Angela shrugged and set her back pack down on one of the full beds. “Don't know. I'm not sure I care. Does Alan ever have an explanation for anything he does? There's probably some kind of anonymous donor taking care of all our expenses. Hopefully Alan comes back soon so we can go to this meeting and get it over with. I kind of want to go to bed, wake up, finish what we're doing, and go home again.”
“You're being a party pooper,” JD said. “We need to be focusing on making the most of the experience, don't you think? I'm hoping to learn a lot.”
There was so much about the Alturan war that he didn't know or understand. Alan only gave them small bits and pieces of information at a time, the things that were most relevant for what was happening. JD wanted to know it all. Life on other planets had always been fascinating to him. Aliens were on Earth, and he had the opportunity to find out everything he ever wanted to know, yet somehow he kept wasting the chance. Then again, Alan didn't exactly want to talk about Altura much. JD supposed if he was far away from his home, he wouldn't wanna talk about it either.
With a sigh, Angela flopped onto her bed. “I'm not being a party pooper. There are just other things I'd rather be doing right now.”
“Yeah, I know. We combed every place we could, looking for him and for clues. There's only so much we can do.” He felt like a broken record.
It seemed like every other day, he had to explain to her why they had to go on the mission instead of staying behind and searching for Orlando. Every free moment she had, she was out of the house looking for the guy. JD had never seen her more devoted to anyone or anything before. She's got it bad for him, but does he like her back?
She shook her head. “It's more than just that. I'm feeling unmotivated because I didn't understand the folder Alan gave us.”
“Why didn't you say something earlier? Come on, we can look at it together,” JD said and pulled out the red folder filled with all of the information they'd need and then some. He didn't usually consider himself an over-achiever. When it came to Altura and Alan's cause, JD went above and beyond any dedication he had ever had for school. Probably because he cared about the work he did for Alan a whole lot more than American Literature and Algebra II.
Angela shrugged and grabbed her folder as well. She opened it and started to pull out all of the contents. “I figured they'd go over everything in the meeting tonight.”
“They might, but you can never be too certain,” he explained. “Especially since this is work, war even, and something tells me soldiers are supposed to be prepared.”
“I'm not sure I like being a soldier,” she muttered.
“You should have thought about that before insisting on joining the adventure.” He glared at her briefly. It was just like her to get all excited about doing something and then have a change of heart. Angela hardly ever committed to anything. About the only things she'd ever stuck with were cheerleading and playing the piccolo.
She sighed and made space for JD to sit next to her. “I get that, but for some reason I imagined something more along the lines of being vigilantes, or more of a guerrilla warfare kind of group. You know what I mean? Not straight up soldiers who follow strict orders.”
“Alan doesn't treat us that way,” he said quietly.
“No, but I have a feeling this weekend we're going to be expected to salute and 'yes sir' and all that.”
“I guess we'll see.” JD grabbed the pamphlets that were supposed to describe the “school program” they were away on. In truth, he'd just told his parents they were going to a friend's ultra-cool birthday party for the weekend. That seemed a lot more believable to him. At first his parents had been apprehensive, but once he said they wouldn't need a car and there would be adult supervision, they were okay with the idea.
Underneath all of the papers for the fake school activity was the slim touch screen video playing device hidden inside. It was as thin as a piece of cardboard, white, and activated the instant the center of the screen was touched by the index finger. He turned his on.
Angela's eyes went wide. “So that's how it works.”
“You didn't even get it to work?” He gasped.
“I couldn't figure it out!”
“Do you see the black dot there in the middle?” He pointed to it. “It's kind of begging to be touched.”
“You know electronics are not my thing,” she mumbled. “Okay, so you turn it on, and...?”
He showed her how to navigate through the information on the screen. One page was the information for the “school program” they were supposed to use for their cover. Also known as the Student Union, the group was supposed to gather teenagers from different schools together so they could discuss various different academic issues. There was no way he would ever get involved in something like that of his own free will – especially on such short notice.
The next page was the beginning of the information they would need for the mission. “From what I can tell, the whole thing is going to be divided up into three different parts,” he explained as he handed Angela the small screen. A video played, and he watched it again despite having the whole thing practically memorized. His sister frowned, clearly not understanding anything being said.
“So when they infiltrate the area...?” She glanced at him.
“They want us to bust in, basically. That's what the first group is going to be doing, making an entrance and fighting off any bad guys guarding the joint. Alan, or whoever is running this operation, seems to think there's going to be people from the other tribes there,” he explained.
Angela's brow furrowed. “Great, and here I was hoping this would be an easy, not violent kind of job.”
“There might not be any resistance. It's just better to plan for all options, don't you think? Who knows what's locked down in there?”
“I understand. I just don't want to be a part of that particular portion of the mission. My powers are still kind of hard to figure out.” She pulled her knees to her chest, and JD noticed her body tremble slightly.
He gave her the most reassuring smile he could muster. “Alan will make sure you go to a spot where you'll be safe. He wouldn't put you in a position where you’d get in trouble. It'll be okay, sis. I promise.”
“Where is this thing anyway?”
