The Messiah [1]

6: Athena

"Athena, it's your turn to jump."

Fiona gripped Athena's arm, dragging her towards the back of the transportation bus. The ride had taken a little over four hours, and the rough country terrain had turned Athena's muscles into tight balls of pain. Darkness had fallen like a blanket around them, giving the small group protection from the prying eyes of the guards stationed at the gates of the town. Rigid like the gates they guarded, the sentinels had barely given the small bus a second glance. Now it was time to make their move. It was easier to spread out their numbers, and draw less attention to the kids who shouldn't be out past curfew. Dante had jumped first, landing lightly on his feet and immediately walking towards the team's destination. Then the others had followed, one by one, as the bus drew closer to the medical supply building. Now only Athena was left. She could see the rough brick drawing closer, her stomach clenched in fear.

"Go."

Athena jumped, landing with a smack on the concrete. She teetered for a moment, rocking preciously on the balls of her feet until she gained back her balance. Once she was sure she could move on without falling, Athena ducked her head and went on her way. The bus was long gone before she made it to the end of the street. Hands deep in her pockets, Athena looked quickly down the alleyway closest to her, seeing several outlines next to the building's basement window. One glance around confirmed she was the only person on the shadow-covered street; one step into the alley and Athena was gone.

"About time you got here." Dante's low voice ricocheted off the brick, assaulting Athena's ears and temper. Knowing he was baiting her - there was no way she could have arrived earlier - Athena ignored him, squatting down to examine the window. She didn't know what she was supposed to be looking for, but anything would be better than staring at Dante. His dark hair and sharp features reminded Athena too much of her brother Dimitri. The memory brought a tremor of pain through her chest, quick like lightning and leaving emptiness in its wake.

"Can we please get on with this?" Pixie hissed, the smallest and loudest of the group, her eyes shifting to the opening of the alley and back.

"Yeah." Thorn rumbled, Pixie's large and usually silent boyfriend crossed his arms, his expression blank.

Expelling a large sigh, Dante moved forward to the window, pushing Athena roughly out of his way. He squatted down, tapping his knuckles experimentally against the glass.

"Alright, we have ten minutes to get in, and back out."

Dante stood, clicking one of the buttons on his watch several times until he was satisfied. Hazel eyes flicked up, staring intently into the sky above them, then flicked down, lingering on each of their faces.

"You each know your jobs, but I'll go over this one more time in case anyone was stupid enough to forget. Pixie, you're to find any sedatives. Thorn, your job is to break into the safe behind the back counter and collect all of the antibiotics. I will be sorting through all the painkillers and taking the ones on the list Fiona gave me." Dante paused, turning to sneer at Athena, "And you will be collecting the basic medical supplies - gauze, bandages... you know, the works."

Athena rolled her eyes, balling her fists deep in her pockets. She was being treated like an invalid, and the fact that everyone knew made her cheeks burn.

"Ten minutes." Dante reiterated with a glare just before kicking in the window. Removing his jacket, he wrapped it around his fist, and cleared away the glass so they could slide in.

Thankfully, they wouldn't have to leave this way. Thorn would be opening up the back door, leaving an open exit for them to rush through if anything were to happen. Athena went last, crawling on her belly and dropping down into Thorn and Pixie's linked arms. Once inside, their unit moved in silence, each departing to do their specific task. The isle full of first aid supplies was closest to the door, forcing Athena to be the farthest from her team.