The Ultimate Rescue

Chapter XII

SAM

Music: Bob-omb Battlefield from Super Mario 64

Well, Mia was right about one thing: What we just witnessed was definitely NOT usual behavior for Mackenzie. I've known her for about as long as everybody else here has, and not ONCE has she turned on us like that. It's jarring, but we can't let it get to us with how crucial it is that we succeed in this mission.

Mia's whereabouts are still unknown, and Shanna is likely wherever Mia is. The rest of us are sitting in a circle on a patch of dirt between a few trees. It takes several minutes before any of us speak. "So, do any of us know what the hell just happened?" Luke asks.

"Other than Mackenzie refusing to cooperate with us and getting into a fight with Mia? Like you'd expect any of us to know," Skylar snorts in reply.

"I've never seen Mackenzie that angry," Sean mutters, keeping his focus on his lap. "I mean, geez."

"Guys, this has me worried," Elle says quietly. "Why would Mackenzie not want to come back with us? She loves our group dynamic more than any of us." It's a burning question for sure, and one that has almost all of us at a loss for an answer. I keep my hand on hers to keep her from panicking any further, as Elle has a bit of a low freak-out threshold. She seems to be controlling herself well for now, though.

"I think it's obvious," Heath blues (what, I was getting sick of the usual dialogue verbs and wanted to be different for once). "Mackenzie is being mind-controlled or something by the illuminati. There's just no way she actually desires to stay here."

"Then that just makes it even more important that we rescue her as quickly as possible," I declare. "The longer we leave her there, the more damaged she'll become, and the less likely we'll be able to get the information from her that we need."

"Sam's right," Avery says. "We've gotta go in there and get her out of there before it's too late--even if that means taking her against her will."

"In that case, we should at least wait for Mia and Shanna to get back," Sean suggests.

"No need to," Shanna's voice calls out from nearby. She brushes through a couple of bushes and sits down with us. Mia's not with her, though.

"Where's Mia?" Skylar asks.

"She just... needs some time alone." Shanna says this in a way that makes it clear to us that there's more to the situation than what she's telling us.

This news from Shanna is a little worrying to me, but we can't focus on that right now. "Well, we're about to go into the base to try and rescue Mackenzie," Avery tells her. "Will she be able to join us?"

"Probably not," Shanna replies, nervously tapping her hands together. "I can stay behind with her if you want."

I look at Avery to see what she thinks, and she just shrugs. I also shrug and say, "Fair enough. Everybody else, let's go." Then, the seven of us that are going inside get up, stretch, and walk towards the water tower.

LUKE

Music: Impregnable Fortress from Gradius V

Our team bursts through the entrance to the water tower, with every implication that we mean business and we're not about to take any shit from anybody. The two guards that Mackenzie called on us earlier are our first obstacles, and they're recovered from the attack amazingly quickly. One of them spots us, spits out his coffee, shouts, "HEY!" and runs with his buddy to pull an alarm. Heath and I each fire a bullet at them, and they drop to the ground, letting out moans when the bullets make contact.