Same old fight, but worse

Bags? filled with things I most certainly don’t need. Car? same old junk I’ve had since I turned eighteen. Equipment? all loaded and hidden under the back seats of the car. I’m finally going away, about to start a new life far from my family and friends, please note the sarcasm.

There’s only one stop to make on my way, Alissa’s house. We’ve never been only friends, and now don’t even like each other, but for some messed up reason we are together in this. “Are you getting in or what?” I yelled from the driver's seat. She rolled her eyes, as she usually does whenever I speak, but got in. The journey is not the longest, however, sitting next-to her for five hours could kill us before getting to the campsite. 

But it didn’t, even after a few fights and moments of anger when I seriously considered crashing the car, we got to the corner of the world where the rest of the crew was. It wasn’t a very large group, but I knew that the team we had builded up was especially good. Our leader, Lightbulb, or as his ID said: Mark, was sitting on a side, waiting for the both of us before his speech. “You two are late” I snorted with a smile, playing him “Long time no see, and that’s how you greet us?” He didn’t seem to appreciate her comment, regardless he ignored it. LB walked to the middle of the round all of the other teammates had created and cleared his throat.

“We finally meet again, since the day we ran I’ve kind of been looking forward to this; and now it’s happening. I’m Lightbulb, you all already know me, and the reason I wanted all of you here, now, is so we can create our very own Justice League, to call it some way. As a team, we have the strength, the knowledge, and most important of all, we have the will to protect the youth. No more kids have gone through what we went through since the escape, but according to Skyview the doctor is recovered and opening a new facility.” His eyes scanned the crew and stopped at me for a bit longer than the rest before going on. “It’s our duty to stop him and…” the whispering around the circle made Mark stop, many of the younger ones -and by younger I mean seventeen and eighteen- seemed worried about the mission. When we first escaped they were only ten years old, so they never had a regular childhood, not to mention a regular adolescence. Having powers can be real fun, but it’s mostly scary and confusing, especially without a guide; none of us had a guide though, we all were just lab rats who raised against the power, but the kids never stopped being afraid. Including myself.

I took a step forward, done with the noise. Mark did a head gesture towards me, assuring me I had the lead now. I whistled as loud as I could, getting most of their attention. “Hear me out now, I understand if you are scared, I understand if you want to go home, and you will go home, but only after we destroy that lab one more time. If you don't want to do it to protect others, then do it for your own safety; they might come looking for us. We are not failed experiments, we survived the tests. Doctor Jensen might want to see what we can do after eight years of being by our selves. This is self preservation.” Eventually, we got everyone to be okay with the mission; some: aligning up and offering to stay if we make an actual durable team; some others agreeing only for this one mission. 

Later, when it was already night, Alissa -also known as Ghostbabe, name she got for herself- came up to me as I was contemplating the plan in my head. We were the same age, and were in the same group when in the labs, and we also used to date. So yeah, she knew me pretty well. “How are you feeling about all of this?” I just sighted, feeling one of our classics and deep chats coming, Jesus I hate them, but maybe also miss them? a little? “I feel like we should’ve ended him when we had the chance, it’s stupid to be facing the same man all over again” She judged me with her eyes, as if my words were just half of what i was expresing. “It's your dad, Spence, do you really want him dead?” my heart shrunk inside my chest, as I knew far down that the truth was that I didn’t. 

“I hate him, Ali, he deserves it” I had tears in my eyes, but I wasn’t about to allow myself to cry over the man who separated me from my mother and siblings so he could make experiments with me. She reached for my hand, but backed away knowing the consequences of the chemicals in my palms. Instead, Alissa rested her head in my shoulder, an old way of comfort  that always worked. This time wasn’t the exception. She was expecting me to go on, therefore I did: “He so deserves it...and I wish I could kill him. But I just can’t. Not even for an actual reason.” 

A nightmare woke me up in the middle of the night, I overlooked the rest of the guys; there were a few shared tents, but mostly just sleeping bags spreaded in the grass. I got up as quietly as I could and walked over to my car, a place where I consistently find calm. In my nightmare my wings and my antennae were fully showing, which manages to nerve me up every time, since the first time. And my dad, Doctor Jensen, was there, smiling at me and so was my mom and siblings by his side. The twins were waiving, being as little as the last time I saw them, and my older brother looked charming in his graduation rope. Eventually a bunch of cold hands grabbed me by everywhere, and the figures of my family disappeared except for my father, who was now wearing a doctor's robe and coming closer to me with a syringe in his hand. But he didn’t stick it in me, he moved to my right and there was Alissa and Mark and Camila -also known as Skyeye- and every other kid I knew in their old pods, the panic grew inside of my chest and I started screaming, begging for him not to… And then I woke up and walked over to my car and just played it over and over in my head. 

Morning came and as we reviewed the plan for that afternoon I kept debating over what I would do if the chance of killing my dad came. I thought of that while we ate lunch. I thought of that as I prepared the equipment I needed. And I finally stopped thinking once we all formed a round for the last time before departing, all of us showing off our powers; my antennae and my wings and my hands didn’t feel so out of place anymore. 

Lightbulb and a batch of them who couldn't fly took mine and the other cars, while me Ghostbabe and the other five of us who actually had a useful power flew to the new lab. At first sight it seemed empty, but Shaker -who had the power of feeling and controlling earth vibrations- assured us there were at least fifteen people inside. Petite and Estremarina entered first. We gave Petite a camera that was connected to the tablet outside, letting us know how it was going, and Estremarina was her bodyguard, to call it someway. Soon enough we all got in, by groups of two. Shaker was correct with the number of people inside: five scientists, seven guards, two kids of ten years -more or less- and a young man who was definitely not Doctor Jensen. 

With a closer look at the strange trio, I saw the factions of my older brother now much grown up, and the dimples in one of my sisters cheeks was unmistakable while the other had the slightly noticeable scar from when she fell off my shoulder. It was my family.

I gulped and backed off, terrified. I’ve been looking forward to this final battle since I was twelve, and now...