"Got it."
"I'll double back and pick up Indigo. Once the alarms are dead, we'll launch the animals. They'll serve as a distraction while Indy and I bust in and grab Andy and Sarah. Then, we shut down as much of the base as we can. I'm sure I can figure out a way to blow some building boilers if we can find them. Let's make it impossible for them to track us and do a little damage to their whole operation."
"Then what?" asked Holly.
"Then we get out and run to the hills."
"I meant about Posey."
John sighed and looked down. "I don't have any notion of how to find Posey, Hol'. I think she may be gone. I mean gone for good."
"So we just leave Posey? Just forget about her?"
"If she wants to come back, she will. Until that happens, we're kind of in a tough spot, aren't we?" said Indigo. "It's not like we can force her to be here. It's not like we can just summon her back to us."
"In case you all have forgotten, we're the only family we have anymore. Our parents, our siblings, they're all dead! I'm not just going to let Posey go, too!"
"Holly, this is a subject for another time and another place. Posey is untraceable right now. We know exactly where Andy and Sarah are."
"Fine." Holly sat back and folded her arms across her chest.
"Has everyone eaten enough?"
Kenny glanced at the table, a disaster of wrappers and empty cups. "I have."
"Then let's get back on the road. They won't be expecting us to hit them during daylight and we can probably get back to the Home within the hour and scout out where our hits will be."
Andy could feel the goop loosening. The cold was lessening. His arms and legs were beginning to tingle with the sickly pain of frostbite. He watched Sarah in the nurses' station and patiently waited for a moment to break free of his prison. He could feel anger in his gut, and he wanted to release that anger all over the monkeys who taunted him while he was frozen. He couldn't move, but he heard their insults. He was absolutely aching to smash some faces. Given the size of his mutated fists, one punch would do it. Thinking of that cheered him a little.
Now that the pain had stopped burning through him, Andy was able to reflect on his new abilities and savor the memories of actually uprooting a tree and tossing a car like he was something out of a comic book; he actually began to enjoy his lumpy, misshapen form, to see the bright side to it. He'd always been a somewhat heavyset; it was nice to finally have an excuse for being a fat guy other than just being lazy and having a weakness for Ring-Dings and Mallomars.
He tentatively flexed his fingers. It hurt to curl them, but he was starting to gain movement. The jelly, cold and oily between his fingers, was losing its solidity slowly but surely.
Andy started to take stock of the room: Two guards stood by the large garage doors, one on each side, each armed with an AK. A guard sat on a stool by the door. He was armed, but the gun was on the ground next to him. A pair of grease-monkeys were rooting in the engine of a Jeep, occasionally taking out parts and pausing to light new cigarettes.
Andy knew he'd need to act quickly once his movement came back. He looked for something to throw. If he could throw something big enough, he could take out the two guards by the door and then rush the other guard, hopefully hitting him before he had time to take out his gun. He could probably throw the crate that held an air conditioning unit. It was right next to him. It would take out the guards if he could bowl it through the both of them. Then he could charge the lackey whose gun was on the ground. He wondered if he'd be able to make his legs move fast enough.
He looked over at Sarah. She could move fast enough. There was no doubt to that. When she first engaged her newfound abilities, Andy had watched as she blinked out of existence, moving too fast to register with his eyes, he had marveled at the swath of destruction she had left. She could do the damage necessary at speed, but how could he tell her?
His knees were stinging and his thighs began to burn. He gritted his teeth and shifted his weight. His left leg moved forward ever so slightly. The thaw was starting to go faster. He inhaled hard through his nostrils. Warm, wet air filled his lungs. It felt better than the cold, sterile air the nose-tubes had been feeding him. He felt stronger instantly. He pulled his leg again and found it easier to move in the goo.
Andy looked up and locked eyes with Sarah. She had seen him move. In an instant, Sarah opened the door of the nurses' station. She walked forward and pressed her hands to the Plexiglas. "Can you move?"
Andy took in another deep breath. He nodded slowly.
