Wisdom and War

Chapter Nine

The omada was a wreck by the time we came back.

When we landed on the tarmac, everyone was cleaning up, bullet holes covering the walls. No one spoke a word as I stepped out of the helicopter with Joaquin behind me. Lauren and the others held onto the scientists they were able to bring and headed for the Soma waiting to check on them. Diana was waiting for us by the elevator, clothes shriveled and her tablet held tightly against her chest.

I closed my eyes the same time the doors shut, taking a few seconds to myself before I turned around and faced Diana. She looked tiny standing beside Joaquin who was looking as intimidating as ever, arms crossed and a dark look on his face. The surprised expression on Diana's face showed that I was sporting the same look. "What happened?" I asked, pulling the emergency button and the elevator rattled before coming to a full stop.

With a gulp, Diana passed me her tablet just like earlier today, showing four screens. "She went through the front door." I watched as the elevator in the lobby opened and five smoke grenades rolled out, each one emitting smoke as soon as it stopped. One by one, the people in the lobby lost consciousness, giving Morana the freedom to walk through unhinged. Seconds later, a loud blaring sound echoed through the entire omada, which was a protocol in case there were any attacks.

The first thing to do was implement a lockdown, the only people allowed to go through the building were the Fura and the descendants. Steel walls would cover every opening and would only open once the lockdown was lifted by the Anzani. These walls were over three feet thick and even a descendant couldn't just barge through them. Without the security codes to pass through, it'd take us about another five minutes to make our way out.

Morana was obviously prepared as she blocked off one of the steel walls that was coming down to close the entrance to the main elevators. She slipped underneath followed by the men behind her and the steel walls fell closed with a loud bang. "Where was Maiko?" Joaquin asked, stepping beside me and looking at the tablet.

"Over fifty more men went through the tarmac, and one of them managed to get through by using a Fura's fingerprint. He uh...he cut off his finger." Diana suddenly looked squeamish as she looked away, eyes closing in disgust. "He proceeded to go to your quarters and override the entire system without anyone disturbing him."

"Maiko would've had to break through those doors." I realized and Diana nodded her head. One of the screens on the tablet showed Maiko repeatedly punching the steel doors with both of her fists, Elias behind her. He was conscious but when he made the move to sit up, it was evident that he still wasn't fully back from his memory. We watched as Maiko grew frustrated, cursing as she paced the room. She was well aware that it'd take at least five minutes to get through and another two to get to the Erevna floor where the jewel was being kept. The security measures were increased and the cube was once again untouchable. Any contact with it, even just for a second, would lead to someone's skin being burnt off.

"She went through the ceiling instead." Diana said, catching my attention. I raised an eyebrow as she pressed the fast forward button and showed how Maiko jumped through the ceiling, debris falling to the floor. Screams echoed as she appeared into the next floor which was reserved for the locals living inside the building. She did the same thing until she reached the Erevna floor which was filled with unconscious locals dressed in lab coats.

She had arrived just in time as Morana walked out of one of the experimentation rooms, the jewel being held by her fingers. She was dressed in black from head to toe, a hood over her head but it was obviously her. When her eyes connected with Maiko's, a menacing smirk covered her lips before she flicked her wrist, a wave of black smoke swirling around her and towards the men she was with. Each of their eyes turned into black before they lunged towards Maiko's direction. Continuous shots rang from the tablet I was watching from as Maiko tried to dodge every bullet. Unlike us, she wasn't wearing her suit and had no weapons on her so the only thing she could do was use her speed and strength against them. One of the bullets managed to get through to her as she grabbed one of the beakers and slammed it into a man's face, his skin burning from the chemical. The bullet hit her on her right thigh, making her knee fall to the floor and leaving herself unguarded for a few seconds.