The Glow

Chapter 4

Marisol slipped the skintight bodysuit over her torso, marveling at how well it fit over her curves. She zipped the suit all the way to the high collar, smoothing the embedded fabric over her body. Marisol experimentally flexed her arm and felt the plating align into nearly impenetrable armor. She smiled and checked her inner forearms, tapping the small screens into life, showing her six jar shiftTatts, all currently empty.

    Marisol touched her inner wrist and the light blue accents on her bodysuit begin to glow. She stepped onto the blue circle within the raiseShaft and dropped into a crouch as it began to rise. Doing a once over on her gun, Marisol made sure her ammunition was in place.

    The raiseShaft slid to a smooth stop as soon as Marisol reached a small dark room with light blue accents. The number on the door read 10, a small ping going off as it changed numbers, counting down to zero. When the countdown reached zero, an automated female voice said, "Start!"

    Slapping the panel on the back of her neck, Marisol deployed the helmet from her suit, encasing her face in a smooth plastic screen. Her vital signs glowed green on one side; information arrays danced across her vision as she leaped from her raiseShaft and out of the small room. The area stretched around her, the labyrinth of winding hallways, ramps, and staircases only vaguely familiar. Every wall seemed the same as Marisol ducked through a short doorway, headed for a sniping position.

Her feet slapped the ground, her armored feet making almost no sound on the smooth black surface of the floor. The blue glow of her armor seemed almost too bright as she sprinted through the dark. Her breath was coming in quick pants as she reached the ramp she was looking for.

Sneaking carefully up the ramp, Marisol's heart raced, adrenaline pumping through her as she readied herself to force out anyone who had reached the sniping position before her. Leaping around the corner she found an armored figure with white armor accents and she immediately fired. The figure slumped to the floor, a glowing blue spot on their chest, right above the heart. Marisol quickly tapped the base of the figure's helmet, revealing Zack from white team.

Placing her hand on Zack's cheek, Marisol drew out a glowing white light from his skin to hers. She brought the glow up her arm and placed it in the shiftTatt on the hollow of her throat. Immediately her eyes came into sharp focus.

"Score!" Marisol whispered softly in triumph. What luck to have found Zack first! His telescopic vision would come in handy. Marisol raised herself to the sniping window, looking out over the labyrinth below. She caught a flash of Pink from the corner of her vision and she used Zack's glow to zoom in with her eyes. The pink was faintly coming from a corner of the labyrinth. Marisol waited, her sight aligned on the spot. A pink-accented armor clad figure leapt from the corner, sight trained on Marisol's position. She pulled the trigger, a blue spot appearing on the faceplate of the pink armor. Marisol analyzed a trail over to the crumpled figure using her helmet and a blue line appeared on the floor of the labyrinth on her helmet screen, leading her to the figure. She cautiously began to follow the line, slipping down the ramp and corner checking every time she came to a crossroads.

Marisol whipped around a corner coming face to face with another white accented figure. She pulled the trigger on reflex and her foe dropped, clutching their belly. Marisol quickly pulled the trigger once more, dropping the figure to the floor, unmoving.

She set to work immediately, retracting the figure's helmet, revealing their face. Marisol gasped as she recognized Isaac, suddenly glad she had caught him by surprise. She placed her hand on his cheek, putting his glow at the nape of her neck and transferring the previous glow to one of her shiftTatt jars. She used the new glow to levitate Isaac's weapon, pushing it beyond her and using it's white glow to illuminate corners before she leapt out. A pink spot appeared on the gun and Marisol dropped it, leaping beyond the next corner and locking her eyes on the pink accented figure beyond it. The figure was immobilized by her gaze, an easy target. A blue spot appeared on the helmet of her foe and Marisol whipped around to see another blue accented figure, lowering their gun from the shot. Marisol held out her fist and the figure fist bumped her to establish armor communication.

"Hey Marisol!" Sydney's voice rang through Marisol's helmet, making her smile. "I see you found and apprehended Isaac then?"

"I've found Isaac and Zack." Marisol motioned to the crumpled pink accented figure Sydney had brought down. "Watch my back while I take his glow, yeah?"

Sydney nodded and brought up a wall of water around Marisol and the figure. Marisol retracted the helmet and placed her hand on Cowboy's cheek, taking his glow and replacing her previous one. With Isaac's glow safely stowed away on her arm, Marisol used the new glow to shift her gravity, walking up the wall and peeking over it. Another blue figure was standing over the pink Marisol had sniped. She relayed the message to Sydney and reset her gravity to normal. They both walked around the wall, putting their hands up as the blue figure whipped around. The figure relaxed as he recognized their color and fist bumped both of them.

"You've been busy Marisol," Shandon's voice said in her helmet.

"Yes, I have." Marisol grinned. "Now move over so I can see who I apprehended earlier."

Shandon moved to the side, allowing Marisol to retract the helmet of the pink. She placed her hand on Megan's face, placing her glow straight into one of her shiftTatt jars. She planned to save that glow for later. Standing, Marisol turned to Shandon.

"Can you get us back to the sniping position?" she asked.

"Of course I can, but be ready to shoot." Marisol and Sydney nodded and Shandon placed one hand each of his teammates. Marisol clenched her muscles, activating her armor as Shandon bent space.

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