Fiction Friday: Chapter Fifteen

The three men rolled down the expressway in Mr. Li's SUV. The day was bright enough the three of them were wearing sunglasses, as they drove the speed limit between the safe house and the meeting point. The locator, who the kids just thought of as the Man, drove. Beside him was the changling, who used to be able to look like anyone, but not just looked like himself, an olive skinned man in his early twenties. He was dressed to blend in, which he was good at even without his power. He wore a blue ball cap, a Blink 182 tee shirt and baggy jeans. He would be the first in. In the back seat was the strong man, who once had been able to throw cars in fits of anger. While his power was gone, his size and stare were still enough to chill anyone who would consider crossing him.

They pulled off the exit and drove by the gas station, doing an initial survey. The girls were there, the Flex was in the parking lot. It looked like two or three of the kids were still in the Flex, but the other one and their driver was no where to be seen. The man lowered his hand to the taser, as they drove by, he was really hoping the shocking girl was somewhere.

They drove out of sight, waited a few minutes then returned to the gas station. The strong man would take care of the flex, the chameleon would get the feather and the locator would round up any stragglers.

Sarah saw the SUV pull into the lot, but it wasn't the first car to pull in and it wasn't the car she was expecting, the one the man had been driving. From her hiding spot wedged between the outdoor vending machines, she lost sight of it very quickly. A few minutes later, the guy in the Blink 182 tee shirt stepped up to by a pop. When he noticed her, he jumped a little, not expecting to see anyone there.

"woah, You scared me," he said.

"Sorry," Sarah said, feeling awkward about being spotted.

He pushed the button on the machine, causing the pop he ordered to drop to the bottom and then walked into the store. Why would he buy from a vending machine when its cheaper inside? Sarah's mind started to churn. She leaned forward, looking in the slot of the machine. A new Mountain Dew was resting in the bottom of the machine. He hadn't even taken his pop. In here pocket her phone beeped letter her know she had just recieved a text. In her mind, alarm bells started ringing.

"The man is here," Savannah said from inside the car, to Shelby and Sienna. She texted to Sierra, who was inside already, "Thet're here.". She hoped everything went as planned, she was watching like a hawk. "That SUV." she pointed out to Shelby.

To Shelby's vision, the car was stripped away from the people inside. She saw each of the three men, a strange serious looking collection. "There are three of them," she said, "The one in the baseball cap is getting out right now.". Sure enough in just a moment, a younger looking man, was circling the gas station building. "He's right by Sarah," Shelby continued.

By the time Savannah had sent the text, the man had already stepped away.

Because Shelby was curious, she started tripping away the clothes of the man. Like undressing a doll, which she had been fascinated with for years. She was stopped almost immediately. "He's got a weird looking grenade and a little mask in a bag under his shirt.

The chameleon stepped immediately to the bathroom of the station. He tapped the bluetooth headset, taking it off of mute. "Shocker is by the vending machines." he didn't wait for a response, he put on the mask he had kept concealed under his shirt and withdrew the gas grenade. He pulled the pin, and rolled the spewing device into the small shop area.

Sierra, who had been hiding invisible toward the back of the shop, realized too late what was happening. A step from the door, she fell unconscious to the floor, visible with the feather beside her. A moment later the clerk was also on the floor. The room was filled with a thin layer of gas.

Outside, the man had heard what he was waiting for, the shocker was here. He smiled to himself, it was time for payback. He slipped from the SUV the same time the strong man did. He went crept toward the vending machines, while his partner went directly to the flex.

He moved as silently as he could, placing his feet very deliberaly. He couldn't give her time. He hated not being able to locate her, it was like he was partially blind. He made it beide the machines and took a deep breath. He lifted the Taser and wheeled, military style, pointing the taser between the machines. He thought to himself, "She's not here.". it was then, from the top of the Pepsi machine, where Sarah had shimmied up to, an electrical bolt sent him to the ground.