Tethered Twins

Chapter Forty Seven

Gabe Treeth

“Everyone ready?” asked Gabe. He was ready to take charge again. It was his fault Emmie was in this situation and he was damned if he wasn’t going to save her.

They nodded. Grace, March and Chris all wore army uniforms and were ready. They wore their dog tag playing cards with pride. They stood alongside twelve other members of The Deck who also nodded in agreement.

Almost each member of the team was holding a gun with a blue disk on top. March was carrying a large backpack with the blue light from the helicopter.

“Remember,” said Gabe. “We are entering a civilian zone. You are not to use lethal force unless instructed by me. Is that understood?”

“Yes sir,” replied the team. They clicked a switch at the back of their guns which moved the blue disk into their weapon. “Using the latest data from March we’ve redesigned the blue light to stop anyone with orange eyes momentarily.”

“You each have a single clip of ammunition in case of an emergency. That’s thirty five bullets.  If you are under threat from a hostile force you have my authorization, then you may switch to them but not before. Is that understood?”

“Yes sir.”

“Jill?” said Gabe. “You’re in charge until I get back.”

Jill stood next to the remaining support staff of The Deck. They would provide technical aid throughout the mission. “Yes, sir,” she replied.

Gabe was ready to redeem himself. This was what he had trained for. What everyone had trained for. He knew it was a gamble but Emmie was far too important for him not to roll the dice and if the only way to ensure her safety was to risk the lives of every single one of his team then that was a risk he had to take.  

“Good luck,” said Jill to everyone.

Gabe led them to a sealed door at the back of the base. He swiped a keycard and the double doors opened. Lights flickered on and revealed four large four-wheel-drive cars called Verro’s. “You can thank the boss for these,” said Gabe, thankful for his backer.

The members of the Deck looked on in disbelief. Verro’s were one of the many excesses of the ‘haves’ and a symbol of power and wealth. Their heavy weight and high top speed meant they consumed fuel faster than any other vehicle on the road, and made them extremely expensive to buy, due to heavy taxes, with high running costs.

Yet these cars had been modified with solar panels for The Deck, no doubt at great expense. Their large size also meant they completely took up a single lane on the road, and their wide wheels made them excellent all-terrain vehicles.

“You didn’t fancy something subtle?” asked Grace.

“We need strong vehicles that travel fast. You won’t find anything better,” replied Gabe, proud of each and every car.

Everyone loaded into a Verro. Gabe and Grace sat in one together, whilst Chris and March sat in separate vehicles. The four cars lined up in a row and slowly travelled up a ramp which emerged at the back of the shopping centre. They made their way around debris as the burger stand owner looked on in amazement. 

Gabe drove his car at the front of the pack and the others followed behind him in a line. Each driver pressed a button on the dashboard which activated sirens. Gabe and his team put their feet down and headed towards London.

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Emmie Keyes

“Welcome to London,” said Rex.