"Then we do this and we do it fast. We hit this place like a ton of bricks and we get the hell out. Sound good?"
Andy nodded again. Sarah smiled. "I've got the three guys with guns. You hit the mechanics." Andy took several sharp breaths and he lifted his hand and pulled the oxygen tube out of his nose.
Sarah snapped into action. In a blink, she went from one guard to the next and knocked all three unconscious. Andy dragged his feet from the goop that surrounded him and grabbed the oxygen machine. He bored his thick fingers into the top of the metal and bowled the machine toward the mechanics. It smashed into their legs before they could dodge and tumbled to the ground. As they struggled to get up, Sarah suddenly appeared between them. She grabbed the backs of their heads and racked their skulls together.
"Wow! That was a little Rambo of you, wasn't it?" Andy coughed out. His voice crackled and he spat out clear ooze.
Sarah winked at him. "I guess it was." She retreated back to the nurses' station and brought out a towel. "Here. Let me get that gunk off of you." Andy dropped his head and Sarah laid the towel over him. She began to slough off the remainder of the foam residue. "Thanks for coming back for me...you big idiot."
"I am nothing if not a hulking moron."
Sarah traced her finger over the veins in Andy's shoulder. Her touch was warm through the residue. Andy looked over at her hand. "I guess I look like a big freak, don't I?"
"I can't believe what they did to you."
"It wasn't so bad; I could barely feel the cold. I just couldn't move."
"No," said Sarah. "I mean, what they turned you into. Have you seen yourself?"
"Not really, but I can tell that I look like something hideous."
"You're like the Incredible Hulk."
"No. More like the Thing. The Hulk would eventually turn back into Dr. Banner. The Thing had to stay hideous. I'm the Thing."
Sarah reached up and took Andy's face in her hands. "You're still Andy. You'll never stop being Andy. And Andy was beautiful to me."
"Thanks, Sarah. Really." Andy dropped his face and his eyes met hers. There was a long, awkward pause. Neither knew what to say. Andy felt himself blushing. He wondered if blushing still looked the same now that he was a genetic freak. "Is this the part where we're supposed to kiss? Because I'm willing to bet someone, somewhere saw what just happened on some kind of camera and all hell is about to break loose."
"Then we'll make it quick," said Sarah. She leaned up on her tip-toes and touched her lips to Andy's. "We need to talk once this is over."
"Why?"
"Because I love you," said Sarah.
"Sounds good to me," said Andy. "Are you sure?"
Overhead, the alarm klaxons began to sound. "As sure as I'm sure we're going to be in a world of trouble in a few seconds."
"Bring it on," said Andy. "Nothing like a little life-threatening danger to make you feel alive."
"Do you love me?" asked Sarah.
"Since the first second I saw you."
"If we weren't about to be assaulted by a small army, I would kiss you again."
"You ready to run, Fleet-feet?"
"You ready to bash through a door?"
"Let's do this." Andy lowered his head and charged the corrugated steel garage door.
Finding a space to put Kenny over the wall was the easy part, as the main part of the base was anchored at the side of small cliff. Pine trees were thick on the hillside a
nd moving between them offered plenty of cover. There was an occasional patrol of two guards, but they were easy enough to avoid. John was able to lead Kenny over the hill to a spot where a pine tree offered a few low-hanging boughs to climb up, move out along a limb, and allow Kenny to leap and make it over the razor wire curls above the ten foot chain-link. Kenny landed hard and awkwardly, but if he was hurt, he didn't show it. John tossed him a Beretta and then passed two clips of ammo through the fence.
"Remember what I said: Don't panic, breathe deep, and only shoot if you intend to kill."
Kenny jammed one clip into the gun and cocked it. The other clip went into his pocket.
"Make sure the safety is on," said John. "I don't want to see you jam that thing into your pants gangster-style and blow off your twig-and-berries."
"Good thinking." Kenny double-checked the safety.
"You know where you're going?"
