The Fortress

Chapter 4 - Hunting for extraordinaries II

SARAH FINALLY FOUND the campervan after several hours of driving around the outskirts of the city. The campervan looked abandoned but she could tell someone had been there recently. She tried getting access into the campervan but it was locked. She paused, placed her hands on the door of the campervan, closed her eyes and in few seconds, she transitted. She saw herself inside the campervan in the midst of two men. One was peering into a map on the wall, the other was kneeling. She recognized Ian as the robber kneeling, but, didn't recognize the bearded man. She moved to the fridge in the campervan and saw an unfinished beer. She came back to reality. There was no clue pointing out the robber's whereabouts from what she saw. She immediately felt breaking into the campervan was the best option.She couldn't wait for the man to come around. He could have probably left ditching the campervan since the robbery was successful. She thought.

After forcefully breaking in, she examined the inner parts of the campervan. There was nothing much in there, just a fridge, a chair and a bed. But there was a map fixed to a part of the campervan surrounded by pictures. She figured where the bearded man had been standing in her transition and where the robber was kneeling. She walked over to the fridge to see if she could find a clue or something she could feel to transit her to where the robber was currently, she found nothing. As she was about going out, her hands came in contact with something on the wall. It was strong and stiff. Something wooden. She realized the walls of the campervan was rugged but there was something beneath this part of the campervan close to the exit door. She tore the rug off the walls of the campervan with the help of a pen knife which was always in her back pocket. She lived in the suburbans of the city and it was quite rough there. She never left the confines of her home without a pepper spray or a pen knife in her back pocket. After tearing off the rug, a briefcase dropped. She rummaged through the briefcase and found some documents. Most of them containing the name of the robber probably; Ian Connors. A picture was laying at the far end of the briefcase. The picture encompassed an image of a man and his wife with their son all smiling. She could tell the man was Ian Connors the robber. She wondered if the man's family was in the city or they were in another city and he went to them after the robbery. She noticed the picture was roughned. Like it got stuck and was pulled out with force. She held the picture and transitted. The road was somewhere she recognized, somewhere she had transitted to before. She looked ahead and saw a tumbled car, she rushed over to it. There had been a ghastly accident and everyone in the car had lost their lives, including Ian. She saw him in the vehicle, occupying the driver's seat, his wife next to him and their son at the backseat of the severally damaged vehicle. She checked their pulse and realized they were all dead. The road was so empty and she wondered why. If Ian died, who was the robber? She couldn't tell exactly if the man in the vehicle was Ian, but he sure looked like the robber, just a little difference in stature. She heard ambulance sirens which startled her, she came back to reality.

* * *

"This is the third robbery guys, I'm done," Evan blurted out has he slammed the money filled bag on the table.

"Evan, we don't need all this. Can't you see we make a good team ? With those abilities of yours, we would be unstoppable together."

"Thanks, but can we just share the money? we can talk about this later."

"No! No way we are talking about this later! Listen to me and listen good, you are not leaving anytime soon," Rick said affirmatively, corking his gun.

"But, it's pretty much my choice though,d see any reason why you have to be aggressive about it."

"Ooh, so i'm being aggressive now?" Rick said more calmly while pointing his gun at Evan.

Randy who had been quiet watching the drama unfold finally interfered. "Put the gun away Rick, and you, Evan, you shouldn't speak to him like that,you should listen to...."

"Oh please! Don't give me that. I'm tired of everyone telling me what to do and not listening to me!" Evan interrupted defiantly.

"Oh, you think you can speak to us however you want because you've got a little speed? Let's see how fast you are then," Randy yelled and reached for the pistol in his hip.

Everything paused. Evan felt a surge of energy as everything came to a halt. The type of energy that occured when Evan wanted to make a move. Rick was right in front of him, pointing a gun at him and Randy was reaching for the pistol at his hip with his eyes widened in anger.

"The twin brothers really underestimated me," He sighed, grabbed the bag on the table before them and zoomed out of the building before Rick could pull the trigger and before Randy could reach for his pistol.

"Shit! Let's go after him, let's take the car," Rick urged Randy as he stepped out of the building. Before he could completely step out of the building, Randy grabbed him by the arm.

"It's useless, he would have been long gone, no way we can find him."

"Damn it!" Rick yelled as he realized his brother had said the truth. It was of no use trying to chase the boy. He was too fast, no way they could get to him.

* * *

"Do you think Henry hears everything we say and think?" Ian asked moving closer to Michael, hoping Henry who was walking briskly ahead of them wouldn't hear even though he knew he could hear everything.

"Yes, he does but he doesn't pry. Most of the time, he chooses not to listen. He doesn't actually hear anyone's statements or thoughts except he chooses to and Henry doesn't pry."

"That's good! Do you think he is listening to us now?" He asked again.

"No, absolutely not. He is trying to find the speedster, it requires a lot of concentration, he isn't listening to anything we are saying now."

"Do you know his reason for bringing us all together? like his long time goal or something like that," Ian asked again inaudibly.

