glitched | ✔️

f o r t y

Amara POV

I hopped out of the van, fully clad in a black armored bodysuit made especially for me.

"Amara?" Doctor Levine called out as I began to walk away.

I turned around, raising an eyebrow underneath my visor.
"Yes?"

"Good luck... and if you do end up... you know... just know that you are the strongest girl I have met, and that the world couldn't have asked for a better savior. Now go get em'- go save the world."

I smiled a little, giving a sharp nod and moving through the night, drawing nearer and nearer to the tall stone wall that surround Supreme Tower.

The door would be somewhere on the left side of the wall and hidden with holographic technology.
The same holographic technology that had made those tulips look so real when I was a kid.
Unluckily for the HH, I happened to be the only human who could see past the holograms- even without the special lenses used to dismantle them.

A dog barked in the distance and I felt a little pang in my chest.
I had left the dogs on the island with enough food and water to last them weeks.
Doctor Levine had promised me that even if we both perished that she had arranged for someone to care for them, to keep them safe.

I had made it to the wall at last and engaged camouflage mode.
Now I was practically invisible to the naked eye.
I began to move faster, sprinting down the length of the wall.
After a few minutes I reached a corner and turned.

Up ahead I saw a slight flickering in the bricks.
"Aha."

I picked up the pace, skidding to a stop in front of the door.

My eyes closed, and I brought up one of my happiest memories: having a picnic with Chelsie and Emma when we were all young.
It was in the park near my house and the sun was shining.
Everything had seemed so perfect in that moment....

A small snake of green light emerged from my finger- dancing towards the keypad that kept the door secured.

With minor effort I let the light dive into the keypad, moving along the wires and technology inside.
Than I had found it.
With a slight push of my mind the door slid open silently.

I silently celebrated, letting the green tendril recede into nothingness as I slipped through the door.

The temperature seemed to drop as I looked around, even though I knew it was just me.
This place was a maze, a labyrinth.

I began to move forward, keeping to the shadows.

The sound of boots on stone reached my ears, echoing in the narrow pathways.
Guards.
I pressed myself closer to the wall, preparing to reach for a knife if necessary.

The guards- two large men in heavy dark armor and large rifles in their gloved hands- passed by without a second glance in my direction.

I exhaled, peeling away from the wall and continuing to move forward, trying to recall the layout of this place from the blueprints.

If I was right there would be another doorway shortly up ahead... yes, there.

I looked both ways, and listened for a long moment before opening the door and slipping through.

As soon as the door closed I heard the sound of more guards, coming from both ways.
"Sh!t." I whispered, looking up and digging my fingers into the notches in the brick, scaling the wall and pressing myself against the darkness.

Below the guards drew nearer to each-other, stopped in the center, looked from left to right... my fingers began to slip.

I clenched my jaw, looking over my shoulder.
The guards had begun to move on.

My heart pounded as I began to slip down the wall.
If they looked back they would see a human-shaped shadow on the wall.
Oh God, please don't look back.

They were almost around the corner when my foot slipped the tiniest bit, sending a bit of brick clattering to the ground.
"Damn." I hissed.

"Hey!" One of the guards shouted, causing all the others to turn around.
They all focused on me.
"Show yourself!"

"I don't think so," I reached into my pouch and took out three of the electro-tabs Doctor Levine had provided me with.

With a few flicks of my wrists they hit the guards in the chests, making them shake violently and collapse onto the floor- louder than I had expected.

I stood, frozen, listening.
A alarm began to blare in the distance.

With a groan I ran to the guard's fallen bodies and picked up one of my rifles, turning off stealth mode. It was too late. I was on the clock now.

Thirty guards rounded the corner, their weapons trained on me.

"Oh, forget this," I muttered, throwing the heavy rifle at them and summoning my anger, letting blinding light fly towards them.

They collapsed, screams filling the brick hallway.

•••

Peter POV

The door to my room flew open, my father standing there.

He threw a combat suit at me. "Get dressed, son, it's time."

I rubbed my eyes. It was freaking 2:00am.
Time?
Oh.
Time.

I grabbed the suit and ran into the bathroom, peeling off my t-shirt and sweatpants and slipping into the dark attire.

I sprinted out of my room and threw the halls, ignoring the blaring alarm.

The weapons room door slid open and I filled my belt with weapons of all types.
Other operatives rushed around me like busy bees, all in their fighting attire.

Anastasia walked in, her white armored suit setting off every curve of her muscled body. She slung the rifle over her shoulder.
"Let's go get rid of a little glitch," she purred in her thick Russian accent.

I didn't respond, just got into a transport like everyone else.

"What's your mission?" A voice whispered in my ear.

I turned to face Anastasia, drilling my own gaze into hers. "My mission is your mission. I am at your command."

She smiled, ruffling my hair. "Good."

•••

Stuff is gonna hit the fan, my friends, so buckle up.

In all seriousness I can't believe this first book is already almost done. It's been a rollercoaster- that's for sure.

I'd like to thank every reader for sticking with me this far, it means a lot.