Flashf0rward

Chapter 30: Dissent Within The Ranks

Connor

Sitting at home, it was difficult to keep what Ivy had said to me out of my head. How she had reacted to being Tobias's vessel, adjusting to the fact that she was used to kill basically the devil...it all seemed too much like me. She was right. We had more in common than I had previously thought.

I thought back to that night under the willow tree when we'd headed out to Seattle, and how she told me that she had this inane trust for me as soon as we'd met. Even if she'd lied about her brother wanting me, I could tell that part of her was true. She did trust me, which was...comforting. I hadn't had someone on my side like that in a long time.

As I brushed my hand over my hair absentmindedly, I passed over my eyepatch, and I could feel the slight stinging of pain creep back. It wasn't as painful as it was before, and it seemed to be getting less and less severe. The fact that Ivy had been there for me, helped me through the attack...it was a sense of caring that was unfamiliar to me.

Then there was...no, I wasn't even going to begin thinking about that. The kiss meant nothing. It was just some way of calming me down. Well, if it was, then why did I think it was otherwise? I sighed and placed my head in my hands, trying to clear my thoughts. I wasn't sure if that girl was helping me or making things even more complicated between us.

I heard a knock at the door, as if on cue. I straightened up, and then got up, walking towards it. Opening it, I saw Ivy standing there and looking up at me. I had a mild sense of déjà vu as I looked back into her eyes. "Hey." I said, and she motioned for me to move. "I'm sorry I came on such short notice, but this is serious."

Once we'd sat down at my table, Ivy quickly explained to me why she seemed so distraught. Jude had been captured, Matthias had him, Yuko could find out where he is, so the three of us were planning to head into his camp to try and find him. Sighing, I looked into her eyes. "And your brother agreed to this?"

Ivy nodded. "I know it sounds crazy." Looking back at her, I spoke. "About as crazy as travelling to a city just for one person." I gave a slight smile, which surprised Ivy, who returned it. "Listen, Ivy...you're one of the only people I've met who's actually given me a second chance. I'm not about to waste it. If you think I'm good enough to do this, then I'll go with you."

She smiled at that, and then reached over to grab my hand. "Thank you." I returned the unexpected grab, and we stayed there, our hands clasped together. After a few moments, I let go and walked over to my dresser, grabbing my combat jacket. "When are we leaving?" Ivy stood up. "Whenever you're ready."

As I was zipping up my jacket, I heard yelling outside. Looking at Ivy with a frown, the look on her face told me that she didn't know what was going on either. The both of us went outside, and we walked towards the town hall, where the yelling was coming from. Once we both saw what was happening, Ivy sighed. "Ah, hell."

A large crowd of people had gathered outside, some of them holding guns or makeshift weapons. They seemed ready for war, and looked like they were preparing to storm the building. And right at the front of the pack was Clarence Hightower. I remembered him as a troublemaker, the guy I'd beaten up in the marketplace months ago. You don't forget a face as ugly as his.

Ivy shook her head. "This is gonna get real ugly, fast." I knew we had to get around these people, but moving through them wasn't an option. Then, an idea came to mind. Turning to Ivy, I looked at her. "Grab hold of me. We're going over." Her eyes widened. "Please tell me we're gonna fly." I felt her grab my arm. "Well, you wanted to see it, right?"

Concentrating and feeling my stomach clench, I saw Ivy's red ponytail flip up around her head as the winds began to blow. Adjusting the air currents to move underneath us, I felt the familiar sensation of zero gravity as we began to gently lift off the ground. Giving us a gradual push, we flew like lightning over the crowd, making a wave of wind beneath us, knocking some of them off their feet. Once we reached the hall, I slowed us down and brought us in for a landing.

Seeing Wren and the others already there, I felt Ivy let go of me. "Wow...that was awesome." I nodded at her, then stared Wren in the eye. When I saw no malice back, I turned towards the mob. Hightower stepped forwards, wielding what looked like a makeshift spear in his hand. "You should have known this was coming, Wren."

Wren sighed and stepped up to Hightower. "Clarence, what the hell are you doing?" Hightower raised his hands. "My people have been listening, especially to the things you don't tell us. The enemy camp, how Jude was kidnapped, how all of you have just been sitting around, doing nothing! We know why. Because he's not one of you."

Ivy stepped forth from beside me. "You know for a fact he's as much our friend as he is yours! We're about to go and rescue him!" Hightower waggled his finger. "Uh uh. Not this time. We've had enough of your kind doing everything. It's time for us to make the rules now." Many of the people in the mob cocked their guns.

Wren put his hands out, and I got into a battle stance. "Clarence, stop it! This is insane! The last thing we need is a goddamn mutiny on our hands!" Wren shouted, and Hightower laughed. "Mutiny? This is a revolution! Putting things back the way they were." He aimed his spear at Wren. "So come on, leader. Fight for once in your life."

I could see out of the corner of my eye that Wren's hands were beginning to glow green. I focused on the air currents around me, seeing which way they were flowing, and was getting ready to strike, when a voice rose up from behind the crowd. "Stop!" Suddenly, a figure seemed to walk through the mob of people. Not just moving around the people, but through them. Like a ghost.

A girl with short hair, and the fading remnants of blue dye in her roots stepped forwards, her form changing from corporeal to physical. Sparrow, the speedster from the security team, shouted out. "Marissa, no!" I remembered her vaguely. She and Sparrow were a couple. Marissa looked back at Sparrow, and then stepped in front of Wren. "You want him? You gotta go through me."

Hightower looked at her. "Step aside, girl! This doesn't concern you!" Then, more people began to funnel through the crowd, and I recognized some of them. Store-owners, family members, other townsfolk, all of them non-metas, stepping forwards and in front of us, acting as a human barrier between Hightower's mob.

The crowd slowly began to lower their guns, clearly not as keen to fire on their own friends and family. I could even see some kids no younger than 10 joining the line that separated us, holding hands with their parents and siblings. I let go of my concentration, letting the wind die down, and I knew Wren had done the same.

The town square had gone deathly quiet. "What do you people think you're doing?" Hightower said in a quiet voice. "This has gone too far, Clarence, and you know it. We're all meant to stay together, be as one. Wren is right. This is exactly what happens when we give in to our worst fears." One woman, a baker from the market, responded.

She looked around at everyone. "Like Marissa said. You want them, you gotta go through us." There was a moment of silence, then nearly everyone in the crowd threw down their weapons, an ashamed and guilty look on their faces. Hightower turned back to all of them. "Have you all gone insane! This is what they want! They're just trying to-" Suddenly, his attempt to re-rally his troops was cut off by Ivy's fist landing a right hook across his jaw, sending him to the ground, knocked out.

Shaking her hand, Ivy sighed. "Been wanting to do that for a long time." Sparrow looked at Wren. "What do we do with him?" Wren sighed. "Put him back in his home, and put some guards around him. We'll deal with him later." The crowd began to disperse, and he turned to me and Ivy. "Connor. You seem ready enough." I nodded. "Ready as I'll ever be." Walking up to me, he placed his hand on my shoulder. "Good luck. Take care of her." I was more than happy to oblige.