The Gifted (ONC 2023)

Chapter 12 Left Behind

"Out of the question," Regan said, putting on a bulletproof vest.

"But the situation changed!" Aleks protested. "We don't even have a full assault squad; you can use any gifted you have."

Regan fastened the vest and turned to Aleks with a frown. "What we are going to walk into is the deviants' lair. You saw how many were lurking there with your own eyes."

"We can't know for sure. Some of those auras were kidnapped gifted and─"

Regan put a heavy hand on her shoulder. "Aleks. Just stop. I don't have time for it right now. You are going to help Yuliya with coordinating assault teams through the radio. And that is final." He squeezed her arm and moved to the door.

Aleks stood there, unable to move, fighting the hot, angry tears pushing their way out of her eyes. It wasn't fair. None of it was. She had the same right to fight for what she believed in as her brother and all other gifted with flashy and spectacular powers. If only they had given her a chance to prove herself... Her breathing became heavy and fast as her mind turned into a dark spiral of despair when strong arms closed around her.

She was engulfed in a familiar scent, the mint from the gum he constantly chewed when he was stressed, with a barely tangible smell of smoke that never seemed to leave him, even when he wore freshly washed clothes. Toni didn't say anything, just held her, letting her anxiety slowly withdraw. They always believed that being together in challenging moments made them less intimidating. The same pain shared by two people was easier to bear.

"I've got you," he said, patting her head as he did when they were children. "Leave it for now. Once we're done with the deviants, we will work on making a place for you the way that won't make you feel left behind."

"Be careful out there."

"I will. Plus, with you watching over me, nothing can go wrong."

Aleks smiled weakly. "I'd better join Yuliya then."

"Yeah. Don't let her stream Netflix while she watches over us."

She snorted. "You know she doesn't do that."

"Do I? She can somehow watch through thousand CCTV cameras to find what she wants in seconds. You think watching TV in the background is a stretch?"

The door to the prep room opened, and Pola peeked in. "We must go, Toni. It's time."

He nodded and left after giving Aleks one last reassuring squeeze.

She sighed, took a moment to collect herself, and headed to the main OPS room. The place was huge. A prominent circular table covered by maps and warehouse plans stood in the middle of the room. Mrs Callaghan, Zeleke and a few other agents leaned over the desktop, still discussing which entry points would be the most effective for the assault. Aleks didn't join them. Instead, she went straight to the adjacent, smaller room.

That was Yuliya's kingdom.

Every free space was filled with computers and big, bulky-looking servers with little blue, red and yellow lights. Yuliya sat at the broad desk in front of a wall of screens, most showing CCTV from around the deviant's warehouse. She was a petite young woman but looked particularly small in front of all those humming machines. The only thing on the desk was a huge bowl full of chocolates and other sweets. Not taking her eyes off the monitor in front of her, Yuliya grabbed a fudge and popped it into her mouth.

"How are you staying so skinny while devouring mountains of sweets?" Aleks asked, not even trying to hide her jealousy.

Yuliya turned back to her and smiled. "No idea. I suspect that it's the true nature of my gift."