Scorpio

EIGHT - Do You Have a Plan?

Estella splashed a handful of water across her face, her hands glowing faintly from where the cool liquid came in contact with her skin. Checking the clock in the reflection of the washroom mirror, she heaved a sigh.

What a day...

Her relationship with Director Fury had always been rocky since the moment she first woke up in Carter Port, but it still came as disappointing that he would be the sole reason why she had ended up in the infirmary over a dozen times in the past two weeks. Although to be fair, he still had the three-inch-long acid burn in his palm, which Estella could never get close enough to heal it for him without being caught.

Surprisingly, the only person who had helped get Estella through some of her most hectic days was the very guy who almost scared her off in the first place - Alycs. He'd check in with her at the odd hours throughout the day, usually bearing messages and snacks.

Sometimes he'd pop up in a greasy apron with a soldering iron in hand, just to share a joke before running off again. Estella would see Alycs analyzing a pattern, or typing away at a computer, and he, in turn, would wink at her and begin playing Galaga with the agent sitting next to him.

With Alycs, it was always fun and games.

Which was why it came as a surprise to the 12-year-old when the boy in topic appeared in the women's washroom that evening, stating an emergency was at hand.

***

"...then he said, 'get her ready a week from now. We'll make the order for the tank and prepare room 104 for the test.'" Alycs paused in his speech for a second, though his pace stayed just as brisk.

"Or was it 103?"

They were just about to turn the corner when they spotted a navy-clad agent standing outside Estella's door, her hand poised to knock. Immediately Alycs dragged Estella back behind the safety of the wall and held a finger to his lips, listening to the click of heels-on-marble echo tentatively through the hallway.

Pulling a blue, striped snooker ball from his pocket, Alycs winked at the younger teen as a mischievous smile lit up his face. Just as the footsteps neared, he rolled the small, plastic ball across the polished floor. Estella hardly had a second to react as he grabbed her hands, transporting them to safety as the grenade exploded.

For the most fleeting of moments, her body felt like it was being eased apart; in the euphoric sense that her lungs had become twin pairs of ceaselessly expanding balloons. Then like a jolt back to reality, she could hear Alycs' teasing laugh breaking the balloons and sending her lungs back to their normal size with a sharp pop of her ears.

Estella blinked, regaining her bearings. "Where's the agent?" She asked.

"She must've gone to check on the noise." The ghost of a grin crossed Alycs' face before it dissolved back into one of urgency. "We have twenty, thirty seconds tops. Anything you need?"

Spotting her old clothes in the corner, Estella quickly grabbed her hoodie and returned to Alycs' side. The jiggle of the doorknob hastened her pace, and the older teen barely teleported them in time before the door flew open.

Once again, the girl was consumed with the swelling feeling of unexplainable happiness; soaring through space in the timespan of a thought. Something was different though, this time. It was as if her head was travelling at a faster speed than the rest of her body, and her limbs were dragging behind and sidetracking to random places before catching up again. With a thump, she recognized the feeling of a solid floor beneath her, but looking up Estella nearly had a heart attack.

Nick Fury greeted her with a snore.

Looking around nervously for a way out, Estella nearly tripped over a warm, soft weight weaving between her ankles. Stiffening, she looked down to see a long-haired calico cat staring up at her with vibrant green eyes.

Director Nick Fury, master of intimidation and authority...had a cat?

The man in question shifted in his sleep, a hand dropping over the side of his chair and revealing the gash in his palm beneath a layer of unravelling bandages. Estella swallowed at the sight; guilt gnawing at her consciousness.

I'll just fix this, and then I'll go find Alycs, she decided; looking back at the calico cat. The feline gazed back at her, pupils dilated in an almost hopeful expression.

Knowing there was no backing out now, Estella kneeled down beside the unconscious man and quickly unwrapped the bandages from his wounded hand. She compacted the soiled bandages in a loose ball, making a face at the smell of heavy medication.

Concentrating, she lowered her head and gently lifted the injured extremity. She could feel the warm energy melding into her own palm, gliding across her arms and replacing the jagged gash of broken skin in the director's hand with smooth, pink skin. Her eyes opened once she had finished; and she rose, leaving the hardly-visible shell of the bandage ball on the ground.

Estella jumped a bit upon seeing Alycs standing behind her, idly cradling the cat in his arms. Seeing Estella staring back at him, he waved sheepishly and mouthed an apology. Releasing the calico, he then gestured with his thumb at the door behind him.

The two travelled to their supposed destination - by foot, this time. Alycs led the younger teen into his room and flipped on the lights, closing the door behind him.

If his gadget had worked correctly, the agent following them would have paint splattered all over their face - hindering their vision, and therefore keeping his secret of teleportation safe. The fourteen-year-old was already a known trickster within the agency, so he knew that at most the agent would be exasperated about his stunt rather than suspicious.

"We have three hours to figure out a game plan, so make yourself at home now." Alycs rummaged through his pantry and tossed a variety of snacks on his bed, before grabbing a tray of gadgets.

"We'll leave tonight."