"I will. I'll have to use my powers a bit to trace the signal feeds to a source box, but I'll find it and I'll hit it."
"Don't go overboard. Only do as much as you have to do; I don't want to see you fry your brain over this. Just take care of the alarms and get out."
Down the fence line, a cherry red light sitting atop a fence pole began swirling as if cued from John's line. "Is that an alarm?"
"I think it is," said Kenny.
"Did we set it off?"
"I don't think so."
"Are you sure?"
"No, but I really don't think we did. We didn't touch anything that could have triggered an alarm and I don't see any cameras out here."
"Damn!" John punched the tree in frustration. "Go! Run! Stay low and don't get your head blown off!"
"I'm going!" Kenny turned and started running, his awkward gait carrying him stiffly over the terrain.
"Stay low!"
"I can't run and stay low! You just do what you have to do! Don't worry about me! I'm a big boy. I can take care of myself." Kenny disappeared in the pine trees.
John turned on his heel and started a flat-out sprint. His muscles began to process oxygen more efficiently, his breathing slowed, and his body became a machine. He moved with a fluid grace. He'd left Holly and Indigo on a hillside just outside of the main gates of the compound, hidden in the thick scrub. From there, Holly was supposed to gather her "army" and Indigo was supposed to lay low until John returned.
If the alarms were going off and he and Kenny hadn't tripped them, then it meant that Indigo and Holly were spotted, or Sarah or Andy was doing something stupid. Either way, it greatly affected John's plans and complicated his life to a degree he had hoped to avoid.
In moments, John had broken from the forest edge and saw Indigo crouched behind a bush watching for him. She shrugged and pointed at the base. John stopped running and looked over at the walls. The alarm was still blaring and he could see soldiers mobilizing.
John gestured for her to stay where she was. He made the break across the open field toward the hill and sprinted to the top.
"We didn't do a thing!" Indigo said.
"It's got to be Andy or Sarah then. We've got to move fast. Where's Holly?"
"She's off gathering creatures like you told her to. She said there wasn't anything near the base. She had to go off into the woods and the fields around town here. She's been gone about five minutes."
"We can't wait for her. You and I will have to do this ourselves."
"What do we do then?"
John held up the gun. "I'll go hit it as hard as I can through the front door. You stay down until I tell you to come. If you see me go down, don't be a hero: I want you to get out of Dodge like the devil is after you. Go blend in somewhere and hide. Have a normal life."
"Seriously?"
"As normal as you can make it. If you have to go, try to use your powers as little as possible. Just do what you have to do to get by."
John sprinted down the hill as fast as he could. It was roughly two hundred yards to the guard post by the front gates. There were two soldiers guarding the entrance with rifles. They were facing away from the entrance, though, looking in toward the center of the complex instead. They didn't see John coming. It only took him fifteen seconds to close the gap from the hill to the entrance. His footsteps were so light and so quick that by the time one of the guards heard him coming, John was already airborne with a flying kick. He buried his foot into the neck of the first guard while he reached out with his hands and ripped the rifle from the hands of the second guard before he could pull the trigger. John landed lightly and swept the butt of the gun up and into the guard's chin. Both men were unconscious.
John slung the rifle across his back. He gestured to Indigo and she made her way down the hill quickly. The two of them slipped into the compound and sprinted for the nearest cover: a jeep just inside the entrance. They slid underneath the vehicle and Indigo rolled under the rear axle. John slipped the rifle off and handed it to her.
"I won't kill, John."
"I know. Wait here. If anyone spots you, blow out their kneecaps."
"I hate guns."
"You didn't mind the handgun I gave you last night."
"That was before I had to look into the eyes of the two men I killed. Now I hate guns."
"You hate dying more, right?"
"I suppose."
"Shoot 'em in the kneecaps. If they're still idiot enough to pull a sidearm, shoot them in the hands, too."
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to find Andy and Sarah."
A jeep suddenly burst into view from behind the edge of a building. It was flying end-over-end through the air and smashed into the ground sending bits of metal and asphalt flying.
