A chain reaction led to the trailing semi-trucks to stomp the breaks and the caravan to come to a screeching halt. From the ARV, Cyclone drove up on the rearguard vehicle close enough for Shadow to smoke from the ARV to the H.I.V.E vehicles’ passenger seat. From inside, Shadow took out the driver and hijacked the armored car.
With the protection detail neutralized, the rest of the team sprang into action. By this time, the semi-trucks were attempting to drive around the now disabled lead security vehicle. There was little room on the narrow two-lane highway for the trucks to maneuver around, but it wasn’t impossible. The obstacle slowed the trucks enough that the team could seize them before they got too far.
Animal was up next to jump, and his target was the last truck in convoy. Animal’s approach involved less finesse than Vanessa’s. His decent was a maddening rush to land atop the trailer. After landing, he transformed into a grizzly bear and rampaged to the front of the trailer. He leaped from the trailer to the hood crashing through the cab windshield. He ripped the driver from the cab out the windshield and tossed him to the side of the road. Animal then shifted back to normal human shape and climbed into the truck to regain control.
Finn approached the chopper door, but before he jumped, he had a surprise for Tessa. He loaded some music to play in the comms background. Finn knew how much Tessa loved music. Especially rock-and-roll. Finn cued up Fortunate Son by Creedence Clearwater Revival. He puckered his lips and gave her an in-air smooch before dropping out.
Melody gave Tessa a side-eye glance. She recognized the chemistry between her and Finn. Tessa would need to have a conversation with both of them later. Finn needed to be more careful, and Melody needed to keep her mouth shut.
Finn used his mechanical knowledge and tech abilities to dismantle essential parts of the semi engine halting it immediately.
Vanessa Green came on comms, “I stopped one truck, but two broke through.”
Tessa looked down to see a wall of thorns blocking one truck, but the two lead trucks got around the blockade before Green stopped them and they were hauling ass to escape. Tessa and Melody were both flyers with no need for jetpacks. Tessa pulled down her goggles and cranked up her music as the two girls dropped out of the chopper and head for their renegade supply trucks.
GaleForce dressed in her purple suit with matching mohawked hair, took the second caravan truck. She conjured a wall of hurricane-force wind to prevent the truck from advancing. When the truck struggled to move forward against the wind, the tires squealed and spun in place, and the back wheels of the trailer fishtailed. Melody called on the electricity in the air and struck the cab with a bolt of lightning, frying the electrical systems and killing the engine. A huge puff of black smoke billowed from the truck, and Tessa knew Melody succeeded.
Tessa advanced on the first truck who had made it quite a distance. Her body illuminated with the pinkish-purple signature glow of her power. She sensed the earth’s electrical field surrounding her; raw and untapped. She manipulated the current, channeling it to allow her to levitate more than fly.
Tessa landed in front of the truck, stretching her arms toward the racing vehicle. She seized control of the energy in the engine and cut off power to kill the engine, and the vehicle slowed to a halt nearly at her feet. She wasn’t concerned with the truck striking her because she was in control of the inertia the whole time. She could start and stop the moving vehicle at any moment.
While standing in front, she used her telekinesis to open the cab door and remove the driver. She held him paralyzed with her power and moved him to the side of the road. Tessa secured him in cuffs and rejoined their group for a status report. They had successfully gained full control, and now Finn would check over the vehicles for a damage report and quick repairs. Then they could caravan back to base and deliver their new supplies. The mission was a success.
16
In whole, the spoils in the hijacked trucks yielded food, water, medicine, tech, and weapons. A massive score for Tessa’s group and a successful first raid. A victory they needed. On the journey back to base, Tessa believed the supplies might last them a while, but upon returning, she noticed the base doubled in size throughout her few day absence. The word was spreading, and people sought to join a new cause.
Both Norine and Arica were eager for Tessa’s return. They both performed their best in her absence but were ready to relinquish the extra responsibilities and return to business as usual. Sam’s team increased security putting all their new weaponry straight to work. Arica jumped to distribute medicine, and Finn cataloged the new tech to determine its best use. Tessa instructed others to unload the food to the airport food court. It surprised Tessa their scavenger groups produced an additional influx of supplies, but the base had already blown through most. It was proving difficult to keep up with the supply demand needed to house so many refugees.
Tessa realized they needed more raids to sustain their growth, meaning they needed more than one raid team. She used the gangs to organize more groups as long as they only harmed H.I.V.E operatives and not human civilians. It was a risk allowing them to operate on their own, but their need for supplies outweighed the risks. She made sure someone on each team was trustworthy to act as the team’s conscience.
The council met to discuss logistics, and as much as she disliked the idea, the group opted to give
