The Elite

Thirty-Two

Leon

Chasing after Gabriel and Tass, I was full of so much emotion I wasn't even sure my powers could get a good read on me if they tried. I was sad and angry and lost and so, so much more. It was an indiscernible whirlwind inside of me, full of so many conflicting pieces it would be near impossible to make anything out. My mind felt like a wreck — a far cry from any stability.

Katrina shot past me, using her telekinesis, but I couldn't focus on her abilities. All that I could focus on were Nadia's and Julian's deaths. They were my squadmates — my little siblings — and now they were gone, and that was quite awful.

So many emotions warred within me about what I should feel beyond "awful". Deeply sad? Angry? Lost? Hurt? It was hard to figure out what to feel, knowing it was all over and they'd no longer be there. I'd lost my old squad, but I'd forgotten what it was like to feel as if the world had upended, leaving me disoriented in my own mind.

Abruptly, the way ahead of me became a wall of boxes, forcing me to step out of my funk and make a decision. Gabriel and Katrina were chasing down three Talbots to the left while Tass was single-handedly running after three more. I wanted to split myself into two and run both directions, saving all three of my younger siblings from all evil. They were my world, and they were my family, even though we shared no DNA. I just loved them. But I was just one person, so, forcing myself to do something to actively save one, I darted after Tass, since she was more outnumbered, especially with Katrina's strong powers.

I caught up to her just as we entered a large open space. A Talbot a quick glance at my bracelet identified as Sprinkles fired a blast at Tass. Smartly, Tass absorbed the blast and sent it right back at Sprinkles.

I lifted my arm to give a sense of sadness to a Talbot my bracelet said was Bullhorn — it was definitely a feeling I knew very well right then — but I got whipped from behind, sending me falling to the floor.

Looking up, I saw a woman with long suction-cup-less tentacles standing above me — Tendrils, as identified by my bracelet — ready to strike. I scrambled out of the way, her tentacle slamming into the floor behind me.

Quickly, I tried to lift my hand to try to influence Tendrils's emotions, but I wasn't quick enough. She shot out a tentacle, wrapping in around my wrist and wrenching it downward. I stuck out my other hand, projecting a feeling of defeat, this time succeeding before Tendrils could stop me.

Only it didn't work.

"Gutierrez Shields," Tendrils said, tapping a small box on her collar.

I hated Gutierrez Shields. They effectively blocked any mental attacks, meaning my offensive powers were virtually useless against her. Beyond destroying the titanium box, I couldn't harm her with my powers.

However, it brought to mind the fact that Tendrils shouldn't have a Gutierrez Shield. They were highly expensive, and not something that a low-level crime player that mostly just protected Talbots should have, especially to guard some unobtrusive warehouse.

Before I could reflect too much on that oddity, though, Tendrils yanked me by the wrist towards her. Trying to escape her vise-like grip, I kicked at it to no avail. She had me tightly, pulling me towards her despite my protestations.

Changing tactics, I kicked at one of the boxes around, hoping it would be filled with something I could use as a weapon. Unfortunately, the box I hid turned out to be hoses, which wasn't very helpful. Even worse, tipping it over created a plume of dust rising off it. As I watched it, I was suddenly struck with crippling feelings of sadness and loss. Dust was what was left of my two dead squadmates, as that was what they were turned into. Just lonely dust, like what coated these boxes.

Another tentacle whipped across my face as I reached Tendrils, snapping me back into action. Despite the stinging pain, I kicked out at her abdomen, hoping to knock her breath away and get an temporary advantage. However, as my foot collided with strong skin, I spared a glance at my bracelet, which was still telling me that Tendrils had thick skin as a facet of her Talbot power.

Always look at your bracelet and keep in mind what your enemy's Talbot power is, Ramiro's voice reminded me in my head as Tendrils's tentacles wrapped around my neck.

I was getting bad at skillfully fighting, but it was hard sometimes when I felt like I was the only one pulling any weight. The rest of the squad sucked, and I had begun to suck right alongside them. And now Tendrils was going to kill me because of that, her tentacles squeezing the life out of me as one of them wrapped around my neck.

I couldn't breathe, for even my attempting gasps were soundless. Her grip was just so tight, cutting off flow of everything to my brain, nearly strong enough to snap my spine. I could feel my life fading as my lungs scrambling for air that they couldn't reach.

Just as I thought I was going to die, Tass was there, delivered a Sprinkles-explosion onto Tendrils, causing her tentacles to go limp. Collapsing to the floor, free of the tentacles, I took in huge lungfuls of air, trying to get my breathing back.

However, before I could manage that, I was hit on the head with something amazingly hard. Blinking away tears, I looked at my bracelet just long enough to know I was being attacked by Rockhammer — who could punch hard.

Identifying his weakness before my bracelet could, I dove for one of the boxes. I had no idea what the things were, but they looked sturdy. Noticing the hefty weight as I picked one of them up, I knew I had the right box. I chucked the thing at Rockhammer.

My aim was off, but it still clipped his side hard enough to hurt. While he was distracted, I grabbed another thing and lobbed it more accurately, hitting Rockhammer's stomach with an audible "oof".

It was then that Tass came, slamming something hard into Rockhammer's head, effectively knocking him out and finishing the fight.

"Leon, are you okay?" Tass asked, jogging up to me.

I tried to stand up, but almost instantly, the world started to blur as a wave of dizziness overcame me.

"It is possible I have a concussion," I replied.

"Seriously?" Tass asked worriedly. "I don't see any blood."

"I feel dizzy and sleepy," I replied. "With the force of Rockhammer's punch, that suggests I might have a concussion."

Several years of fighting as an Elite had earned me several concussions, which made me strongly believe that what I currently had was a concussion.

"Should I call for an extract, then?" Tass asked. "I can't..."

Tass trailed off, but I knew exactly what she meant. After Julian and Nadia's death, this mission felt so pointless, and I just couldn't bear to lose anyone else. I wanted it to be over already.

"Maybe we should leave," I said. "We should demand they send somebody else."

"But we haven't found the bioweapon yet."

At the sound of a voice that wasn't Tass's, I looked up, unable to believe it. When my eyes latched onto the speaker, my mouth fell open in shock and disbelief. It couldn't be. There was no way. I felt frozen in shock.

Tass wasn't. She ran up to him, throwing her arms around him, saying his name with utter joy.

"Julian," she said.