Origin of Power

Chapter 14

The van jolted over a speedbump as we passed through a small security booth in the middle of the road. It was unstaffed, with the barriers raised, so Mia just drove us right on into Area Eleven of the container port. Now that we were off the main road there was little traffic. Mia had explained that this area of the port was mostly for storage.

We were disguised as dock workers. Mia made as wear thick grey fleeces. They had a blue stripe across the middle of each arm and TTL logo plastered on the chest. From the smell I had a feeling they weren't washed beforehand. Not pleasant, but at least they were warm. With the sun on its way down, it was freezing. I just hoped it didn't start raining during the mission, that was the last thing we needed.

I was seated in the back. The Nighthawks had given me a costume just like theirs. We had packed them all into two cardboard boxes behind the front seats, trying to disguise them as typical deliveries.

The costume was perfect for me.

I hadn't paid much attention to them on the night we fought Dusk. It was more like a military outfit, something the special forces would wear. It was all black, not very hero-like but I could see the practicality, especially for a mission like this where I might have to hide during the escape. Now that I thought about it, being difficult to spot in the dark would work well with my orb-swap.

My helmet was identical to Snapshots. Sort of like a biker helmet, but much more compact and very light. The entire face was a visor of one-way glass, so from the outside I basically had a black ball for a head. It was bullet proof, though Mia had explained that didn't mean I could go around getting shot in the head. The impact could kill if I was unlucky. But I was a Titan, it wasn't easy to finish me off.

The outfit was all in black. Thick, heavy leather boots, trousers and a coat. The moment I touched it I knew it was worth more than my entire wardrobe combined. Not the superhero costume I had envisioned when I was younger, but far more practical.

The coolest piece was the Ironskin Vest. The high durability material had been created based on Ironskin's power, making it near impenetrable. It was thin and light weight, more silk than Kevlar and so black I couldn't make out the stitches. It sort of looked like black foil.

It was by far the most comfortable thing I had ever worn, in the sense that I could hardly even tell it was there. I had it on under my disguise, and it was like being wrapped in a cloud.

We approached a lowered barrier and slowed to a stop. A guard manned it, dressed in a grey uniform with a pistol at his hip. Cold blasted through the window as Mia wound it down to hand our forged paperwork over to the guard.

I held my breath as he read through the documents. He paused a moment longer on one and my heart race. It was unnecessary. Whatever it said, he seemed convinced. He handed it back and opened the way for us. We bumped over a set of speedbumps and into the warehouse parking area.

"So far so good," Jack said, he smirked at me. "You nervous?"

"I'm fine."

"Good. I'm glad, cause you look nervous as hell."

"How could I be nervous with you here, Jack?"

"Costume names," Lightshow said from the front. "We're on a mission."

"Right, sorry."

We turned a corner towards the warehouses. I took a deep breath, armed guards manned each of the entrances. It suddenly hit me that we were about to break into and steal from one of the most secure facilities in Pasford. So many guns were a threat even to Titans. If the heroes arrived, I wasn't sure we could fight back.

It was strange, everything was going perfectly, but I was feeling even more nervous now than before the fight with Pocket Rocket and Dusk. I'd become familiar with that rooftop over the few nights I'd spent there, it was almost comfortable. Down at the port I felt vulnerable. I couldn't use my power without setting off the alarms. While I was confident in my kickboxing skills, I wasn't obnoxious enough to think I could avoid bullets, even with my Titan strength.

"I don't like this," Binder said.

"Everything's going perfectly," Mia said.

"It is, but how do we get out if things take a turn for the worse?"

"We fight," Shifter grinned. "It's a win-win."

Binder sighed. "Great, now I'm confident."

"Oh, lighten up, Binder," Snapshot said. "It's going fine, stop bringing us all down."

We approached another fenced area, stopping before a tall metal gate lined with barbed wire at the top. Large beam lights lit every corner of the container port. Inside I could see workers going about their day, using small cranes moved containers or unloaded lorries. The place was massive. Line after line of containers filled every spot in sight. Guards roamed the perimeter fence and others stood outside the warehouse.

There were so many guns. Growing up in a country where guns had been rare sight had instilled a fear of them that was almost instinctual. The fact that those weapons might be pointing at me soon made it all the worse. I tried not to show it. This was my first mission with the Nighthawks, I couldn't have them thinking I was scared. They weren't even Titans. It was the heroes I should be worried about.

I found myself scouring them for places to hide; it was perfect for my power. The containers were stacked high enough that it would be impossible to track exactly where my orb was from the ground. They had more than enough guards to make up for that though.

Mia rang a buzzer on the right, but I couldn't understand the voice on the other end.

"Hi there," Mia said. "We're here for a pick up from Unit Four, Loading Bay Two. Is this the right place?"

There was no response from the buzzer, but I heard the gates click open.

"Thank you," Mia said, rolling up the window.

It seemed so easy. The engine rumbled beneath us and just like that we were through the final barrier between us and our objective. I was surprised at how many workers they had at such a late hour, many of them going in and out of the warehouse. I wasn't yet sure if that would make our job easier or harder.

Even through the van's walls, I felt watched. Like everyone in the area had their eyes drilled on us. Mia drove slowly, following white lines lit with cat eyes around the warehouse and to the loading bay area. We reversed into a space beside a lorry that two men were unloading.

Mia shut off the engine and turned back to us. "Right, time for the hard part. He'll stay out of the way while we take out security. Our contact is wearing a red beanie, make sure you don't bind him up by mistake. I'll follow you in once you've secured the loading bay then access their system."

"Got it," Amelia said. "Put your ear pieces in. Test, test, test. Can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear, boss," Snapshot said.

We all nodded. Snapshot opened a bag and started handing out tasers. They were small enough that we could keep them in our pockets, and the safest way to bring a person down without doing any serious damage. Still, I couldn't help but feel nervous holding one. It was a weapon, and one I was about to use on people just doing their job.