Tessa waited patiently until the Evo responsible halted their assault, and the winds began to die down. The velocity of the wind decreased, and debris began falling from the sky all around. As the dust settled, Tessa made out figures in the distance moving toward her.
In front of the sphere, she made out the shape of a man dressed in a long tan trench coat and wearing a set of silver goggles. His skin the color of night, and his stature tall and sturdy with the bulk of muscle concealed under the coat. Tessa guessed he was the Evo responsible for the tornado. In the distance, she heard motorcycles and soon noticed a cluster of them headed her way.
Tessa hoped she had more time to prepare for her first run-in with a Chicago gang leader, but it seemed like this would be her first confrontation. She held onto the sphere and walked out onto the runway toward the man in the trench coat. The motorcycles stopped a short distance from the sphere to back up their leader.
Tessa started the conversation, “Impressive power.”
“I might say the same to you.” His voice was deep and grumbling.
“We mean you no harm. We escaped from a H.I.V.E facility and have several refugee Evos on board.” Tessa kept her hands where he could see. She didn’t want to appear a threat.
“Then pledge to our ranks, and you won’t have any problems. I can offer food, shelter, and protection,” the man demanded.
Tessa pointed out the sphere, “As you can see, I have protection under control.”
“Maybe for now, but there are other gangs here that might not offer the same deal. You still need food and shelter.” He sought to increase his gang’s ranks. “I could use more firepower. What’s your level?”
“Alpha,” Tessa answered.
“Bullshit,” he blurted out. When he saw she wasn’t joking, he looked the sphere over again and rethought his answer. “I’ve never heard of any Alphas.”
“You’ve just met your first.”
“Why are you here?” He altered his approach upon learning she could overpower him with ease. There was a new kid on the block, and she had a lot of power to wield. He seemed concerned about losing his status.
“We’re looking for a base of operations, and we picked this location. It has most of what we need.” Tessa wanted to be honest from the beginning. She wanted him to buy into their cause.
“What kind of operation?”
“I have intel.” Tessa hesitated to pique his interest. “While at the H.I.V.E base, I uncovered documents and information. I want to use this site to prepare my counterattack on H.I.V.E operations.”
“What kind of documents?” He seemed interested in a plan to attack H.I.V.E. Most Evos felt the same.
Tessa turned the tables, “I’m not at liberty to divulge that information to a hostile threat.”
The man held up a hand, signaling Tessa to wait. He walked back toward the motorcycle gang and engaged in conversation with his companions. From the body language, Tessa figured the debate got a little heated for a few moments. She didn’t want to divide the gangs because she wanted them to join, but she couldn’t afford for them to be enemies.
The man returned, “We agree to a temporary truce. You can set up here at the airport as long as you do not encroach on our territory.”
Tessa was willing to take the compromise as a step forward in negotiations. “We temporarily agree to your terms.” She could work on establishing a more meaningful relationship once they settled in and got to know each other better.
“The name’s Cyclone and I’m the leader of the Syndicate.” He extended a hand to shake.
Tessa kept a watchful eye on everyone and cautiously relinquished her energy sphere of protection. “I’m Tessa Jones.” She reached out and shook his hand.
Cyclone gave her a funny look, “No Evo name?”
“Not one that’s stuck yet.”
“But there is one?”
“A friend once suggested Joule as in the unit of energy.” Tessa wasn’t sure she wanted to be known as Joule, but if it was a necessary Evo rite of passage for these gangs, then she would tolerate the alias.
“I like it, Joule.” He motioned his comrades to come forward and introduced them one by one.
Tessa affectionately greeted them all but confessed that it had been a long day, and she was unlikely to remember all their names apologizing in advance if she forgot. Tessa didn’t want to offend anyone so early in their relationship, but the day’s excitement had overtaxed her brain.
Tessa signaled for Sam to inform the refugees to safely exit the ship. She explained to Cyclone that she didn’t know any of the refugees’ names, but they barely escaped with their lives only hours ago. There hadn’t been time for pleasantries until they reached safety. Cyclone commended her on saving so many. He realized she could have left them behind but instead she protected them and brought them with her. That spoke volumes for the person she was. It also indicated to Tessa that Cyclone cared about his kind, and she might play on that sympathy moving forward with negotiations.
Tessa hoped she earned brownie points with the gang for saving their kind from a H.I.V.E lab. Cyclone seemed less than pleased she had two humans with her, but she stressed their loyal friendship. Tessa clarified that these humans were off-limits. They were to be respected the same as any Evo. Cyclone didn’t care for the mandate, but he agreed not to argue with Tessa. He was also testing the waters, same as