Michael stopped walking and turned to face Ian. "He hasn't told you yet?" He expressed a little bit of shock.

"Well,yeah. He hasn't."

Michael continued walking. The startled look on his face had worn off. "He will let you know soon enough, you just have to be patient."

Michael and Ian had gotten along pretty well. They had been talking throughout the journey and Ian had learnt a lot about Michael's background and some of the things Henry stood for. Michael had been with Henry for two years, ever since he discovered his ability to pass through anything. At first, he had been so frustrated when he couldn't control his abilities even though they seemed fun initially. If he tried grabbing something he needed, his hand just passed through it. It became more often and annoying as days passed by. Barely a week after he had his abilities and was going to have a drink at the bar that night, Henry showed up as he was struggling to grab the door knob. Since then, they had always been together and Henry cared so much about him. He was an orphan. He escaped the orphanage home when he was fourteen hitting the streets of London doing menial jobs until he was able to fix himself up a bit. At the time he discovered his powers, he was owing lots of debts which Henry took care of. After six months and few days, Henry flew him to the United States, offering him a better life.

"The boy is close by, I can feel it." Henry came to a sudden halt. Ian and Michael halted too.

* * *

Evan scurried through the empty streets in the dark. He wasn't seeing clearly but he was sure he could find his way around even if he was blindfolded. He turned into an alley but turned back quickly when he saw a silhouette figure. In minutes, he had zoomed into his house. He couldn't risk being confronted by anyone.

As he switched on the neon lights, he was startled to see a man standing right in front him.

"How did you get in here?" He asked visibly shaken as he wondered how the man had gotten in without causing any damage to the only door to his house.

"Well, it's not much of a big deal, I'm someone just like you. I can pass through anything and walk into anything. So I just walked in," Michael replied, gesturing with his hands.

"Okay, did Randy send you?" Evan asked raising his voice lightly.

"I don't know who Randy is but I sure know people like us are special and deserve better than just being robbers."

Fear gripped Evan when he heard Michael say "robbers." How did he know he was a robber?

"My name is Michael by the way," Michael  added, stretching out his hand.

Evan looked at his hands like they were soiled in dirt and looked back at him. Fear and distrust in his eyes.

"Okay, Evan, I know you are scared and you are prob....."

"How do you know so much about me? We've not even met before," Evan interrupted as he heard the stranger say his name.

"You can't keep hiding yourself and your abilities forever and using them for petty things. We are meant to be gods, to achieve greater things," Michael replied. "We try to stay connected with people like you with extraordinary abilities not knowing the right way to go about it."

"That still doesn't explain how you know my name or what I do. Are you......"

He was interrupted by a loud aggressive banging on the door.

* * *

"Henry, can you see that?" Ian pointed at the door Michael had passed through almost one hour ago.

"Those men banging the door are with guns, they might be in danger."

"Don't bother about it, the boy will take care of it," Henry replied Ian's fears confidently.

He had opted that Michael do the confrontation while he and Ian wait for the results. If it went sideways, they'd intervene. But he could feel that Michael was doing a good job convincing the boy.

"Evan!" Randy yelled as he banged the door severally. If Evan had not taken the bag of money, they wouldn't have bothered coming to look for him. At first, Randy had told Rick to let it slide until they realized he had taken the bag of money. It made them more furious.

"We have to get out of here!" Evan pointed to the window behind them.

"No, we don't have to. What are we running for ?"

"Rick and Randy, they are very dangerous"

"Do they have extraordinary abilities like you?"

"No, they don't. Let's get out of here!"

"Then why are you scared? They are supposed to be scared of you. We stay back and you fight."

Evan paused. "Okay, what's the plan?"

"Plan? You don't need a plan against two ordinary men, just a punch with your speed will take them out," Michael assured him confidently, patting him by the shoulder.

The door burst open.

Evan felt a surge of energy and moved. He held a fist and threw at the first person he encountered as the door burst open.

* * *

"That looks bad," Ian remarked as he saw one of the man that had been banging on the door hover uncontrollably landing with a heavy thud on the hard floor almost immediately he broke through the door.

The second man retaliated by firing several shots into the house.

Ian wanted to make a move, Henry held him back. "He will handle it."

* * *

"What are you going to do? Are you not going to help me?" Evan asked as he ducked several shots from Randy.

"It's your fight,not mine. This isn't the help I can render you," Michael replied.

"You look relaxed."

"Why should I be bothered? A bullet can't penetrate me, it will just pass through me," Michael replied with a smirk. "Stop hiding and face him."

Evan relinquished the cover he had taken with Michael and everything paused. He saw a bullet coming slowly at him, he swerved, doubled his speed and pushed Randy with all the surge of energy in him. Randy also hovered in the air uncontrollably and landed on thrash cans.

"Yes!, I did it" Evan yelled as he realized his oppositions have both been knocked out.

"Now, let's get out of here," Michael advised.

Evan reached for the bag stacked up with money.

"What's in there?" Michael asked.

"Money, lots of it"  Evan replied excitedly.

"Don't think you'd be needing it ," he replied as they made their way out of the house.