Indigo looked at John with wide eyes. "That'd be Andy, I'm guessing."
"Stay alert," said John. He pulled himself out from beneath the jeep and headed toward the sounds of battle.
Kenny made his way down the rocky terrain as best he could, though it felt like he was crawling instead of running. He accessed his power slightly, searching for signals. The familiar tickle of data processing through his brain was euphoric. He wanted to sit and indulge it. He let a few websites crawl through his brain before he could stop himself, and then had to refocus to find the source of the alarm signal. It was coming from a small, square building in the most remote corner of the compound. The data stream from the building was like a flashing arrow pointing out its location. His brain reveled in the flow of information. Kenny didn't want to stop the data streams and it took him several seconds to push it out of his mind. The instant he did, a dull ache began at his temples, reminding him of the price he had to pay for using his ability.
Kenny came to the edge of a small cliff. He sat on the edge and pushed himself down the steep incline. He had intended to drop to a foothold and slow his descent, but the speed of his fall was too great. He missed the jutting rock he'd intended to grab and slid the length of the steep, sandstone cliff, slamming into the ground at the bottom. He felt something pop in his ankle. It was slight, only a sprain, but it still hurt like crazy and hampered him even more.
He stood on one leg for a moment, shaking his injured foot to take away the sting. Then, half-hopping, half-limping, he angled for the communications center as quickly as he could. Each time his right leg touched the ground, pain shot up his leg. The expanse of ground between the cliff and the communications building was wide open but exposed to the guard post at the north end of the complex. Kenny checked the tower. There was a guard in there, but he appeared to be sighting down his rifle at some sort of activity in the compound. Too lucky, Kenny thought. He limped to the nearest door and put his hand on the card reader on the wall. He discharged a data stream and the light on the door blinked from red to green. Kenny slipped inside unnoticed.
Once inside, the central control almost screamed his name. The flow of electricity and signal practically illuminated the path to the computer core of the base like neon road signs. Kenny tip-toed down a hallway toward a metal
blast door. The door was locked with a computer-controlled lock. Kenny put his hand over the control pad and separated the lock with his powers. Sweat burst on his forehead and the pain in his head became intense. He felt weak in the knees. The doors opened and Kenny almost fell into the room beyond. A single guard manning a computer turned and saw him. The soldier leapt to his feet, sending his flimsy chair flying.
"Stand down!" the guard yelled, fumbling for a weapon on his belt.
Kenny slipped his hand into the waist of his jeans and pulled the Beretta. "You stand down."
The guard froze, and then slowly raised his hands. "Don't do anything stupid, kid. Face facts---you ain't getting out of her alive, you know. Might as well just lay down the gun and give up."
The gun in Kenny's hand felt like it weighed fifty pounds. His arm was straining just to hold it level. "Get on the ground. Put your face to the floor," Kenny said. He was trying to remember all the dialogue he'd ever heard in cop movies and TV shows. The guard slowly got to his knees and laid face-down on the ground. "Which of these controls the security around this place?"
"As if I'd tell you."
"Good point. Then I guess I don't need you," said Kenny. He cocked the pistol and aimed it at the guard.
"You wouldn't. Look at how you're shaking," the guard said. He pushed himself up on one elbow. "You don't got the stones, kid."
Kenny lowered the pistol. "You're probably right. I'm not a killer."
The guard started to slide a hand slowly toward the holster at his side. "Just lay down, kid. It's over."
"I'm not a killer," Kenny repeated. "But, I think I might be a kicker." He swept his leg forward and put the toe of his shoe into the guard's teeth. The guard rolled with the kick, spinning away but spitting blood and teeth. He started to pull his weapon but Kenny was faster, following up with a second kick to his wrist, sending the pistol sliding across the room and under a cart laden with servers.
"You little bastard!" The guard spat a thick glob of blood and saliva. He had a gap in his mouth where several teeth used to be. "I'm gonna tear you apart with my bare hands!"
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