Prodigy (Complete)

Chapter Eleven

Alex figured security was keeping a close eye on her apartment so going back there was out of the question. The three of them laid low for the night and stayed at Aris' apartment. When they awoke the next morning, Aris went on another recon mission. Upon his return, he reported the security presence had died down. Nevertheless, they still wanted to proceed with caution.

They reasoned the best opportunity for extraction would be during lunch time when it would be the busiest. At noon, thousands of people flooded the restaurants, parks, shopping districts, and trams, making it difficult to locate and identify one individual amongst the crowd.

Alex wrapped her long brown hair up into a tight bun and put on a hat. It wasn't much of a disguise, but it would have to do. Milo grabbed her duffle bag and they made their exit.

They must have passed a dozen guardians on their way to the tram, but there were just too many people for the guardians to inspect. With their heads down, they kept moving. Once they reached the tram, there was a slight sense of relief, but they still needed to exit the pyramid and get far away. That was the hard part. For all they knew, what lay ahead could be far worse. They could very well be leading themselves into a trap. If the security breach was considered an act of terrorism, then no measures would be deemed too unreasonable.

The tram stopped at the base of the pyramid and the three of them walked nervously into the main area. Fortunately, there were thousands of people walking around so blending in was fairly easy. They merged into a scattered crowd and then into an awaiting taxi.

"Where would you like to go?" the automated driver asked.

"Ferndale and Willow," Alex instructed.

Just as the taxi was about to pull out, two guardians stood in front of it. The guardians took out their lights and shone them all around the vehicle.

"Stay calm everybody," Aris whispered through his teeth without moving his lips.

The guardians circled around and shone their lights into the main passenger cab. As their lights hit directly onto Alex's invisibility cloak, the light waves enhanced the cloak's abilities, making her even more undetectable. Ironically, had the guardians not done that, they may have actually seen her.

"All clear," the guardian said, as he waved them through.

The taxi left the pyramid and made its way through the city. The Megaplex pyramid looked smaller and smaller as they covered more distance. After a long ride, they finally arrived at their destination. Upon exiting the taxi, they looked up at the old building in front of them. It looked just like the building they had seen in the video the day before, only much more rundown. They felt like time travellers visiting the future, or archeologists coming upon some ancient ruins.

"It sure doesn't look like it did on the video," Aris commented.

The building was not the only thing that had undergone decades of decay – the entire neighbourhood had succumbed to the effects of time and neglect. Many of the buildings were almost two hundred years old and were completely vacant. Any efforts to maintain them were given up years ago. The trees had grown taller than most of the buildings with their leafy branches, creating a canopy that nearly engulfed the entire neighbourhood. Grass and weeds sprouted through cracks in the concrete and moss made its way up the sides of the stone buildings, giving nearly everything an emerald hue.

Alex led the way to the side of the building.

"That one there on the second floor," she pointed. "That should be my mother's old apartment. Come on, one of you give me a boost."

Clutching his hands together, Milo made a step. Alex placed her right foot on his hands and grabbed on to his shoulder for support. With relative ease, he hoisted her up enough so she could grab the first rung on the fire escape ladder and pull herself up.

The two boys each made their way up the rickety ladder and onto the equally unstable metal platform. Alex approached the dirty bedroom window, cupped her hands together, and peered through.

"What do you see?" Milo asked.

"Not a lot, it's pretty dark," she replied. "Milo, can you please hand me my bag?"

"Let me guess, you have more gadgets?" Aris asked.

"Maybe. You'll just have to wait and see."