Operation W.A.R.

Chapter 24

Kath's POV-

Adam and I make our way through the giant crowd of this colorful and strange city and find a small pizza place. Thank goodness I have some money with me, so that Adam doesn't have to pay everything with the load of cash he has in the back pocket of his jeans. While we eat our food, I ask him some questions about himself, since he basically knows everything about me now, even about how Jack and I were almost a thing I guess. But that's over. He's with Stella and as long as they are happy, so am I. I think cutting Jack off was a bit harsh, but what's done is done. There's only one way to reverse that and it's very unlikely to happen. It turns out that Adam is a total nerd when it comes to science, and it reminds me of Akilah. He wants to be a scientist when he grows up, and I'm sure he'll make it, but he better not kill two dozen kids for that. We finish our lunch and head towards the Lab, with me following him. He knows the way and judging by his thoughts they have only been good so far. My focus is suddenly fixed on two figures walking across the street: Gregory and Judith. Panic overwhelms me. What do I do? Why are they here? Do they know I'm here? Or do they know what we're after? I grip Adam's arm probably a little tighter than I should.

-Adam, stop. See those two people with the white coats?

-Yeah. What's with them?

-That's Gregory and Judith.

-The weirdos?

-Something like that. We're going to follow them. Come on.

I hear him scoff as I now take the lead, but he follows me nonetheless. 

Stella's POV-

How rude. Akilah really doesn't know what I was doing...Ok she did know that I was trying to make a move on Jack, but I got rejected so lets get that into the back of my mind for now. We have been found, and even though we have a plan, I just hope it works and everything turns out fine. The four of us sit quietly and wait as the train speeds along the tracks. Another thirty minutes pass by and we arrive at Ascana Train Station. People stand up and exit the car, but we stay seated. Not only does this weird dude stay in his seat, but another seven guys dressed in the same black attire. They are spread through the car, and now with everyone else gone, it's clear that they were after us. My Danger Warning goes off, except too late. Panic and fear begin to build inside my chest and I feel like a can't breathe. I look at Jack, who has always been the strong one (even though Branton is the super strong one), and he's scared. No one will tell me otherwise. We need Kath here. I know I was glad she was lost somewhere, but now I regret thinking that. She would have been able to tell us what to do through our minds and we'd be fine, but we must face this without her. The guys stand up now. They are all big and muscular, much bigger than Jack and Branton combined. They start walking towards us, but that's when my instincts take over. The guy with the bracelets suddenly falls backwards as I stand up and kick him in the gut. It's quick and shocking, for him anyway. Jack immediately conjures a staff made of pure light ( although it's not as bright as one would expect) and begins to fight two guys at once. They have guns, but Jack is too quick for them, and he's also bulletproof so that's a bonus. Branton turned his skin to steel, punching a guy straight in the face, which knocks him out. Akilah gives one guy a concussive blast, knocking him out, and another gets an electric shock so powerful it kills him. I get out of breath as I continue to fight against some of these big rough dudes. It's scary, but I have to keep fighting, or they'll chain me up. I fly up, kick on in the face, and jump on another. Then I hear a yell.

-Get out of here!

Akilah must know what she's doing, so we follow her instruction. Once out of the train, Akilah looks back. Suddenly the lights of the train flicker on and off. It's shaking. Oh no. She's controlling the electricity of the train. Then there it is: BOOM! The windows break apart as the entire train car becomes electrified. Surely, each person on that train is dead, and she knows it. Akilah then relaxes, turns around to face us and I see a face I never thought I'd see. She is cold. Her eyes are angry, like a storm at sea, or rather a lighting storm. It's as though she breaks free from a trance, falls to the ground on her knees, and sobs into her hands when I realize what she's done. Out of all of us, she's the first to ever kill a human being, something she had once sworn she would never do.