Gyrus

Chapter Six: Rescue Heroes

Frightened rats scampered out of the way as we crouched under fallen beams and splintered logs on our way to warehouse thirteen. It was situated in the heart of the lumber mills whose road network had been overrun with weeds and small shrubbery rendering it un-motorable even for Robbie's four wheel drive van. We had parked the car on the outskirts of the mill complex and made our way in on foot. Good thing we'd dressed for the outdoors in sensible boots - except for Lily who had to make the treacherous journey in a pair of pink ludicrous flip-flops. That she was wearing inappropriate clothing didn't slow her down a bit. She merely shucked off her flip-flops and climbed up a pole onto the flat roof of a mill shed. She quickly made her way to Warehouse thirteen, our hearts lurching every time she jumped from roof to roof. We arrived a few minutes behind her, all gasping for breath.

Warehouse thirteen was a more of a massive timber shed than it was a warehouse. The walls were nothing more than long planks nailed to support beams and smeared with tar to discourage termite infestation with a massive planked door supposed to serve as the cargo entrance, now locked with a giant rusty padlock. Thin sheets of corrugated tin roofing covered the top of the rafters leaving the sides bare and open to the elements. It was in these exposed rafters that Lily crouched, filing a nail and waiting for our arrival.

"What do you see?" Roberto whispered to Lily

She stuck her head in through the rafters. "Wong was right; seven guards with guns, two of them at the door. The rest are at the other end playing cards. I see three hostages but I can't tell who they are. My heightened vision can only see so much."

I nudged Maria. "Can't you do that blackout thing on one of the guards and get them to open the door?"

"No. Mind manipulation of that magnitude requires direct eye contact. Plus my bloody node doesn't feel properly healed. We're more or less screwed in that respect."

Edwin sheepishly put his hand up. Roberto hushed everyone else. "Wong should pick the lock."

One of Wong's eyebrows shot up. "There are seven guards in there with guns. All they need to hear is that rusty thing click," he pointed to the padlock "and they rearrange my organs. No thanks."

"Pssst!" Lily called from her perch, cupping her hands around her mouth to direct the sound. We all looked up. "You're forgetting something. I know karate." 

Edwin's face scrunched with apprehension. "Karate won't do much against a gun. Please come down, you might hurt yourself." 

She frowned at us. "You people think I'm all beauty and no brawn right. I'll show you I can take 'em down. You'll see."

And as if Lily wanting to beat up two hefty bodyguards wasn't stupid enough, she actually went into a crouch. Using the adjacent beam as a springboard, she leapt off the rafters into the dark bowels of the building. My left eye twitched and all of a sudden I could see inside the warehouse. Well not exactly. It was more like seeing a grainy film reel played underwater. I panicked and shook my head to clear the images but I felt Edwin's now familiar mental nudging and I relaxed when I realized he was the one supplying them.

{We're piggybacking off one of the hostages, I couldn't feel his consciousness so I 'borrowed' his sight. Right now I can puppeteer him.}

{What do you mean puppeteer?}

{To an extent, manipulate his body.}

An involuntary chill went up my spine as I considered the implications of this new bit of information. I clenched my fists and forced myself to focus the images Edwin was providing and saved my contemplations for when my head was mine alone.

Lily fell onto a mound of saw dust eleven feet below, subtly maneuvering her body so she pushed off the wall mid-fall, changing her trajectory of motion from vertical drop to angular projectile. She used the momentum from the landing to trampoline off the floor on her outstretched hands, pulling a wide-arched front flip and striking a stylish pose. Ever like Lily to be concerned with image in the face of bodily harm. The two guards at the door noticed her instantly but didn't raise their guns. They couldn't make up their minds whether the diminutive girl before them was a threat or a joke. Lily made the most of their indecision. She began to cover the distance between her and the guards, dusting off her cashmere top in the most casual manner possible.