Wraith

Chapter 10: Island Conquest

Chapter 10: Island Conquest

I was halfway back to the cave when the ground suddenly became impassible. The rock pressed against me on all sides, holding me in place. I couldn't breathe or see, and I realized dawn must have come. With my powers switched, I had to focus to turn ethereal.

The ground opened up as I returned to my ghostly state. I moved at a faster pace to reduce the amount of time I had to maintain my concentration level. Diving through the cavern wall, I rolled across the floor as I became solid.

"The elevator shaft is gone," I related to my two companions. "The mercenaries know the prison level is cut off, so they know we're not test subjects any more; we're the enemy."

"Their fear will likely provoke a considerable response," Ricochet mentioned.

"They could fracture into multiple groups more easily taken down," Denise suggested.

"Not as long as Clayton is running things," I denied.

"Who's Clayton?" Ricochet asked.

"My former partner," I explained. "He leads the mercenaries, and since the demise of Dr. Powel, he'll be in charge of the base. From what I've seen, his iron hand will keep them whipped and in line. They won't break as long as he's around."

"So, we should target him first," Ricochet concluded.

"Absolutely," I agreed. "If we plan to have any chance of securing this island without killing everyone, we'll need to take him out of the equation."

Ricochet tossed me one of the fruits he'd collected. I snatched it out of the air and took a bite. I didn't know what kind it was, nor could I recall ever having tasted it before, but I enjoyed it. The sweet juice wasn't excessive, and the texture of the fruit itself was soft to the point of almost liquefying on my tongue.

"We can't do the attack the same way as last time," I said after swallowing the mouthful of fruit.

"Why not?" Ricochet inquired. "It worked very well."

"He tore them apart, why couldn't he do it again?" Denise chimed in.

"Ricochet isn't invulnerable," I answered. "They captured you once before. How did they accomplish it?"

"An electrical charge stunned me," Ricochet explained. "By the time I'd regained control of my limbs, I'd been imprisoned."

"If I were in charge of base defense, I'd run metallic tripwires through the jungle around the perimeter," I told him. "Electrify the wires, and the trap is ready. You'd only need to bump one of them, and you'd be caught or killed. You can be certain if I thought of it, Clayton surely has too. Since our next attack won't be until nightfall, they will have all day to prepare."

"He's right," Denise agreed with my reasoning. "You can't risk it again."

"There's still a way," I pointed out. "If they build such a defense, the wires would be linked to the central power station in the facility. It's a weakness we can exploit."

"Knock out the power, and the wires will be dead," Ricochet concluded as the realization came together in his mind.

"Precisely," I said. "Once their defenses are neutralized, we'll go as before. You two can cause merry havoc with their defensive lines, and while they're distracted, I'll slip in from behind and take out Clayton."

"Are you sure you're ready to face him?" Denise inquired. "If he knows about your past, can he use it to make you hesitate?"

"She's right," Ricochet agreed. "You'd have to become solid to hit him, and it would only take a momentary lapse in concentration for him to shoot you."