Sudden Departure

Chapter Sixteen

The mission suit was as tight as skin. I adjusted it around my body and looked at Hershel. His eyebrows were raised and an entertained smile lit up his face.

"Remind me why we have to where these," I groaned and tugged on the silky material.

He laughed and shook his arms, warming up. Doing a few jumps and wiggling he answered, "They increase agility and speed. They also monitor our pulse and brainwaves to insure that we are telling the truth about the whereabouts of the Rebels."

I nodded and jumped with him.

"Let's move out!" a Commander demanded from the front of the locker room. Everyone jogged in two straight lines out through the main lobby and in to another side room. This one had bare white walls and a low ceiling. At the very end of the room was an elaborately decorated mirror. It was a beautiful mirror, just different. It didn't reflect the room, it reflected a busy London street, a clearing in the woods, the messy living room of a big family, and anywhere else possible.

The Commander barked out orders in front of the mirror, gesturing with his hands as he did so. "Quarter One, to Yellowstone. Quarter Two, to London. Quarter Three, the Shepard's home, and Quarter Four, stay here to do a sweep of The Barracks. Go!"

Everyone scattered to fill their orders and I clung to Hershel's side. "Which Quarter are we?" I squeaked as the line to the mirror lead us closer.

"We are Quarter Two."

I nodded and bit my lip. "And, Hershel, what's the mirror for?"

He chuckled at me, "It's not a mirror. It's a portal to the mortal world. This is how we get back and forth to go on missions."

I nodded again. Hershel nodded back and looked to the portal. I watched as, one at a time, each person pressed their hands against the surface of the mirror and closed their eyes. They leaned forward, their bodies as stiff and straight as boards, to a tilt. Quickly, starting from their heads, they were dematerialized and swirled around like milk shakes. Then, they were gone and shown in the mirror.

"Hershel," I began.

"What?" he snapped, obviously exasperated.

"I-I just don't know how to use the portal," I said as I wrung my hands together.

He slicked his hair back and ran his hands down his neck to rest on his shoulders. He was mad at me. Mad for asking questions and mad for not telling him about the mortal until we were next in line.

"Okay, just go to the end, watch and figure it out. I'll wait for you in London."

He grabbed my shoulders, spun me around, and pushed me to the back of the line.

As I stood in the back of the line a wrung my hands together and cracked my knuckles. There really was no set way to go through the portal. Everyone had a different tactic: running and leaping head first into it, floating through, sliding on the bottom. I had no idea what to do and watching the line get shorter was making me more and more nervous.

"Y'know how to do it?" a satiny smooth voice murmured into my ear. I flinched and twisted around.

The Guy from last night stood I front of me, an amused smile decorating his lips. His muscular arms were crossed over his chest, making him seem bigger then he really was. He was even more intimidating up close.

After a minute he raised an eyebrow at me, "So you know how to do it, or not?"

I shook my head at him. He nodded his head, gesturing me to turn around. When I did he lightly placed his hand on the small of my back and ushered me to the mirror.