Countd0wn

Chapter 32: Enemy at the Gates

Getting out of this place wouldn't be easy, but now, with the help of Tobias, we might actually have a chance. If he really was planning on shifting the odds on our favour so we could escape, then we might have a chance of doing so. Only time would tell if he made good on his deal.

I spent most of the time of the next day down at the gun range. I practiced firing both my rifle and pistol, as well as a few other weapons in case I needed to improvise. I could see that Sparrow was doing the same, and she looked just as determined as I was. I wondered in the back of my mind what her reason for doing this was. I knew that Ivy was my motivation, and thought to myself if she had anyone to protect. 

We also managed to convince Mossberg to let us have our own holographic training room that we could use instead of the tests that they put us in without warning us half the time. She agreed, and gave us the room provided they could survey us remotely. We agreed, knowing that there was no real reason not to. But, I instinctively still didn't trust her.

We practiced harnessing our abilities with and without the power filters. Sparrow's skill with her powers accelerated just as fast as she could run. She learned how to vibrate her body at certain speeds to deliver more powerful attacks, as well as dodge out of the way of several projectiles. She declined trying to dodge bullets, however. "Hey, I'm fast, but I'm not that fast."

Me, on the other hand, took a little longer to adjust to my powers, but when I did, the results were astounding. The shield that I could usually just conjure up as a wall could now be as small as one on my hand, or an entire bubble that could cover me or anyone else around me. Useful.

However, even though I continuously tried, I couldn't seem to use the large beam of plasma that I had used to defeat the large beast earlier. Maybe I had used up too much power the last time, and I was still recharging, or perhaps it was something to do with my emotions. In either case, I did find that I could fire semi-constructs such as rings and waves of plasma at enemies, allowing me to vary my attacks a little.

It had been several hours of training when me and Sparrow finally decided to call it a day. As we walked out of the training room, we saw a few other metahumans walking in as well. I noticed that the small devices I had seen on the back of their heads when they were in the healing tanks were still there. A thought crossed my mind, and I decided to keep it to myself.

As me and Sparrow were in the locker room that doubled as the room where subjects could switch out their gear, we talked from opposite sides of the wall that separated the room. "Listen, Sparrow, I know that we're getting better with our powers, but don't get your hopes up. We don't even know if Tobias is going to help us get out alive. All he cares about is his vessel."

Behind the concrete wall, I could hear Sparrow sigh, then answer back. "I know, Wren. But what choice do we have? I know it's hard to trust the guy, especially when we never see him, but it's all we can do. If he says he can save the world, we have to go with him on that. Besides, it's a lot better than waiting to die in this hellhole."

I take off my heavy combat jacket and pull on a regular long-sleeved t-shirt. My mind flashes back to the restless nights I've had here, and then I remember the burning truck. My stomach clenches hard, and then I hear a slight chuckle in the back of my mind. I close my eyes and lean my head against the wall. I decide that I have to tell someone. Even if it's her. "Hey...can I tell you something?"

There's a slight pause from the other side of the wall. My mind rolls from the memories that the nightmare is now dragging to the surface, like trash out of a junkyard. All the while, I can see the white-toothed grin of Gerrard in my head, taunting me with the nightmare. Sparrow speaks up, snapping me out of it. "Sure, what's up?"