think something wasn’t quite right, the world went dark, and she slid into unconsciousness. The figure lifted her limp body and snuck back out of the apartment, Rose’s neighbours none the wiser.

  *

  “Is everything packed?” Yates asked, standing in the middle of several packs spread around the living room, checklist in hand.

  “It would appear so,” Liliana replied as she dropped the last bag. “Do we actually need all of this stuff?”

  Considering they were aiming for a stealthy in-and-out job, they were taking a lot with them. Thankfully, there was a spacious van tucked away in the garage below them to use.

  “Some of it is for the mission, some of it is in case we get separated from the base after the mission. Overly cautious, I know, but better safe than sorry,” Yates explained.

  “So, we’re packing for the worst-case scenario?” Johnathon asked.

  “No, worst-case scenario is we’re all captured and locked up alongside Max,” Liliana answered.

  “I’m trying my hardest not to picture that,” Jo
hnathon replied, his face going a little pale at the thought of being behind bars. It would be bad enough for Liliana and Yates, but Johnathon’s powers would set him apart in prison. They would keep him beyond supermax. The Supers themselves would see to his incarceration. That wouldn’t be fun at all.

  “Let’s load the van up, try to keep our minds off that thought, shall we?” Yates said, bringing Liliana and Johnathon out of their dark thoughts for a little while longer.

  They all grabbed as many bags as they could carry and loaded up the van, what might be their home for a while after they completed the mission. Of course, they hoped they would get back here with no issue. But when you have the Supers involved, things could easily get messy.

  Once they finished, they all collapsed on the sofa back in the living room. The van had been spacious when they started, but if there were going to be four of them bunched in, it was going to be a tight squeeze.

  “It feels like we’re forgetting something,” Liliana said, staring up at the high ceiling from her position on the sofa.

  “I always feel like that before a mission,” Yates replied. They often made comments like that, almost enticing Liliana to ask about their past.

  “Have you been on many missions?” Johnathon asked, having the courage Liliana clearly didn’t have.

  “A few,” Yates replied, raising their eyebrows at Johnathon’s prying question. “I had a fairly unconventional upbringing compared to you two.”

  Liliana sat up, wondering if she was finally going to hear some details of Yates’s mysterious past. She wasn’t even sure if Max was brave enough to ask questions.

  “What sort of missions?” Johnathon was stupid or brave, or both. Liliana couldn’t decide.

  “Oh, this and that. Deliveries, collections, anything really,” Yates replied. Their eyes glinted mischievously, hinting at the level of detail they were leaving out to their answers.

  “Are you going to give us any details?” Johnathon pried once more.

  “Maybe one day,” Yates answered before hesitating a little. “But I will say this.” They leant forward, drawing Johnathon and Liliana’s attention in. Liliana sat up and gave Yates her full attention.

  “This isn’t the first time I’ve been on a mission to save Mr Victor. In fact, it’s how we first met.”

  “Oh! You can’t leave it at that!” Liliana exclaimed, jaw dropping at what they could mean.

  “Mr Victor got himself in a spot of trouble. They sent me to sort it out,” Yates replied, not giving any details away. “Although, my employer at the time wasn’t too pleased with how I sorted it out. He wanted a more permanent solution.”

  “He wanted Max dead?” Liliana asked, enthralled by Yates’s tale. “What did Max do?”

  “He may have flirted with the wrong person’s wife,” Yates replied, smirking a little. “But that’s all I’ll say on the matter.”

  She couldn’t believe it. Max flirted with a woman and almost got himself killed. She loved him, but he was an idiot sometimes.

  “What made you decide to let him live?” She couldn’t help but ask more questions. Yates just smiled as they reminisced about their first meeting with Max.

  “We had a friendly conversation. He made some good points and offered me a job,” Yates replied. “He can be a smooth talker when he really wants to be.”

  “That he can,” Liliana laughed. She finally felt relaxed, just what she needed before the mission tomorrow. She glanced over at the clock high on the wall. “It’s getting late, we need to get some sleep before tomorrow.”

  She stood and said goodnight to Johnathon and Yates. She could tell Johnathon wanted to ask more questions. He had the true soul of a reporter, always wanting more details. Liliana, on the other hand, had learnt when the right time for questions was, and when to let go.

  As she climbed into bed, she thought of the letter Max had written to her before they caught him. She pulled it out of the bedside table, kept safe. She read the words again, for the hundredth time since she had received the letter.

  Pouring over Max’s words, she couldn’t help but wish he were already there with her. He felt so close, yet so far away. She pictured Max locked up a couple of miles away from her. Perhaps he was lying in bed as well, thinking about her. She wished she could tell him she still loved him, that she believed him. Instead, he believed that she had thrown him aside after the fight. Her chest hurt with the thought that she had broken his heart. Not long left now, she thought, wishing Max to hear her as well.

