Mind Games.

chapter 49: Show time.

My death grip only tightened on the leather seats as Xavier pressed harder onto the accelerator. We whizzed past trees and cars with uncanny speed. I wasn't the only one fearing for my life right now, though.
Libby and Debbie held on tint to one another while Norman's face turned into an unhealthy shade of green. Connor sat beside me, eyes wide with surprise. Xander was the only one who seemed indifferent to Xavier's driving skills.
"So that's how I found out she didn't have any hair!"
"It never ceases to amaze me."
"What?"
"How un-observant you can be!" Xavier taunted his brother. Xander rolled his eyes and punched his brother's shoulder. Connor gained the courage to open his eyes.
"How close are we?" He asked uneasily. I took a glance at the blurry world outside.
"About 10 minutes!" I replied back.
We were currently heading to a warehouse location Clark had given us. We were to get all of our required equipment there; cameras, wires...plane tickets.
Connor had woken me up that morning, ready to go. I felt happy to be around him, but still oddly hesitant. No matter how much I tried, I couldn't think of any easy way to put into words what Mr. Marsh and I had done. I doubted there really was anyway to say it without causing heartbreak, so I decided to put it off as long as I possibly could.
What he doesn't know can't hurt him, right?
Xavier slammed on the breaks and made a hard left, then accelerated down an old dirt road. Everyone jerked forward and Libby screamed,
"Jesus, are you trying to kill us!?!" Xavier just laughed in response.
Connor reached down and intertwined our fingers together. I smiled and gave his warm hand a soft squeeze. He squeezed back and scooted closer to me.
Xavier pulled into the warehouse parking lot and the car came to a merciful stop. Norman kept out and ran to the bushes. Libby and Debbie got out, slamming the door behind him. I pulled my fingers away from their hold on the seat and slipped out the door, Connor right behind me. He continued to hold my hand as we all took tantative steps towards the large, looming warehouse. It was a dome-like building with metal siding and no Windows. There was a giant enterance way that led inside. The two doors of the enterance were slightly open, just enough for us to get in. Everyone waited for me to take the first step. I felt my heart rate quicken and gulped down air as I took a step inside, not knowing exactly what it was I was fearing. But the second I stepped inside, I saw that the room was most lit from the back, the lights bright enough for a million houses. I shaded my eyes from the unnatural light and kept walking in. When everyone was inside, they looked around in awe. Several old WW11 planes had been placed here, kept only for amusement. The twins gauwked openly.
"Over here!" We heard Oliver's voice call out to us. I turned towards him and saw Clark and Terence waiting by Oliver. We all walked over and stood in silence.
Clark quickly handed each of us a bag full of black clothing.
"Boys over there, girls over there. Change quickly." His voice was strict. Everyone nodded and I departed from Connor, leading the way for Debbie and Libby.
Once we hidden enough behind a large tiger tank, we started undressing. My bag had a plain black sweater with black stone-washed jeans and black cargo boots.
The theme here; black.
I slipped them on and put my hair in a bun. After Libby and Debbie were dressed in similar clothing, we all walked out and waited for the boys.
The twins came out in black jeans and black zip up hoodies. They also had additional ski masks that they had purchased. Norman came out in a black button up shirt and black jeans with a nice shoes. The last one to come out was Connor, who took the wind from me.
He walked out confidently in a tight black sweater that revealed his muscles and black jeans with the same style cargo boots I had on. I blushed and turned to Clark, who was waiting for our attention.
"Alright, so lets run through the plan again; Xavier and Xander, what are you going to do?"
"Distract the security gautds!" They exclaimed in unison. Clark nodded and turned to Debbie and Libby.
"And you two?"
"Debbie will disable the security system and I'll record on my camera." Libby stated. He nodded again and pointed at Norman.
"And you?"
"I-I'm supposed to run the wires with Terence in the can incase they're caught."
"Good, and you Connor?" He asked, turning to Connor. Connor coughed into his fist and said,
"I'm going with Alice to fight off anyone who shows up." Clark nodded and turned to me.
"You know what to do?" He asked by way of question. I smiled gently and nodded.
"Stop the bomb, no matter what." We were all silent for a while. Then, Clark nodded and said,
"Ok, then. Everyone in the van." We all complied with his orders and sat down. Before we started driving, Oliver pulled out an envelope and handed us each one.
"Here, these are the plane tickets and $500. Don't leave your country until we tell you it's safe." He handed Connor and one envelope labeled, 'Ireland.' I looked around and saw what the others had. Libby and Debbie's were labeled, 'Italy.' The twins were going to go home to Germany, and Norman's read, 'Belgium.' That's the one time, when I thought bout what we were doing. This was dangerous.
Not to mention life-threatening...
Connor intertwined our fingers again, making me straighten out. He then leaned down to my ear and whispered,
"Its ok, we're just doing what's right." His words brought comfort to me. I was glad he was here, that no matter what happened now, I was going to leave with him.
Clark slipped in the driver's seat and started driving to our destination.