Tyrant in the Shadows

Part 12

When Ivan opened his eyes, the dot had stopped moving. That meant Sophia had stopped moving. They could find her. Maybe she would be alright. The light was still there, though blinking (it was a sign of instability) meaning she was still alive. It would've disappeared if she had died.

"Tell one of the teleporters that we need them to get us about," Ivan glances at the sonar-like device, "fifteen miles one way. Explain the situation to them. If none have enough energy for that, I feel bad for saying this, but get one of the energy weilders to give them a boost."

It was rare they asked an energy wielder to do that. Or a teleporter to go through that. But one of the reasons they would have to do that is if someone from the outpost was in trouble and needed to be brought back ASAP. This was protocol, even if the person was still a student.

"Yes sir," the tech nodded before leaving the room at a quick pace.

Delaney was trying to remain calm but she was biting her thumb nail. She wasn't even entirely aware that she was until Ivan pulled her to him in a hug. It was relaxing to know her partner was there. She didn't want him to leave. That sounded clingy. She sighed.

"We'll get her back," Ivan promises, whether he could keep that promise or not, "Don't worry."

Delaney knew that it wasn't a promise he could keep with his power, no matter how much he wanted to, but she trusted him. She trusted he was right. And maybe that was just because she didn't want to look at the alternative.

The teleporter walked in, his hair standing on end a bit like static electricity had been shot through his hair, "Well, coordinates?"

The tech named off coordinates Delaney couldn't focus on listening to and the teleporter nodded. Ivan grabbed a communication device from the desk and told the techs to contact them if she moved again. Then he grabbed their arms and the world blinked out of view for the quickest of moments. When the world came back into view, they were in a field. The grass wasn't too tall and that was a blessing. They wouldn't be able to find Sophia if the grass was up to their chests. Teleporters couldn't be positive of the exact location of someone. Usually there was about a quarter mile of an area they had to look in.

Ivan used his light to cast a bubble of visibility around them while they searched. He was tired, but he also had adrenaline pumping through his system. As they walked, three pairs of eyes scanned the ground, looking for the young student. It seemed like hours to the three but in reality was only minutes when they found her, lying on her back, her body making an imprint in the grass.

She was pale, there were tear streaks on her face. Though what worried the three the most was the blood that seemed to be clogging her pores. She'd been sweating blood while she was teleporting. That was the stage after pain that came with overuse of powers. Ivan knelt down next to her, checking her pulse, and nodded when he felt a slow, faint beat. She was definitely alive. He placed his hand below her nose to make sure she was breathing. The breath barely tickled his finger but she was still breathing too.

They also didn't see any signs of the next stage of exhaustion. Her skin didn't look like it was sticking to her bones. That meant she was still at least slightly hydrated and her powers hadn't drained her stored fats completely. When Ivan gently picked her up, she whimpered. It was a quiet sound, but it nearly tore the two senior officer's hearts in two.

"We shouldn't have left her alone," Delaney said numbly, grabbing ahold of the teleporter's arm.

The pale yellow eyed man nodded, and walked to the other two, allowing the teleporter to grab his arm while he held the student, "Let's just get back."