Secrets

by Shannon Pemrick

  Rylan nodded. “I understand.”

  Shva’sika cleared her throat. “If I may make a suggestion. I believe the dragons could be a great deal of use. They’re a hardy race and as Raikidan has proven, even in a human form, they’re quite resilient. I believe some shamans could also be of use. Guards especially are strong and many have elemental ability. Other elemental shaman would be excellent at causing destruction. We may try to keep ourselves in check but we will never deny how dangerous the elements are.”

  Genesis nodded slowly. “The dragons I can agree to if they wish to help with this. The shamans I’m not so sure. I know most of you hide your identities rather well, and I’m not doubting you could handle yourselves out there, but this is a battle and there’s a huge risk of casualties, even with the type of bullet proof armor we have at our disposal. We’re taking a big risk creating this confrontation in the first place.”

  Shva’sika smiled. “We’re a proud people. Death doesn’t scare most of us and we’re willing to die for what we believe in, just like any of you.”

  “Very well. I assume you’ll want to inform them,” Genesis said.

  “I think that would be wise. I’ll be able to tell the dragons at the same time since most are sharing living quarters with shamans,” Shva’sika said.

  Genesis nodded again. “I’ll leave that up to you then.”

  “When will this go down?” Raid asked. “I doubt by how calm you are this is happening later tonight.”

  “You’d be correct,” Genesis said. “We’re going to do this tomorrow night. That way we know everyone is accounted for and there are little potential surprises waiting for us.”

  “So, Argus,” Ryoko began, “is there anything else you and Laz uncovered that could give us a hand in this battle that wasn’t related to the discovery of this manufacturing plant?”

  Argus grinned. “I’m glad you asked. I’ve been working pretty hard on some of the plans I found and one of them I’m pretty sure you’re going to like, Ryoko.” He reached under the coffee table and grabbed a bag he had brought in with him earlier. The first thing he pulled out was a pair of enormous metal gauntlets. “You can thank Eira for these gauntlets. They were one of the better finds.”

  Ryoko took one and looked it over. “They look cool. What do they do?”

  “Put it on and flex your hand,” he instructed.

  Ryoko slipped the gauntlet on and flexed her hand as instructed. We all watched in amazement as sparks of electricity crackled around the palm of the gauntlet every time she closed her hand.

  Blaze got all excited. “Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about!”

  “This is really cool,” Ryoko said. “How does it work?”

  “Attached to the glove is a canister stored with electrical energy. It’s released when a plate in the palm of the glove is touched. The plate is sensitive, so the smallest movement can activate it. I can’t take all the credit for this though. Shva’sika deserves a lot of recognition. She helped me work out a way to charge the storage canister since the original plans had no stable way of creating it on its own.”

  Ryoko looked at Shva’sika. “Really?”

  Shva’sika smiled. “Thanks to the way my ability manifests, I can sense electric potentials in objects. I also store my energy in my body so I’ve got firsthand knowledge on how it works.”

  Ryoko grinned. “Cool.” She then turned to Argus. “You said these gloves can’t make the electricity on their own, so that means they have a set amount of charges, right?”

  Argus nodded. “We’re still working on a way for the gauntlets to produce their own electricity, but for now you’ll have to use them sparingly.”

  “So can I use one?” Ryoko asked hopefully.

  Argus smiled. “I’d be happy if you did.” He then tossed one to Blaze. “And you too. I made two different sizes on purpose since I only had time to make two.”

  “Did you make anything else?” I asked.

  He nodded. “I was able to make one other thing in the short amount of time I had. Well, improve upon something existing, really.” We watched as he pulled out two communicators from the bag. “The military was working on some advanced features for the communicators. Many of them were useless, but two in particular turned out to be quite interesting.” He held the communicator out toward me. “Eira, would you mind helping me demonstrate?”

  “Uh, sure,” I said, taking it. “What do you want me to do?”

  “When I call you, I want you to press that oval-shaped blue button next to the tone dial,” he instructed.

  I nodded. He stood up and walked to another area of the room. When he called, I answered it and a projection of Argus appeared in front of me. It wasn’t the best hologram I’d ever seen, but it was easy to figure out it was him.

  “Whoa,” Ryoko breathed.

  “Cool, right?” Argus said. “Eira, if you could, please click the blue button again and then face the communicator away from you and press the red button.”

  I nodded and did as he asked. When Ryoko gasped, I spun my head to look back at Argus. His communicator was projecting an image of the room on the wall. But it wasn’t just an image. It looked like Genesis and Ryoko, and they were moving. A video feed? I turned the communicator and the feed followed in real time. Video feeds were slightly different than moving holograms. Unlike holograms, which could only show one object at a time, video feeds were able to capture large areas. It was technology few had access to, mostly just news stations and the military, and they usually required larger equipment to function properly.

  “Now that’s even cooler,” Ryoko said.

  “How come Eira’s side isn’t projecting anything?” Raid questioned.

