The Strange Adventures of Team Alpha: Magickans, Teenagers, and Misfits!!

Introduction

Molly's POV
I run. The blinding lights of the Paris skyline shimmer all around me, the full moon high in the black sky. The sharp wind stings my face, frosty and bitter against my scraped up skin. Even for someone with elemental magick, it hurts. Have the sources of my powers finally turned against me? Tired of being wielded by somebody who's a total failure and waste of space in this universe? No time to think about that right now, I tell myself. My legs are on fire, searing with pain from how hard I'm exerting my body. God, I'm out of shape. Sarge would have my hide hanging from a tree. Behind me, I hear the footsteps of Klaus, Jessie, and Amare against the cement roof of the convention hall. I whip my head back, eyes wide and filled with terror. Yeah, those Dark Magickans are still tailing us, and they're gaining.
Isn't this just dandy, about to be murdered in cold blood by international terrorists before you've come of age, how sad, the sarcastic part of my brain cackles at me. Shut up, me. Poor Klaus is struggling to carry his twenty pound computer system, his square framed glasses fogged up from how laboured his breath is, and Jessie has a guitar case on his back. Amare is the only one of us four who's faring the best, even though he's firing blanks from that handgun we pocketed from Finn and Holly. Them and those MI6 and CIA blokes don't have the faintest hint of what's going on, and when they do, Team Alpha will already be on the next flight to Auckland. Our parents don't know the danger they're in either. If Shade's extremist group manages to succeed with their hit jobs, the entire world could be at risk of domination. This isn't just some random, one off shooting to take down some famous race car drivers or commentators from NASCAR. Nor is it a walk in park for us in Team Alpha. We were used to stopping homeless people from hacking into Star Manor's Wi-Fi, cracking small time robberies in the neighborhood, doing community work in Radiator Springs, taking down Dark Web criminals, or even breaking up local gang fights. The single most important thing we've done was help the police take down a blossoming underground drug ring while on vacation two years ago in Las Vegas. That's it. We're talking about a system of thousands of trained assassins and criminals with former military and government backgrounds, attempting to take down politicians, celebrities, and anybody who's anybody in this Prix. Plus, they're all Magickans, far more advanced in their abilities than any of us. Klaus's mind-reading powers, Amare's intelligence magick, Jessie's mind-control music and voice, and my elemental superpowers don't stand a chance against them, who've had years to hone their skills to absolute perfection. But still, we have to try. Because I will be damned if my dads and other people get killed because I sat around on my butt and did nothing. With a bucket of buttered movie popcorn, Snickers, and a large cup of Coca-Cola, laughing at the death, carnage, and oppression take over. No, never. We have to do something. We may be nothing but teenagers with pretty faces, twice-exceptional neurodiverse minds, angst and anger, IQs higher than average, and meek in our magick skills, but we are Team Alpha. We don't stand by and let our innocent brothers and sisters suffer, at the hands of men like Shade. Never, ever, ever.

Amare bellows a strained yell, his voice cracking as he fires his final shot. He shoves the gun in his hoodie pocket, sprinting to us with all his speed. His dark black curls fly about in every direction, his cocoa brown skin glistening with sweat. I nod, acknowledging him.
" I've stalled them, but not for long! " he shouts over the wind, making Jessie mutter a string of higher spectrum cuss words.  Just as he predicted, the dudes chasing us roar out in fury. Apparently, their stupid normal brains didn't register that Amare wasn't shooting real bullets. They're nothing but blanks, that we reloaded the gun with after pocketing it from Finn. Now, they're focusing their power into a concentrated beam of death magick. It's growing bigger by each passing second. Jessie's eyes widen to the size of dinner plates, and he gasps.
" Oh, in the name of Jesse Rutherford! Guys, that's black magick! It'll kill us on impact! Run like bloody hell! " we do as he says, picking up our pace and glancing behind us every second or so. My lungs are erupting in a firestorm of pain, like something is crushing them. I'm starting to choke on air. That death magick is getting stronger. I'm not sure I can hold on much longer. But an even more frightening revelation distracts me from the fact that my internal organs are shutting down. Klaus beats me to it, however.
" Gentlemen, Boss, we're running out of roof! " he's correct, and we all know it the moment we see it. We have maybe fifteen seconds. My friends all look at me, desperate for a plan that will save their lives. What do I do? I'm in charge of this mission. I roped Jessie, Amare, Klaus, Masaki, Tetsaka, Joaquin, Pereira, and Imani into this whole scheme. I'm the leader, yet I have no clue what to do. Is this it for us? Do I surrender now, and hope Shade shows us a form of nonexistent mercy? Or do I let my teammates/family members and myself fall to our deaths, into human pancakes on the concrete below? I don't get to choose, because Ramone decides for me. His voice sounds throughout my head, his thick Mexican accent ringing in my ears.
Jump! Use your water magick to propel you and your friends into the Seine, you'll be safe. Do it, NOW!