The Legacy of Love

Chapter 3

       It's about a twenty-four hour flight, and I'm exhausted and overwhelmed with jet lag by the time we land in New York. I'm ready to find some food and a warm bed to sleep in for a bit but I realize we have bigger problems on our hands. Though New York looks better than it did, there's still piles of debris all around. Construction is happening all over the city and you can clearly hear it. As we step out of the sliding glass doors of JFK airport, we're hit with screams and voices of the New York citizens. I look over and see Daniela taking a deep breath, probably relieved to be home. Ella is craning her neck and looking up at the towering buildings above us, and John is scanning the area for danger as our instincts have taught us to do. Daniela spins around facing us and she puts her hands on her hips.
       "Okay. Where to?"
       "This is your city Daniela, I thi-" John is cut off by Ella who yells,
       "I wanna go to broadway!" John looks at her in surprise. My stomach turns a bit telling me something isn't right. Then I notice a tall man in a suit walk towards us. John, Ella, and Daniela notice me staring and turn to look at him just as he approaches us.
       "John Smith?" The man says in a deep voice.
       "Uh.." he looks over at us and then back at him. "Yeah?"
       "Can you come with me please?" John shrugs as he glances at me, Daniela, and Ella. None of us protest and the man begins to lead us down the busy streets of Queens. After about fifteen minutes, we're led into a fancy office building that seems deserted. I catch myself awing at the glass windows that line the building. We step into an elevator and before the man presses any of the buttons, he gives us instructions.
       "When you get to the top floor, you'll step out into a foyer where you will walk down a hallway a take a left into the living room. If no one is there, take a seat and someone will be there shortly." Before any of us can respond he presses a button and the doors hiss close. Daniela breaks the silence.
"Well.. that was... interesting." I talk next.
"That was kinda weird."
"That was just plain creepy." Ella adds bluntly. We all stare at her.
"What? He knew John's name and what he looked like. That's really stalker-like." At the word stalker we all look up at Daniela. Her face turns red at the attention but before anyone can say anything else, we hear a ding and the doors open. We step out of the elevator and walk down the hallway as we were told to do. When we reach the end of the hallway we turn left and the penthouse opens up to a large living room with tables, couches, and chairs. No one is in the room so we stand there awkwardly, not knowing what to do.
"This place is nice. I wonder how much it costs." Daniela says.
"About seventeen thousand to rent." We spin around to see an average man in his mid to late thirty's wearing a suit and tie. He has his hands folded behind his back and has a grin on his face. Knowing we were all thinking it, John speaks up and asks,
"Who are you?" I didn't think it was possible, but his grin widens.
       "Peter McKenna. At your service." He does a slight bow and all four of us look at each other, a bit uncomfortable at the manners. We aren't used to people who know who we are showing such courtesy. He looks back up at us.
       "I see you are a bit startled by my knowledge." He has a certain posh to him that makes me a bit unsettled and little more on alert. He walks towards us. "You must be Four." He motions towards John and holds out his hand. John hesitates a bit but reaches out and gives a firm hand shake.
       "You can call me John." McKenna nods and turns his attention to me. "And you must be number Seven." I narrow my eyes a bit, still not liking the vibe he's giving.
       "Marina." He reaches his hand out and I take it a bit forcefully. I hear Ella shiver next to me and I notice I'm radiating cold. I take a deep breath, calming myself down. McKenna doesn't seem to notice my cold and continues on with the group.
       "Ah, the infamous number Ten." Ella smiles widely and uses her aturnus to shrink down to being seven years old. She extends her hand and in a sweet, childlike voice she introduces herself.
       "Call me Ella." McKenna bends down and takes her small hand, shaking it gently. He stands back up and slides over in front of Daniela.
       "And the famous Daniela Morales." Daniela's face shifts to a confused look.
       "Famous?" McKenna nods.
       "Yes. You are known all around New York since you've been using your new found powers to help rebuild the city. Not to mention the fact that you assisted the Garde in the war against the Mogadorians."
