After they put in a good day’s work, Tessa and Finn rode cycles back to the concourse, but on their way, Tessa heard a familiar sound. Finn heard it too, but he felt the tech before she recognized the sound of the chopper blades. Four military helicopters came into view. Tessa wondered why the Syndicate didn’t attack these birds as they attacked her on arrival yesterday. She figured the Syndicate knew H.I.V.E was here to re-collect their escaped Evos and stolen ship. Cyclone was lying low like a coward hoping H.I.V.E would leave them alone. In the process he was offering her group as cannon fodder.
Tessa dismounted the bike and motioned Finn to take cover. She wanted to defend their location and demonstrate to H.I.V.E they weren’t going anywhere. She needed to make a display to show the enemy they didn’t have the firepower to make them do anything. Finn took cover behind a nearby hangar but remained close to her as backup.
Tessa planted her feet on the ground in the center of a runway and faced the H.I.V.E helicopters head-on. She wanted to make sure they saw her. She would not shy away from this fight. The helicopters opened with machine-gun fire, and Tessa used her energy power as a shield. Bullets bounced off the barrier, and the empty lead jingled on the ground as it hit the pavement below the chopper.
The birds passed overhead and turned back around for another pass. Tessa turned to face them again. This time they upgraded to rocket launchers. Same as before, the projectiles hit her shield and fell to the ground ineffective.
Tessa let them take a few more passes, but they weren’t taking the hint. Tessa looked over to Finn, “Hey. You need more H.I.V.E tech?”
Finn smiled, “We could always use more tech.”
“Stand back.” Tessa reached down deep and harnessed her energy. She seized two birds with her energy glow and tugged them down. The pilots failed to compensate for the force she applied, and the choppers began to spin out of control. Tessa held on with her power and touched both vessels down in a grassy patch between runways. There would be some damage, but it would be minimal.
The other two bogies pulled back and exited the airspace. Tessa hoped she sent a clear message to H.I.V.E. Or they could keep sending her equipment to take. Either way, it was a win for her and her friends.
Finn and Tessa approached the downed craft with guns ready. When the H.I.V.E team exited the helicopters, they took the enemy into custody. All six H.I.V.E personnel survived the crash with only minor bumps and bruises. They returned to the concourse and locked them up in airport security cells which Tessa found earlier in the day.
She didn’t have a plan for these captives, but she didn’t plan on letting them loose. There might be valuable information they might provide about what happened in the aftermath of their escape. Tessa wondered what new orders H.I.V.E would issue in the wake of their daring escape. Would their priority be to recover the escaped prisoners? Or to re-establish Project Genesis?
For now, Tessa settled for salvaging the two downed helicopters. They recovered food, water, and weapons from the interiors, and Finn could harvest the tech or repair the bird and repurpose for their use.
The Evo refugees celebrated their win. H.I.V.E attempted to reclaim them, but they thanked their protector for keeping them safe. It was an odd feeling for Tessa. She always clung to the outside of groups, not wanting to be a leader. This whole experience changed who she was as a person. Her power gave her newfound confidence. It was the tool she used to help people.
Tessa realized her Evo gifts were a blessing and not the curse she once believed they were. She had potential do so much good now that she had this power. Tessa remained optimistic that she might get the gangs on board to work together toward a common goal. The trick would be to convince them to work with humans. Tessa had to be the beacon of peace and offer security to all of humanity. It was the right thing to do. It was the only thing to do. Otherwise, the only other option was to die a slow death as the Earth fell apart beneath their feet.
9
The day following H.I.V.E’s attack, the Syndicate Gang returned to the airport. Their lack of assistance during the attack annoyed Tessa, but their return didn’t surprise her. She hoped they were in the mood to negotiate because Tessa wasn’t in the mood to argue. The Syndicate didn’t attack the H.I.V.E aircraft and allowed the airport attack to happen unimpeded. It upset Tessa that Cyclone attacked her H.I.V.E craft on arrival but did not attack the craft from yesterday. That action raised a mountain of suspicion and told Tessa a lot about his motives.
Cyclone’s lack of action painted a clear picture showing all his true colors. Finn was right to advise her not the trust him. Cyclone might have called a truce with Tessa, but he saw her as a threat. Tessa figured Cyclone was betting H.I.V.E would eliminate his competition for him. Tessa hoped to convince Cyclone to abandon that line of thinking and join her cause. Part of her realized that even if he did, there would always be a part of him that would resist. It was in his nature. And part of her would never trust him, because that was her nature.
Just before Cyclone and his crew arrived in the terminal, Sam presented a few orders of business. Sam and Finn brainstormed ways to increase supplies. The boys wanted to raid H.I.V.E supply chains, but Tessa hesitated to hijack H.I.V.E supplies. It jeopardized lives, and it would prevent human settlements from receiving their rations. Sam suggested attacking supply lines on