  Argus grinned. “Glad you asked, because I’ll be able to explain how these work as well. Using wavelength technology, science theories, and the proper mathematical equations, I was able to engineer a sensor that acts as a beacon and converter for sound waves. The sensor is capable of detecting two types of distinct signals that come from each projection mode, and by triangulating the exact—”

  “Uh, Argus,” I interrupted.

  He looked at me. “Yeah?”

  “That doesn’t make any sense to us,” I said.

  “Yeah, speak dumb-person, please!” Ryoko begged.

  Argus laughed nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry about that, I guess I got a little carried away there.”

  “We’ll I’m not sure what they’re talking about,” Seda joked. “It was perfectly clear to me.”

  Ryoko snorted. “Then why don’t you go have your smart-people party elsewhere?”

  Shva’sika giggled. “Argus, how about if you try to explain in it a much simpler way, instead.”

  Argus nodded. “I’ll try. Basically, I’ve installed a sensor that can send and receive images and live feeds. The sensors are currently only one-way, so only one person can work the projection at a time, requiring some coordination. Whoever activates the feed sensor first in the conversation will get the active projection. I’m hoping to figure out a way to change this soon.”

  “That’s pretty impressive,” Shva’sika complimented. “I think this advancement is an excellent find.”

  Genesis nodded. “I agree. How many have you made, Argus?”

  “Just these two, I’m afraid,” he admitted. “Naturally, they were more complicated to work on than the gauntlets. But they do interface just fine with the ordinary communicators.”

  Genesis nodded again. “That’s fine. I want you to help Eira on her end of the assignment, so I believe two will suffice for now.”

  Argus nodded and then looked at me. “I’ll give you my portable computer and teach you how to use it, so you can hack into any computer systems and grab valuable information.”

  “Okay,” I said. What
else could I say? I doubted I’d be able to use the device properly, but it didn’t hurt to try.

  “Now, does anyone have any questions?” Genesis asked. When no one replied, she nodded. “Good. I’ll let you all prepare in any way you need. And if any questions should come up, I’ll be in my room.”

  We watched her leave before going about our own business. Argus tapped me on the shoulder and I followed him back to his room so he could try, and likely fail, to get me to understand how his computer worked.

  Rylan and I waited in silence on top of a building. No one else had shown up for our end of the assignment yet, but I wasn’t going to worry, since the others executing the distraction hadn’t reported in. Instead, I played with the night vision mode of my communicator that Argus had implemented last minute, and Rylan watched with amusement.

  “We’re in position on the south side of the compound,” Ryoko called in.

  “We’re still getting ready on the northeast,” someone replied. “But we’ll be ready shortly.”

  “Rylan and I are the only ones here for the infiltration,” I said. “Let’s hope the others make it here soon, because I’m limited with what I’m able to carry.”

  “We are here,” a woman replied back. “You’re the one who isn’t here.”

  Rylan and I looked at each other before I spoke again. “Uh, I’m pretty sure I’m waiting on the east side of the compound.”

  “East side? The building is on the west side,” she argued.

  “No, it’s on the east,” Rylan corrected.

  “Wow, really guys?” Ryoko chimed in. “This assignment is off to an amazing start already.”

  “Shut your mouth, Brute,” the woman spat.

  “And you watch your tongue,” I growled. “Or I’ll be cutting it out.”

  “If you do, Eira, I wouldn’t mind having it,” Raikidan chimed in. “Human tongues make for a nice stew ingredient.”

  I could hear a bunch of amused laughter from the two distraction groups, and I couldn’t help be amused myself.

  Of course the woman was far from happy. “Can we get back to the matter at hand?”

  “We could if you’d admit you were on the wrong side of the camp.” Rylan and I ducked when a large light shone up near us, and I kept my voice low when it went away. “Then we could actually start this assignment. This place is crawling with soldiers.”

  “The correct location is on the West side. If I have to I’ll even call the Council for confirmation,” the woman said smugly.

  I was undeterred. “Go for it.”

  Everyone was quiet for some time before a guy spoke. “Alra is too shocked by the answer to tell you herself. We’ll be arriving at your location on the east side soon.”

  Rylan and I chuckled and continued to wait until the group showed up. Unsurprisingly, they were all assassins, and I could only assume they were from Team One. Most greeted with a nod, except for one alluring woman, whom I could only assume was Alra.

  Choosing to skip formalities since the others were waiting on us, I spoke quickly. “Rylan will be keeping watch while we go inside. I have a modified communicator and portable computer that will help us break any security codes we run into.”

  They nodded, but it was the sandy blonde-haired man closest to me who spoke. “Several of us will also be staying out here as lookouts as well. Those heading inside all have separate assigned rendezvous points to drop off any finds.”

  I nodded. “Very good. Let’s get this started. Ryoko, Blaze, you hear that? Do your stuff.”

  The response I received was a large explosion on the far end of the compound, and the group of us chuckled as soldiers panicked below us.