"Huh." Daniela nods her head as if she doesn't care but I see a hint of pride in her eyes.
"Now that we have all our introductions done, mind telling us how you know us and why you want us?" John asks, crossing his arms. That old, protective leader from the war coming back out. McKenna steps back.
"Well, I think I've established how I've come to familiarize myself with Ms. Morales." at the sound of being called by her last name, Daniela perks up. "As for John, you've been all over the news ever since you lived in Paradise, Ohio." I glance over at John who has a look of longing on his face, probably thinking about Sarah, Henri, and Sam. And as if he's reading my mind, McKenna says,
       "And I assume that you know number Six and Sam Goode?" We all turn our attention to him. Confused, I ask,
       "Uh, excuse me?" He nods.
       "Well, that's how I heard of you two." McKenna motions towards Ella and I. Ella perks up.
       "Six and Sam talked about us?" She asks in a hopeful voice.
       "More or less." More or less? That doesn't sound very convincing. I eye him carefully.
       "What does that mean?"
       "It means he eavesdropped on one of our conversations." We turn around in unison, surprised but the familiar voice.
       "Six!" Ella and I yell and John and Daniela yell at the same time,
       "Sam!" Six and Sam have their hands interlocked but they let go as Six rushes over and hugs Ella and I at the same time as Sam makes his way over to John and Daniela. Sam hugs Daniela and John and him high five going into a "bro hug".
"What are you guys doing here?" Daniela
asks. Sam and Six turn towards each other and then over at McKenna.
"We were doing a... favor for McKenna." Sam responds, a bit skeptical. Before any of us can ask, Six quickly asks,
"What are you guys doing here?"
"We were hoping McKenna could tell us that." John responds, turning towards McKenna.
"Well, nothing gets hurt from a little reunion between the group who saved the world." We all glare at him. "But you are right. That isn't the only reason I've brought you here." My stomach turns again, making me feel even more nervous. I start radiating so much cold that McKenna looks at me with concern. John looks over at me with confusion. I give him a pleading look and he motions towards the hallway with his head. He quickly looks over at Six and she understands immediately. I turn the corner and lean against the wall, feeling a bit nauseous. John walks around the corner a few moments later.
       "Are you alright?" As the nausea goes away, I push off the wall and nod. "So why were you radiating cold?" I look at him through the tops of my eyes.
        "I don't get a good feeling from him. He seems like he's hiding something and... I don't think we should trust him." John considers this and nods.
       "I think before we decide, we need to talk with the entire group." I nod my head, knowing this isn't a one person decision. He puts his hand on my shoulder then leads me back out to the living room. McKenna smiles when he sees us enter.
"Feeling better?" I nod slowly.
"Okay McKenna, what do you need us for?" He takes a deep breath and begins to talk.
"When I met Ms. Six and Mr. Goode, I needed help. They agreed to help me on my mission and executed it excellently." Six slightly nods her head and Sam crosses his arms over his chest. "Anyways, I overheard them talking talking about some of you and decided I needed help on another mission." Six crinkles her forehead.
"Whoa whoa whoa. We said one mission. We aren't here to do your bidding McKenna."
"Six... it's okay." Sam quietly assured her as he steps in front of her. He places both his hands on her shoulders in a sort of protective way. Six quietly argues back but eventually gives up and sighs. Sam brings her in for a quick hug and after, he turns back around. After watching them act all couple-y, I can't help but think of Eight. The way I felt safe within his arms when he would hug me. And how when he kissed me, his lips were soft to the touch. And how he had this melodic laugh that just makes me loosen up and relax. I hug myself, feeling a bit lonely.
Now that Six has calmed down, McKenna continues.
"Well? What do you say?" We turn to each other, remembering that we all make decisions together, I speak up and say,
"We need to talk it over first." Everyone else nods.
"Why don't we go get something to eat, have a discussion, and we'll come back in a couple of hours." John adds. McKenna nods and without another word, we walk towards the elevator as a group. Almost the entire Garde, reunited.