The Hijinks War

16. The Aces

Meeting tonight, bring your squad. I'll bring mine ;)

I stared at the message on my phone that had come from the same unknown number I'd received the welcome back from. It was Kellen! It was 6:30, and I approached the Thunderbirds' lounge with nervous butterflies in my stomach. He'd asked for my rogue team to be there at 6:45, I was glad for one thing; if this was going to be us getting in trouble, it was clear I was taking the brunt of the responsibility.

I raised an eyebrow when I saw Jess hovering uncomfortably just outside the door, a nervous kind of smile on her face at the sight of me. "What are you doing here already?"

The door opened and Camille glared at us. "Get in!"

The Thunderbirds lounge was a fair sized room, with a long table at its center, several individual cubbies with device charging stations on one side and a plethora of single reading chairs at the other. Most everyone else was already there, all the couches already draped with people that glared at us.

Kellen stopped what he was saying and looked at Jess and I. "My Hero!" He batted his lashes at me in mock adoration.

"Uh..."

"Relax, have a seat," he drawled. As I glanced around for a seat, Kellen snapped his fingers and the others vacated the room. Jess plopped down into a cushioned chair quickly, pulling me down with her. I watched the Elite leave the room as I moved into my own chair, glad that the cowards that had the nerve to call themselves leaders weren't in the room.

"I don't think I actually said it last night, but thank you." Kellen said as he sat in the armchair across from mine; Jackson and Leon echoed him. I resisted the urge to look at Jess in surprise; gratitude was not something we were used to hearing from the Trifecta. 

He cleared his throat when I said nothing. "The Core thinks you should be stripped. Of Hijinks privileges, I mean. Something about fucks and jokes and Dipshits? I don't know, sometimes they don't make a lot of sense. Also, apparently it's your fault for getting us captured with your awesome prank the other night? You distracted everyone so Katia could kidnap us?"

"She didn't-" Jess began but stopped when Kellen shot her a look.

"Like I believe either of you two helped Katia. What happened Jess? Why does the Core hate your friend?"

"Because they didn't want to do anything to find you guys. They said we should wait for your orders... which is the stupidest shit I've ever heard, I mean, how were you supposed to send them orders? Telepathically?"

"Jess!"

"Right. Nicole said they were fucking jokes, called them Dipshits, and told them to keep waiting for orders." 

Kellen nodded, a very amused expression on his face, like he was trying too hard not to laugh. Leon ducked his head, his chin and mouth hiding inside his sweater and Jackson's shoulders shook with a silent laugh.

"And then?"

"So then Nicole recruited a squad to do recon, plant tracking devices on the Triad, map and plan out a rescue mission and blow up a couple of things that were in their way. And then she rescued your dumb asses." Clapping a hand over her mouth in surprise at her last words, Jess shot me a frazzled look.

Once again, Kellen only nodded, crossed the room and opened the door, the clock over it read 6:42. "Meeting resumed... you too."

My squad of new friends inched into the room cautiously, and crowded around Jess and I. Everyone watched the Trifecta with uncomfortable interest.

"You know what? I was going to drag this out and play with you guys a bit, but I don't feel like it. Core, meet our newest squad. The Aces, headed by Sergeant's Kemper and Kida."