  “They really know how to make an entrance,” someone joked.

  Just then, the other side of compound lit up with activity and I laughed. “Looks like they didn’t want to be outdone.”

  Rylan and the others laughed. All except one person. He was looking around.

  “What’s up with you?” I asked.

  “I’m trying to find Chameleon,” he said.

  My eyebrow rose. “Chameleon?”

  “Yeah, the Council assigned him to this assignment last minute, and he was with us until we had to meet up at this location.”

  “He’s probably already inside,” Alra said. “He’d be reckless enough to try to sneak in before it was time.”

  I grunted. “I’ll drink to that accusation.”

  All conversation stopped immediately when Rylan held up his hand. He was looking through the scope of his sniper rifle and looking about. He looked at us and nodded when he noted the area was clear enough for us to start getting to work.

  I jumped to my feet immediately and slunk around the top of the building until I found an area that would be safe to jump down to. The rest of the assassins who were going inside followed. I kept the pace slow, as there were still several soldiers roaming around, but we were sure to knock out and hide the ones who weren’t avoidable.

  When we reached the door to the factory, I immediately went to inspecting the special lock and found out rather quickly that I was going to need Argus’ help. I dialed my signal to his communicator and waited for him to pick up.

  “I’m here,” he called in.

  “I need guidance to open this door,” I told him. “It’s a digital entry.”

  “Press the blue button so I can see it,” he instructed. I did as he said, and moved closer so I could give him a better look. “Okay, that one is pretty easy. You see that small port on the side of the lock? Insert the smallest cord hanging off the portable computer. I’m at Aurora’s computer station, so I’ll be able to hack it from here.”

  I obeyed his instruction and watched as the computer came to life on its own and went to work. The others fidgeted behind me, and I started to become a bit nervous myself when approaching footsteps echoed around the corner. Hurry it up, Argus.

  The lock on the door clicked suddenly, and we entered the building and closed ourselves in before being seen. It was quiet, as if no one was inside, but well-lit unlike what I had anticipated. This made me rather paranoid as I activated the map of this place on Argus’ computer and we crept down the hall.

  I spun around and several assassins drew weapons when Alra gasped. Sticking out of the wall next to her was the disembodied head of a man with multi-colored hair and kaleidoscopic eyes.

  I relaxed and tried to keep my voice quiet and stern, but not too harsh so I wouldn’t spark any conflict. “You really shouldn’t do that, Chameleon.”

  He rolled his eyes, his head movement causing his skin to shift colors rapidly. “Whatever. I just popped in to tell you I’ve temporarily disabled all building security systems. Ezhno says we have fifteen minutes before they’re active again.”

  I nodded. “Then we move quickly. Everyone spread out and search every room you find. If you happen upon anyone working here, disable, but don’t kill.”

  The others nodded and dispersed through the building. Only Chameleon and I remained, and he was just staring at me.

  I gave him a funny look. “What?”

  “Nothing,” he said before disappearing into the wall.

  I shrugged it off and set a quick pace down the hall until I came to a room that should have a computer to hack, based on the information my computer was reading to me. This room was dark, requiring me to activate the night vision on my communicator. There were already two other assassins in this room checking out the paperwork and weapons on the table, so I went right to the computer to work. I did well with remembering what Argus taught me, but in the end, I had to call him for help. He, of course, found it amusing how close I had gotten before giving up. Unable to do the hack remotely due to the sensitive nature of the computers, he walked me through the process. Once I was in, he relayed any algorithms need
ed to get past random security checks while stealing any information that I came across.

  When things started to go a bit smoother, he let me take over and went about checking on the others in case they needed a hand.

  When I was sure I wasn’t going to run into any issues, I dialed my communicator’s signal to Raikidan’s to check in. “How are things going over there?”

  “Yahoo!” Blaze hollered in the background. I couldn’t help but laugh.

  “That answer your question?” Raikidan asked. “I’m not sure who’s having more fun, him or Ryoko. I think they have some sort of competition going on. They keep yelling out numbers to each other.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me. If those two called the shots, they’d try to have more confrontations like this. It’s what they’re built to do, and they like it that way.”

  “And now he’s down on the ground because he was shot in the leg,” he said calmly.

  I snickered. “You know, that’s not usually something you should be calm about.”

  “Well, I’m not overly fond of him,” he admitted.

  I laughed. “You’re such a jerk.”

  “And besides, he’s getting back up like it was nothing.”

  “That’s because of his early Brute design.”

  “Come again?”

  “While our previous leader, Lord Taric, didn’t modify experiments to the extreme, he did look into ways to improve us. During his time, he tried to give Brutes the ability of self-regeneration, and Blaze is one of those attempts. The attempts were failures overall, but most of the experiments did get an advantage out of it. Blaze has a slow healing ability that numbs him to pain, and regenerates certain wounds. That bullet hole will need proper healing in the end, but not nearly as much as someone else who would have gotten shot.”