Wormholes and Wanderlust

Chapter 10: Brains In Freaking Jars

This chapter is quite a bit longer than the others. At fourteen thousand seven hundred words, it is the longest in the story so far. I wanted to avoid making large chapters but I also wanted to start and conclude this section of the story in a single chapter, so, I hope you enjoy.

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After a tense negotiation, Calliope and the others finally convinced Trent and some of his humans of their peaceful intentions and willingness to assist. Consequently, Trent granted them access to the command center of the bunker for a strategic meeting. During this session, Trent established a brief, yet crucial satellite link with the Resistance High Command. Unexpectedly, the command issued direct orders for Kappa Squad to embark on an urgent mission: to penetrate a top-secret USF data facility and extract data they think will give answers.

Meanwhile, a separate mandate was issued for Grant. He was to be collected and taken back to the Resistance's main headquarters by High Command operatives. The purpose of this directive remained unclear, leaving those involved in the meeting intrigued and concerned about the implications of these sudden orders.

Calliope's perspective...

Descending from the elevator back to where they had us in chains was a stark reminder of the hostility we faced in this human bunker. It felt like walking back into a cage, even if the door was left open this time. In this place, Grant stood out like a sore thumb—not just because of his powers, but because some people here are actually buying into that prophecy stuff about him. Still, it's like they can't decide if they're more impressed by his abilities or hung up on him being a kid. Makes me wonder, does time travel add a few points to your IQ?

With all the madness going on, I almost forgot about the little incident yesterday—Grant walking up on me and Katherine on the beach. Honestly, with the size of that island, it's almost laughable he ended up right there at that moment. But knowing him, stumbling into that situation was probably just an accident. Aside from Me and Kath literally being five or so years older than him, Grant wouldn't do that on purpose. Katherine went from zero to a hundred instantly, ready to tear him apart. Looking back, I feel bad for him, caught in the crossfire of our sunbathing gone wrong. He must've been so embarrassed.

Navigating past the makeshift holding area, I trailed the woman into what seemed like an armory, cluttered and cramped. My team was there, alongside Grant and Miggins, everyone accounted for except Izabella. Concern for her lingered in my mind; she was still out, last I saw her in the med bay when they checked the brace on my wrist. This place, stark with its bare essentials, mirrored the dire state of human resources here—everything on its last leg. And there stood Trent, as if waiting for a final piece to fall into place. 

"You've arrived," Aria noted, her voice flat. "We're about to move out," she informed me, pulling my focus momentarily.

However, it was the lack of proper gear that caught my immediate attention. "So, where's all the standard gear? The armor and the heavy weapons?" I questioned, noticing Grant distractedly playing with a wrench, levitating it in a manner that hinted at a deeper disquiet than his outward calm suggested.

Trent offered a straightforward answer. "You'll be masquerading as the data center's on-site security," he stated plainly.

I blinked, puzzled. "Huh? Run that by me again?"

Elizabeth chimed in, aiming to clarify. "There's a group of security personnel expected to arrive at the data center. We're intercepting them," she explained, with a hint of reluctance in her voice.

Katherine, quick to jump to the point, gave me the abridged version. "We're jacking a transport and taking their shit," she said, already struggling into a skin-tight mesh that seemed more suited for espionage than our kind of work.