Who We Were Born To Be (Niam) [ON HOLD]

Chapter 18: Secrets

Zayn's point of view

Zayn released the man's head and moved along the row to the next captive guard.

“Well?” James demanded impatiently. Calm your farm James, I'm getting there. The boy had been walking nervously back and forth ever since the people they had captured in the raid on the building had been brought here. Niall, who was sitting in Liam's lap, reached out and patted James comfortingly on the shoulder as James walked nervously back past him.

“That one was just a security guard,” Zayn told James. “He knew nothing we didn't already know.”

“Mmmmph!” the next prisoner in the line said through his gag as Zayn walked up to the chair to which he was tied. “Mmmm... mmmmph!” Zayn ignored the man's attempts at speaking and took the man's head in his hands and leaned his own head down to touch. For some reason it's just easier this way. Zayn poked quickly through the man's mind. Hopefully I can find something useful, and then James will be pleased. Zayn sifted through the man's thoughts and memories, trying to find ones that related to the facility.

Zayn spoke quietly to the man as he rummaged through his mind, trying to prompt the man to think about the right things. “That building we found you in... Is that the last facility left?” Zayn asked the man, carefully catching the thoughts and memories that fluttered across the man's mind at his question. Ah. Good. This guy seems to know some things. James will be pleased. “How is it that you captured the prisoners that you were holding?” Zayn continued asking. “Where is the power suppression device? Who is your boss? Where is he?”

Oh! Here's something interesting...

“James,” Zayn said, calling the boy over. “You're going to like this... The facility occasionally gets deliveries of new prisoners by an outside team. If you organise the army guys so they look like the facility's normal guards, the delivery guys will drive up to the facility unawares and carry their prisoner inside. The army can take them prisoner at that point, no trouble.”

“So we'll be able to actually capture the guys kidnapping people?!” Louis asked excitedly. Zayn nodded to him and Louis exchanged high-fives with the other boys. James looks pleased, Zayn noted with a smile.

Liam's point of view

Liam sat contentedly with Niall in his lap, as Zayn continued to search through the minds of the captured guards. Liam loved being able to cuddle with the smaller boy. Niall is such an awesome person, Liam thought. I'm so lucky to have him as such a great friend.

“Well? Any progress?” Alistair Wilson asked, joining them in the room.

Zayn turned, looking exasperated, and frowned at the man. “Sheesh, guys, take a chill pill already!” Zayn told him. “It'll be done when it's done!”

Alistair raised an eyebrow at Zayn. Then Liam felt something connect Alistair and Zayn briefly. Huh? What was that? Liam didn't think he'd ever sensed anything quite like it before. Alistair walked forward and took the head of one of the prisoners in his hands, copying Zayn's actions. Oh, right... Alistair can copy other people's powers. He must have just copied Zayn's.

Zayn frowned at Alistair some more. “You don't trust me huh?” Zayn said unhappily.

James walked over an patted Zayn on the back. “I've got complete faith in you Zayn,” James told him. Zayn perked right up at James' words, grinning as widely as Liam had ever seen him smile. Oh, Zayn must have really felt undermined by Alistair. “You're my number one telepath,” James told Zayn. “But no harm in someone else checking too. Anyway, Alistair's only a mediocre telepath, because mimics are never quite as good as the people whose powers they copy.”