Salient Secret 2

8

Vada. 

"Alright, ready to see your new costumes?" Cassian excitedly says while rubbing his hands together. 

"No, don't say costumes, we're not going to  comic con," Imelda says diffidently. 

"What should I call it then?" 

"Anything but costumes." 

"Just come and see," Cassian says recognizably frustrated. 

"You've really out done yourself Cass," I say after he explained how everything works. I look in the mirror and admire this well designed outfit. It is a one piece, including the shoes which make no noise when you walk, it hugs every curve of your body, it's so comfortable and it you can barely feel it on your body. It's like an additional layer of skin accompanied by masks that mirror the masks we had to wear during the Covid-19 phase, accompanied by a hood, leaving only our eyes visible. 

"We're ready when you are Vay," Tanith says looking like an assassin, I love it. 

Before we go, I need to make one thing very clear to them, "Listen up. No one touches Kai, Lorenzo or Palmer except for me. You all focus on the bomb and clearing people out. I am the only one that can't get hurt, that is why I will be the one to get them out of there if need be. We have no idea what kind of surprises they might have up their sleeves, I'm not gambling anyone's life but my own. The only time you fight them is if it's self defense. Do you understand?" they all nod response. " Good, let's go." 

We get to the base and it's completely empty and quiet. 

"Where is everyone?" Imelda asks. 

"They must have evacuated themselves," I say with joy in my voice because now I don't have to go all tsunami on their asses. 

"Cameras are down," Cassian announces through the comms. 

"Nicely done. Get the bomb set up," I instruct. 

"Vada, we can hear heartbeats," Imelda says.

"Three of them to be exact," Rik adds. 

"The last person I healed was Imelda so I can hear the  heartbeats too. Everyone go downstairs to the parking lot and set up the bomb. I'll take care of these 3."

"Be careful," Cassian says through the comms. 

I close my eyes and focus on hearing their heartbeats. There's one below me, I teleport and switch on the intangibility that Cassian put on the suit. This is the jail floor, I cautiously walk down the corridors and all of a sudden, I look down, and see an electro-magnetic whip going through my body. I turn around, surprise surprise it's Lorenzo. He has long hair now, Aquaman vibes. He is clearly more shocked than I am after what he just saw, I teleport to him, put my hand on his shoulder and teleport him out of here. 

I make my way to the next heartbeat, it's coming from the training room. I look around and see Palmer standing near the corner, she starts walking towards me talking like a little girl, "Helwo, my mommy lweft me. Pwease help me." I bend down to her level and I hear something going into the wall behind me, I look back and it's a knife. That's when I realize it went through me first. She really tried to kill me. Her eyes start glowing and before she can do anything else, I teleport her to Lorenzo. 

That leaves Kai, thanks to Imelda and Rik, I can hear him breathing all the way on the top floor. I teleport there, it's clearly the bedroom floor. I follow the sounds I'm hearing and open the door to one of the rooms, I then see Kai sitting on the bed reading a book, Othello, by Shakespeare. One of my favourites. 

"How can a man believe rumors from another man about his own wife? He deserved to die if you ask me." I wish I could debate with him right now but I can't. I start walking towards him, just as I'm about to reach the bed, Cassian starts talking through the comms.

"We've got a problem. Get here now." I look at Kai and decide I'll deal with him in a minute. I run into the hall so that he can't see me teleport to the others. 

"This better be good," I say walking towards them. 

"Something is wrong with this bomb. The timer doesn't work. The moment you flip the switch it will go off," Cassian explains. 

"Must we get the spare-" Tanith starts but I interrupt her.

"No. I'll deal with it. Everyone get back to the house. I'll be there soon." 

"We're not leaving you," Cassian argues.

"I don't recall asking you. Go. That's an order," he sighs in defeat and teleports out, the others follow. 

"That's pretty brave of you to stay behind," Kai says emerging from the stair case. "It's good to know you talk. Just not to  me. I'm a little offended." I am tired of hearing this, I teleport to him and take him to the other two.

 I turn around and as I'm about to teleport away Palmer shouts, "Wait!" I know I shouldn't but I stop. "Why did you bring us here?" Only now I realize where we are, we're outside the gym we used to train in. 

"The only other person who knew about this place is our deceased friend...Avery Shaw. Did you know her?" Kai asks and my heart just shatters all over again as if it were a broken glass vase being held together by tape. I don't respond,  I turn around I teleport back to their base, set off the bomb and teleport out of there right before it hits me. 

"What took you so long?" Cassian asks. I take my mask and hoodie off and fall to my knees in tears. I haven't felt like this in a long time. 

"Vay," Tanith says rushing to me, bending down and comforting me. Imelda joins in too and says, "Thank you for what you did today. I'm not only talking about the bomb. I'm talking about bravely facing your old family. I can't even begin to imagine how hard that must have been." 

"But  we're here for you," Rik says crouching down in front of me. 

"All of us are," Cassian adds handing me a tissue. 

"I'm sorry you guys. I accidentally teleported them to a place that only us  4 knew about. There's a good chance they will figure out I'm alive." 

"No offense, but the three of them stayed behind to face tsunami's by themselves. I don't think they're that smart," Imelda says playfully earning a smile from me.

"On a serious note though, Vay, we're more than a badass, undefeated team, we're a family too. That is what makes us so strong. You gave all of us a better, new life with purpose and meaning. We are eternally grateful for everything you've done for us. We will always be standing right next to you through it all," Tanith says and Rik finishes it off... "Especially in times like this when you fall apart, we'll be there to pick up the pieces."

"Thanks you guys. I love you all so much."