“I'm not sure exactly, but the way the potential layout is described in this video thing, I think it's in the tunnels.”
“Everything is in the tunnels.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” JD said.
“Does all of this creep you out? How convenient some of this stuff is?” she asked.
JD shook his head. “No, I'm not creeped out by it. It does put things into perspective, though. It's not a coincidence, I'm sure of it. I think the Alturans were prepping Earth for their war, and that worries me. It's disturbing too.”
His sister watched the video on the small device, and then shook her head. “I feel kind of used. Why did they have to involve us?”
“I don't know, but something tells me that if Alan's tribe had it their way, we wouldn't know. He wouldn't have approached us if he didn't think it was necessary. I believe him when he says we can see and notice things his people can't. And if the blue and green tribe weren't using people from Earth as their lab rats, we wouldn't be needed either. Alan's friend, Jaes, said that back on Altura they have artificial powers for people like me. You know, people who can't manifest abilities on their own, or people who want an extra thing. Think about what The Doctor's drug could do if it made it back to Altura.” JD let out a deep breath. “But it sucks that this has to happen.”
Angela nodded, and her eyes were wide as if surprised. “I never realized how passionate you were about all of this, like the real story. I always thought you were just living out some kind of superhero fan boy fantasy. But you really believe in this, don't you.”
“More than anything,” he said. He coughed, shifting his body a little. “You understand what's going on now? Alan should be popping i
n soon to take us.”
“I'm as ready as I'll ever be. There's a lot I still don't get. The small details, but I've got the gist of it. I know enough to be able to fake my way through it. Basically the mission is two parts: the busting in and busting heads part, and then the retrieval team. Right?”
JD grinned, proud of his sister. She was starting to come into her own. “Yup, you've got it. Hopefully, we won't get separated.”
“Yeah,” she said. That was when Alan popped into the room rather unexpectedly. Then again, every time he teleported into any place, whether JD had warning or not, was startling because the alien appeared from thin air.
Alan glanced between the two of them. “Are you ready for the meeting?”
“Sure,” Angela said. She moved closer to Alan, and JD did the same. The teleportation power was related to touch.
“Put on your masks,” Alan said, and the two teenagers did as they were told. The alien hesitated when grabbing both of their shoulders; almost as if he wasn't sure he wanted to leave just yet. His grasp on JD's shoulder was awfully tense which wasn't like him at all. Even in the most dangerous of situations, Alan usually had a calm about him. While his grip may have been firm, it had never been done with a trembling hand – which was exactly what the alien's hand was doing then. That was not reassuring to JD.
They teleported out of the room and reappeared inside of a conference room. It didn't have the typical business decor most rooms of a similar nature had. The table was made of a cold metal, and the walls were a dark gray color. Any ounce of positivity JD had was out the window when he took in all of his surroundings. The room sucked out all his joy and excitement, replacing it with fear and uncertainty.
“Where are we?” he whispered, leaning in a little towards Alan as he did so to ensure he was heard.
Alan shook his head. “That is not your concern. Just know you are in a safe place.” He pointed to a handful of men toward the front of the room. They sat at the head of the long table. JD wanted to sit as well, but would follow Alan's lead. If he didn't take a seat, JD wouldn't either.
JD shuffled his feet, trying to find a more confident posture to stand in. He wanted to look like he could be the kind of warrior Alan was trying to train him to be. “So who are they?” he asked with a gesture to the men at the table, returning to his more relaxed and casual self.
“They are my superior officers. The man on the left is the one from my ship the other two are from another vessel. We are waiting for the rest of my people to arrive, as well as the other tribes. They will hopefully be here soon,” Alan said.
JD nodded and glanced over at his sister to see how she was holding up. She stayed close to Alan as well and cowered behind his strong frame. Of course she'd pick him over her own brother to protect her, JD thought, huffing softly. Alan's brow furrowed and the two made eye contact.
“It won't be a long wait,” the alien said.
“No problem,” JD said.
Around five minutes later, the doors to the room opened, and more teenagers entered the room along with their respective alien counterparts. All of the other teenagers wore masks as well. It was a shame because JD would have liked to know who he was working with. There was one face he “recognized” in the new crowd however – Ophelia. While the mask distorted a lot of her features from view, making them appear as nothing more than static, there were a few things that he could identify. Her short pixie-cut hair, the shining glitter on her mask, and the petite curvy figure. Something in his gut told him she was who he was looking at.
The other Alturans did not wear masks, which JD didn't quite understand. He would think they too would want to be unrecognizable by the enemy, but he also didn't know how much time they actually spent on Earth. Maybe it wasn't worth their time to put on a disguise. The other thing he noticed about all of the aliens was how minimal their attire was. He'd gotten used to Alan wearing a vest and pants. The other Alturans didn't wear quite as little, but they also didn't quite look dressed for the cold weather. Most had on thin T-shirts and light pants. A few had shorts.
