Enhancement

- - 22 - -

[A/N] (I never put Author's Notes before chapters, but this is good news so I'm being a rebel and doing it anyways) : If you haven't seen it already, I made a book trailer for Enhancement! It's attached above if you want to watch it!

-- -- -- -- --

"Follow me," the rebel woman declares, her expression switching from persuasive to serious. She storms out of the interrogation room with Stephen and I following anxiously on her heels.

As soon as we step outside, war enters our ears. The sounds of bullets, voices, and booms rock through the air though no visible signs of destruction are near. The rebel woman quickly leads us to the back of her vehicle where a handful of rebels wait. As ordered by the rebel lady, they hand us dull vests and boots. Gunshots fire in the distance.

Glancing at the rebels' war-hungry faces, I quickly lace up the boots and strap on the vest with their assistance. The vest itself feels heavy and ridiculous with my dress, but I don't say anything about it. I inhale a breath of sinister air, failing miserably at staying calm.

"Ow!" I suddenly groan, pressing my palms to my head. Lightning threatens to takes over my temples, and my vision flickers in and out. Stephen's already hunched over next to me, his eyes squeezed shut in pain.

"Hey, what's going on with you two?" the lady yells over the guns merely blocks away.

I glare up at her, "It's just some pain, okay? It's from the damaged Enhancement-- ah!"

A bolt rips through me, then silences. Stephen and I warily stand back up again, slightly dizzy. None of the rebels ask us if we're okay; they just give us bullet cartridges and try not to stare too much.

"I think the Project mind control is starting," I shout at the rebel lady. "Watch out for traitors."

The woman nods. "Any ideas on how to stop them from defecting?"

"Explosives," I tell her, nearly screaming over the gunfire. "The heat and smoke damaged it. That's why Stephen and I are safe for the most part. Besides for the zapping."

The lady understands and commands her people, though I have no idea why I just told her my trade secret. Our current situation is too elaborate for the nation to have staged on purpose.

The rebel says, "Okay, let's move it, guys! We got limited time to pull this off. Tanner, get them equipment!"

"Yes, ma'am," a tall, light-haired rebels yells over the nearby fighting. He hands Stephen and I intimidating assault rifles. Tapping the scope of my gun with a slender finger, he gives us careful looks. "Just look through here and find a target. Then fire."

"Got it," I say firmly, grasping the trigger with my right hand and holding most of the rifle's weight with my left. It feels wrong to be holding immense power in my hands, but it's also reassuring in a way. My vision blackens at the edges of my sight range before clarifying again.

"Tanner," the rebel lady commands the teen loudly, "take these two to the north and east sides of the city, then head to the west."

"Yes, ma'am," Tanner repeats, grabbing a rifle of his own. Nodding at his leader and fellow rebels, the tall boy runs down the street, Stephen and I trailing him.

Tanner leads us down a few city blocks as my stomach grows more and more uneasy. As we run towards the sounds of war, my instincts urge me to turn around. But turning back isn't an option anymore.

Lines of Screeners and citizens visualize on the border of city as we approach. A mini bomb suddenly explodes two blocks away, engulfing Screeners and citizens alike. I gape, barely pulling my eyes away from the sight.