Shattered (Completed)

Chapter 10 - Team Red

In the van, it's incredibly large compared to the outside. With the seven of us - seven - all of us have a seat with one extra. Florence sat in the drivers seat with Wayne in the seat beside him, typing on an odd device that's see through but has a keyboard and a blue screen hovering just above it, like. . . a hologram.

The seats behind them are fit for three people, but only two sit there. Me and Flora. Florence figured I needed to be better acquainted with the boys - specifically Blare - before I was squished beside him. And for that, I'm grateful. In the back row, Teresa sits pressed up against the left side of the van with a very annoyed gaze, chewing on gum. She has her chin situated on her fist and is staring out the window. Beside her, Blare is jamming out to some music that is obnoxiously loud. He's shaking the whole van, despite Florence's growls for him to calm down. Beside him, squashed against the right side, is Evan. He's sneaking glances at me - I can feel it, which is what really creeps me out. Or maybe anyone can feel eyes bore into the back of their head. 

Flora is very gently explaining the plan to me. I can hardly hear her over the music, but she's yelling in a somehow gentle way, so it isn't too hard. Still, the music somewhat bothers me. "This place that we're attacking is called Moonhit Co. One of their many locations all around the world. They say they help Moohits, and I guess they do, because at first they try to encourage the abilities granted, but then if you fail them they put you to sleep. . . or, in your case, if you're too strong. Anyway, this place has a really cool training ground. When I was here, I - "

"Flora," Wayne says calmly, "the plan."

"Oh! Right! So, there are two teams going into this place. One as the distraction, one as the - Mister Florence, would you pretty please turn the music down?" 

Before Florence can reply, Blare shouts, "Naw, man, Jama is the best artist of the century. No way are we turning this down." He then laughs. "Is the newbie having problems hearing the plan over this rad beat?" He grins at me, and I can't help but narrow my eyes. This dude is kinda annoying.

Florence, in reply, sighs and turns the music off. "We're here to do business, not dance to music. Flora, keep explaining."

My ears ring from the sudden lack of music, but quickly adjust to listen to Flora. She speaks quietly but, as when I first met her, with a sing-song tinge. I bet it could put someone to sleep. "Two teams are going in, one as the distraction and one as the retriever. Team Red, distraction. Team Black, retriever." She pauses briefly, then adds, "I'm on Team Black this time. The mission is to retrieve two kids. Wayne, can you get their history?"

There was a long pause after Wayne grunted, and then about a minute later he says, "Two little boys - brothers, Mark and Luke Winsefler. Twins. Turned Moonhit at eight, taken in by Moonhit Co. at eight, failed at eight, put under the Downing at nine. Their ability. . . oh, it can only be used if the other is there. . . It says. . . one - Mark - can talk to animals if touching Luke, while  the other - Luke - can control them once touching Mark. So Mark's ability doesn't work without Luke and vice versa."

Teresa, silent in the van, grunts. "Shame if one of them were to die,"  She casts a grin at Wayne, who's eyes are wide and somehow blank at the same time. Teresa pops a bubble, then goes back to looking outside. 

"In that case," Wayne says quickly, his voice shaking, "make sure to guard both boys. . . not exactly with your life, but with a lot of care." His eyes dart to Teresa, piercing through her like daggers. "Got it?"

All she does is grin, her eyes still trained on the view outside. I haven't looked outside yet. Too much to take in and certainly not enough time. I've just been keeping my eyes on Flora, occasionally glancing out the glass at the front - I don't know what it's called - to see black pavement. I know what pavement is, thankfully. It stretches for miles. I don't see an end. On the sides of the pavement is green. Grass, as Flora had said when she caught me staring at it in awe. It's just really cool to have something growing up from the ground. I wonder what else can. Pretty things? Even then, what type of pretty - 

"Which team you wanna be on?" Flora asks, breaking my thought. "Black or Red? Remember, Black is retriever, Red is distraction."

"Black sounds fu - " I begin, but Evan interrupts me.

"She's on my team, remember?" he says, sounding a little defensive. "So she's on Red." When Flora begins to reject, he adds, "Hey, she needs training, right? This is my only requirement. Deal with it or no training."

At first it seems like Flora will attack him or retort sharply, but she merely smiles, and the tension dissipates. She turns to me. "I hope you're okay with being a distraction, since Evan's so insistent about being on your team." She giggles quietly and nudges me in the side with her elbow. I guess that was supposed to resemble a joke, but I don't find it funny.

"Sure," I say, glancing back at Evan. He grins at me, winks. What is he, flirting? Right after he just demanded I be on his team? I guess there's a tie between the two, but I don't want to think about it. So I turn to Flora. "So Team Red just goes in there and causes a distraction?"

Flora nods happily. "Yup, that's basically it! So, on your team is Evan and Blaze - Blaze is always Team Red. I'm Team Black with Teresa and Wayne. Wayne and Florence stay in here - oh! You get an earpiece! Wayne? You have an extra, right?"

At first, Wayne seems startled that his name was mentioned. But then he smiles and nods, his eyes finding me, but only briefly. He digs into his pocket and hands me an earpiece, setting it in my hand without even touching me. "Just, um, hook that around your ear lobe, then put the - er, you may know how to do it. It's pretty easy, even if you don't know how."

I examine the black earpiece. The word 'wireless' comes to mind. So I look up at Wayne, who meets my gaze with a nervous one of his own. "This is wireless?" I ask, wondering if I'm just saying a word because I like it or if it came to me for a reason. When he smiles - more of a beam - I know I not only used it right but used it for the right thing. 

"Yeah," he says quickly, nodding more. "Yeah, the earpiece is wireless. . . which is basically just what the name says. It doesn't require wires to get it to work. I just speak into this earpiece of my own -" He holds up a black earpiece, then hooks it into his ear. "and you hear it in your own. There's some science behind it, but the others hate it when I explain anything." He chuckles nervously and takes the earpiece out. Wayne pauses and frowns at me. "How'd you know that word? Because I was just thinking. . ."

He doesn't even have to say it. I just read his mind. So I lean back in the seat and cross my arms. "Maybe I just thought about it. Or maybe, ya know, I read your mind." I grin. Pride surges through me. Is it pride, or fear? Fear that I had no control over the fact that I read his mind? My hand tentatively goes to my left eye, where I recall the diamond being. The feeling of ink. Is it fading? Will I now hear voices all the time? 

I don't voice my problems. Strength, I'm to suppose, is a great feature to have when in another Moonhit's presence. 

"Here we are," Florence says suddenly. The car shudders to a stop in a vacant lot, in front of an old building with vines weaving through every available crack. He turns in his seat and looks us all over. "Is everyone in dark clothing with their earpieces and ready?" Everyone nods. I put in my earpiece. "Good. Team Red goes in first. Any questions about the plan?"

"Uh, I've got one," I say, surprising myself. "But if this is a discreet mission, like Evan said, why is there a team causing a distraction?"

"Good question," Florence encourages, smiling at me. "If we weren't in teams, it would be a raid. But since we are in teams, we need a distraction. It's really just however we want to do it. But this is a discreet mission because one team, the main team, Team Black, is going in discreetly. Team Red doesn't really matter. . . I mean, we still need them, but Team Black matters more. . . I didn't mean to offend anyone."

"No problem, boss," Evan says, slipping past Flora and opening the door. "Let's go, guys, don't want to be here too late."

And then we're all out of the car and heading away from the old building. Wait. . . weren't we going into it? I guess we don't want to park in the parking lot of Moonhit Co., do we? So it makes sense to park in another lot.

Team Red is about to be the best team to ever take place in a mission.