Battlefield: Control (Book Two)

Chapter Twenty-Seven - Angela

Angela had never teleported before.

Doing so with Alan was jarring. One minute they were standing in The Apartment with Orlando, and the next they were in one of the tunnels. She didn't like not knowing where she was, and especially didn't like not knowing how she got there.

It didn't hurt—it tingled slightly—but what had worried her the most was if something went wrong. She'd watched enough science fiction movies to know that teleportation was a complicated process. One small screw-up and she could have been a pile of steaming goo, or trapped in a wall, or end up in China.

"Still having a hard time getting used to that," Orlando said as he adjusted his clothes.

He looked smoking hot in his loose black pants and white button down dress shirt. She could discretely admire him. That didn't have to mean anything. On his head was a black fedora, and of course he wore his mask. He'd taken JD's costume idea a lot more seriously than she had.

Angela wore her gray sweatpants and a matching tank top. She was cold for the time being, but if they were going to go in and bust up the operation, she'd no doubt be working up a sweat.

The tunnels weren't exactly heated. Not something she had been anticipating. Orlando shivered as much as she did while Alan seemed unfazed by the temperature, per usual. But they couldn't move in their bulky winter coats, so the teenagers would have to suck it up.

"Are you ready?" Alan asked quietly, glancing from one to the other.

She didn't like him being quiet; it made her feel as if he might be afraid. Not the kind of thing she wanted in someone who was leading her into potential trouble.

She nodded, and Orlando did the same. Subconsciously she found herself moving toward him, if only because she could feel the warmth from his body.

"Nice costume. Impractical—but nice," he whispered.

Angela laughed. "It's not that impractical for what I do. Remember, my clothes burn up too." She didn't point out that the tighter the fit the less chance of it being destroyed. "And if you think mine is awesome, you need to see what JD walked out in. There are no words to describe it."

"I'm sure I'll see it eventually."

"We are nearing the suggested location for the lab," Alan said.

On hearing that her stomach began to turn itself in knots. Unlike her previous trip into the tunnels, the lights were on. The first giveaway that there were probably other people down there with them. They stopped in front of a door, gave it a tug and found it locked. Orlando moved forward and used telekinesis to take care of that quickly.

Slowly, Alan opened the door and walked into the room, a storage room of some kind for an office. There were boxes upon boxes filled with files, cabinets, stacks of printing paper, toner, and several other supplies. For a moment, all three of them stood there and took the whole sight in. Not what Angela had been expecting, at all.

"You remember the plan, yes?" Alan asked in a hushed voice.

The teens both nodded. It was simple enough. Part one was to try and sneak out information about the upgrade, and do a little eavesdropping, before stopping The Doctor from injecting anyone else. Alan's source claimed there might be some teens taken against their will to be a part of the new experiment.

With a slight wave, Alan motioned for the two to follow him.

Silently, they crept their way through the lit hallways of whatever office they were in. There wasn't a logo, or any kind of identification to tell Angela where they were exactly. The brightness of the lights bothered her. It made her feel exposed. Anyone could have been watching them.