  Chapter 27

  “Oh Maxie, this is no time to sleep,” Sentinel called through the bars of the prison cell.

  “What do you want?” Max grumbled, sitting up from his tiny bed. “It’s the middle of the night.”

  “I just wanted to check in and see how you were doing,” Sentinel replied, false positivity running through his words.

  “Same as always. Locked up for doing the right thing,” Max replied with the same tone, just trying to annoy Sentinel.

  They stood opposite each other, only the bars separating them. But they both knew that wouldn’t stop Sentinel if he really wanted to get in. Max stood there in the typical bright-orange prison jumpsuit; Sentinel stood proudly in his costume.

  “I think we can debate that, can’t we?” Sentinel replied, trying to seem taller than Max against the bars. “I would say your beloved public would say you’re right where you belong.”

  “That’s because you’ve brainwashed them, Sentinel,” Max replied. “We’ve been through this time and time again. You know the truth; you just won’t let them see it.”

  “Are you still clinging to that? You’re alone in your thinking,” Sentinel said. He was trying to taunt Max into an argument again.

  “The truth? I will always cling to the truth, as long as I have breath I will shout it to anyone that will listen,” Max replied, knowing full well what Sentinel was trying to do. But this was his only way to fight back now. He had no way of escaping. No one was coming for him. Even Yates was powerless to help him in here.

  “No one’s listening to you anymore. Not even your precious Liliana,” Sentinel said, aiming where it truly hurt.

  Max had been heartbroken to hear that Liliana was moving on without him. He wouldn’t have believed Sentinel if he hadn’t seen the reports himself. The footage of her out enjoying herself with Rose. While he knew they would not date each other, he knew she had moved on; she didn’t believe him. He hated he had lost her, but if she was happy and safe, then he could live with what he had done. It killed him to know he would never see her again. But he just wanted Liliana to be safe. If Sentinel believed their fight to be over, then maybe he wouldn’t go after her again.

  If only Max hadn’t slipped up the other week, then maybe Sentinel wouldn’t have figured out who he was. Sentinel was watching the Mayor’s speech. He had heard what Max had said. Then, when they fought later that day, Max had slipped and repeated himself, allowing Sentinel to put two and two together. If Max had worked out who Sentinel really was, then maybe he could have beaten Sentinel at his own game.

  Maybe someday he would be exposed for what he truly was, a power-hungry dictator. Max hoped someone else would carry on with his work, whoever they may be. He needed to be stopped before he controlled the entire city. Once he had the city, it wouldn’t be long before he moved his sights to a higher seat of power. Of course, he had been recruiting for his new Taskforce. Max still believed that the Supers needed to be stopped.

  “If only Liliana had her own powers. Then I’m sure I could find a place for her on my team,” Sentinel carried on, trying to rile Max up.

  “Just because she doesn’t believe in me anymore doesn’t mean she would believe in you,” Max replied.

  “Are you so sure about that?” Sentinel jabbed. “Your betrayal might have swayed her to my side. You don’t know what’s been happening the last couple of days. We’ve had some pleasant chats.”

  “You’ve spoken to Liliana?” Max grabbed
the bars and pulled himself closer to Sentinel.

  “Yes, well, I had to be sure she wasn’t harbouring a secret plan to get you out when we move you tomorrow, of course,” Sentinel replied, happy to have Max listening intently.

  “Is she ok?”

  “She’s adamantly against you, you know,” Sentinel said with a smug smile. “Enough, maybe, for us to grow a little closer, perhaps.”

  “Don’t you go anywhere near her,” Max growled through the bars. The idea of the two of them together was abhorrent.

  “It can’t be helped if she falls into my open arms, heartbroken by your actions,” Sentinel teased. He was enjoying their conversation far too much. “She’s had a villain, why not a hero?”

  Max thrust his arms through the bars, trying to reach Sentinel, who stepped back just enough to be out of reach. He laughed at Max’s attempt to stop him. He got what he wanted, a worked-up Max, angry at his words.

  “Keep your lying hands off of her!” Max yelled, frustrated that he couldn’t reach Sentinel. He was powerless behind the bars.

  Sentinel just chuckled at the agony he had caused before walking off, leaving Max to shout after him, unable to do anything about his situation. After Sentinel had left Max’s sight and he was once again all alone, he couldn’t help but break.

  Max collapsed to his knees, tears streaming down his face. He wished he still had Liliana by his side. He should have been honest with her from the start, then he wouldn’t have lost her. He crumbled as he realised he would never see her brilliant smile again, never feel her healing hugs, never be able to enjoy her company.

  *

  Coffee was everywhere once all three of them were awake. Waking up while the city below them still slumbered, dreaming random thoughts, required a lot of caffeine. Despite the sheer amount they had prepared and packed the afternoon before, there was still a mad rush to get ready to head out.