"She seriously locked you in the shed?" Jacob asked, flabbergasted.
"Yes, but that's not what matters. Did you see her in the building?" Nichelle asked as she stepped out of the shed, brushing the dust off of her pants. She didn't know how long she had been locked in that shed but it was long enough.
"No, but there was a car there that looked like your other one," Ryann said.
Nichelle nodded. "Yeah, that would be her," she said. "I wonder if the others found her." Nichelle paused them titled her head. "Where are the others by the way?"
"We waited twenty minutes for them after getting Peyton but they didn't show so we left. Just like we discussed."
Nichelle frowned. "So you don't know where they are."
Jacob shook his head. "Not currently no."
Nichelle groaned, rubbing her face.
"What? Do you think something happened to them?" Ryann asked worriedly.
"I think we need to assume that at this point," Nichelle said. "Especially because Emily made it in there." Nichelle hurried into the house, followed by Jacob and Ryann.
Turning the corner, she walked into trouble living room where Axel and Peyton were sitting. Axel looked up at the three in question. "What's wrong?" He asked.
"Emily, Ethan, Mackenzie, McKenna and Raymond. Nichelle thinks something happened to them," Jacob explained.
"Or they're just taking longer than expected to kill Quentin and Tara," Axel suggested.
"You guys go here over a half an hour ago which means it's been an hour since they were supposed to meet you back outside. You think it'd take them that long to kill two people."
Axel frowned. "Maybe not."
"We need to get back into that building," Nichelle said.
"Again?" Jacob asked.
"Yes, again," Nichelle said.
"But there's no one to help us get inside this time," Axel pointed out.
"No but we'll find another way in," Nichelle retorted.
"We shouldn't do anything yet though," Ryann cut in.
Everyone looked over at her. "Why not?" Nichelle asked.
"Because you don't actually know if they're in trouble, and our going there again could just make things worse for us. We need to wait longer than twenty fire hours or for some sort of sign."
"But they could be dead by then!" Nichelle growled.
"What if we broke into the compound, triggered and alarm and caused all of our deaths over an assumption?"
Jacob saw Nichelle's jaw harden. They all knew that Ryann was right. There was nothing telling them that the others were in danger. Not yet anyway.
"Uh... Guys," Peyton said from beside Axel. Jacob looked at Peyton them followed her gaze to Mackenzie, who was on the ground, wearing a RESAT. Jacob jerked back, startled.
"When did you get here?" He asked Mackenzie.
"Just- just now," Mackenzie answered breathlessly. "You're idiot of a brother transported me here."
"What?" Jacob said.
Instead of answering, Mackenzie nodded to the RESAT. "Mind getting this thing off me first?"
"Oh right." Jacob and Axel managed to get the RESAT off of Mackenzie after a few minutes, then set her on the couch.
"So what happened?" Axel asked.
Mackenzie propped herself up on the couch, quickly wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "Quentin and Tara... They found us and- they killed- they killed my mo-" Mackenzie burst out into tears. Neither of the guys knew what to do but, fortunately, Ryann came around the couch to comfort her friend.
"No, it's fine," Mackenzie said but Ryann sat next to her anyway. Mackenzie nodded in gratitude.
"Anyway," Mackenzie sniffed, looking only at the ground, "after that Emily came in and volunteered to give herself up if Quentin and Tara promised to let us go."
"Oh, that girl," Nichelle muttered.
"Quentin and Tara agreed," Mackenzie continued, "though they didn't let us go, only kept us alive. We were being led to our cells when Ethan tricked the guards into taking his RESAT off of him to teleport me back here, probably to warn you guys and tell you what had happened."
"Okay, now we need to get back into the compound," Nichelle said.
"But how?" Mackenzie asked.
Before Nichelle answer, the door burst open, and Elgen guards ran into the room, already firing off rounds their RESAT darts. Mackenzie, Ryann and Peyton immediately shot to their feet, wasting no time.
Peyton and Jacob were the first to be hit by the RESAT darts, given they were closest to the door. Jacob collapsed to ground with a yelp, as Mackenzie proceeded to blind half the guards. Axel tried to make an electric figure to take out the rest but one of the guards managed to get past it and hit Axel. Axel went down, followed by a blind guard getting lucky and hitting Mackenzie. With the guards eyesight fully restored after that, they shot Ryann and Nichelle, who had started trying to create offensive protection, but had not yet gotten very far.
Jacob watched in confusion as Nichelle fell to the ground. She looked to have been shot with the same dart as the rest of them, which shouldn't do anything to her, yet she collapsed anyway. Jacob wasn't sure why. Then again, he wouldn't be surprised if he was delusional at this point.
The head of the guards walked through the group and headed for Mackenzie. He placed his boot on her neck and pushed down. Ryann let out a strangled cry but the guard did nothing to react to it. He seemed to be focused on Mackenzie and Mackenzie only.
"I told him I would find you," he growled. Mackenzie began to choke from the weight of the full grown man's boot cutting off her air. He lifted it off and did a quick once over of everyone in the room.
"How many glows did they say there were?" The guard asked one of the others.
"Five, minus the three we already have in custody," one of the guards answered.
"So then who is this jem?" The guard asked mockingly as he walked over to Nichelle.
Nichelle just spat on his boot. "Don't ever call me a 'jem' again," she snarled.
The guard smirked. "Whatever you say, but just remember: you're the one lying on the ground."
The guard turned sharply, walking back to door. "Load them up," the guard ordered. "I want to get them back to Quentin and Tara before they realize that I lost them in the first place."
One by one, the guards began pulling them to their feet. They attached RESATs to everyone then threw them into the truck.
Jacob was the first to go in, followed by Ryann. "So much for a rescue plan," Jacob muttered to her.
"Don't worry," Ryann responded softly. "We'll find a way to get out of this."
Jacob shook his head. "What if we don't?"
YOU ARE READING
The Return - A Michael Vey Fanfic
Fanfiction"There was no way out, no way to save myself and no one to save me." It's been twenty five years since The Electroclan retired and went their separate ways. Some of the members kept in touch and told their children about their adventures, some did...