One Alturan woman made her way to the front of the room where the other commanding officers were. She wore a long black leather skirt that had a long slit in the side. Her shirt was gold colored and fit her muscle toned body tightly. JD couldn't quite tell how old she was, but she did look significantly younger than the three men who made up Alan's superiors. While they were old enough to be JD's dad, averaging in the late forties, when it came to the appearance of their age, this woman was closer to twenty.
She was tall with long legs and an hourglass figure. Her skin was dark, much like Cadence's, and for a moment JD had to do a double take. But where Cadence had soft chocolate colored skin that matched her eyes, this woman had a richer, darker tone to hers. Either way, it was stunningly beautiful, and it made JD miss Cadence even more.
“My apologies for being late, Sirs,” she said and took a seat on the far right. She brought her attention to the rest of the room. “Welcome, I am Sir Kimantkel. You may call me Kel for short. We will try to keep this as brief as possible as this mission will be taking place in the early hours of the morning. We hope to have it completed by the afternoon. Our window is small. The enemy is weak only in those earliest of hours. Help is not nearby. They do not know we have this information, and so long as it stays that way, the task shall be easy.”
Angela breathed out a soft sigh of relief. JD flashed her a smile.
The female alien's gaze went to everyone in the room, taking the time to meet the individual gaze of them all. When she made eye contact with JD he swallowed, as he took in the sight of bright purple irises. Her eyes were beautiful and intimidating all at once.
“My colleagues, I am the one who will be leading the operation. I am of the yellow tribe, and it is my people who have found the artifact known as the Ilotus. Those of you who are members of the red tribe, I thank you for your assistance in this task. It means a lot to my people, and we will most assuredly reward you.” She stood up from her chair then paced the front of the room. “As you're aware, our first task is to infiltrate the warehouse where the Ilotus is being stored. The team entering as a part of this mission will be a mix of different members. Most of you will be working with individuals you have never met, but I am confident in your ability to cooperate with one another.
“The following will make up our first team: Egypt, Gabriel, Lucky Twelve, Permanence, and Drone. The field leader for the mission is Drone with Lockenehih supervising.”
Angela whispered a curse. JD made sure to shoot her a dirty look. Swearing in front of their supervisors was bad enough, but doing it in response to hearing about her position on the field was even worse. He hoped she learned some discipline from the experience.
Kel paused her pacing for a moment to take a drink from a bottle of water. Then she smiled, rather warmly, and gazed about the room once more. “The team for the next part of the mission will consist of Ophelia, Chihuahua Man, and Potion.” JD noticed a round of quiet laughter fill the room when his name was called. He didn't mind too much. The place was getting a little stuffy, so the cut in the heavy tension was a relief in a lot of ways. It sounded surreal to hear his alter ego being used in such a way. The Doctor had said it a few times in anger, but even that was different than having it said for serious work purposes.
For a moment, Kel locked her gaze on JD. “Your mission is straight forward enough. Obtain the artifact as well as our comrades who have been trapped inside of this warehouse. Protect Ophelia so she may accomplish her task, at all costs.”
His eyes broke contact with Kel and focused on Ophelia again. He didn't understand what was so special about her, but if his job was to make sure she was okay, he would be sure to do it at all costs.
“While you are on your mission, we will be watching you, monitoring your progress and the level of danger surrounding you,” Kel continued. “Should a problem present itself, we will be able to remove you from the action immediately, so
there is no reason to be afraid. In the morning you will be retrieved by your supervisors. They will bring you to the compound where our base is, at three in the morning. I must emphasize that you rest.”
JD narrowed his eyes and shot a look to his sister. She rolled her eyes, so she must have understood. The next thing he knew, Kel had dismissed them, and Alan placed a hand on his shoulder. In the blink of an eye he found himself in his hotel room once more. Alan motioned for both JD and his sister to take a seat.
“Do you feel prepared?” Alan asked.
Groaning, Angela lay down on the bed. “About as much as I'm ever going to be. The meeting didn't help me too much with what to expect. I mean, what am I even supposed to do beyond show up?”
With a sigh and a shake of his head, JD sat down next to his sister. “Basically, you go in, and blast the bad guys. Which I know you can do because you've done it before.”
“Once all of the enemies have been taken out of commission, you will stand guard outside of the facility until the second team returns safely,” Alan elaborated. “Did you not watch the video you were given?”
Angela put a pillow over her face, and JD could hear a muffled, “No.”
Time to step up and bail her out, again. He gave Alan a weak smile. “She couldn't figure out how to turn the thing on and didn't say anything until we got here. I tried to go over it with her before the meeting, but I think we were both expecting a bit more information when we got there. You all are discreet.”
“There's only so much information I can give you at the moment,” Alan said. “My superiors haven't told me much about the artifact we are going in to find. Only that it contains great power. I'm assuming we will all be told more once it is in safe hands. Don't let it trouble you too much. We've faced greater unknowns, and I will be monitoring you every step of the way. My task is to go in and pull anyone out who might find themselves in a worrisome situation.”
That information pulled a lot of weight off of JD's shoulders. Knowing that Alan would be watching and ready to come to the rescue instilled a lot more confidence inside of him. And Alan is right. We've gone on other missions knowing absolutely nothing. We'll be fine.
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