H.I.V.E might get word about an Evo with force power and a pinkish purple hue which would identify Tessa for sure. She hoped Nitro and his crew would assume she was another Evo on her way to Kansas City and not Denver, and he would revert to his ego and keep this defeat a secret. Anyone who witnessed what just happened would feel threatened. If they talked, Nitro might kill them. Tessa hoped his ego would be their saving grace.
21
They traversed Nebraska with minimal complications and only one flat tire, easily fixed with Finn’s technomancy power. Tessa used her powers to hold the van up for Finn as he changed the tire. The desert heat was intense, and the wind battered them with abrasive dirt and sand, but they survived unscathed by the harsh environment.
From Nebraska, they continued west and crossed over the Colorado border. On the last leg of the journey, Sam started double-checking gear. As they traveled into Denver on I-70, they pulled over at an abandoned suburban town to prepare. They found an old retail clothing store long abandoned with the windows smashed and the merchandise gone. The only contents remaining were the eerie remnants of naked mannequins staring at them.
The statue forms made Tessa uneasy. She couldn’t say why, other than she sensed their eyes were on her. Their blank stares made her think about Earth’s future. When everything ended, would human remnants haunt the landscape, or would they turn to dust?
Tessa shook off the sense of oppressing dread and followed the team into the shop. They took turns changing into H.I.V.E uniforms in the dressing rooms. Sam parked the van around back so no one would get suspicious. Finn helped him carry in all the supplies from the vehicle. This location would be their temporary base of operations.
From here, they had the perfect view of the main interstate into the city. The one thing they needed was a believable ride. No one would believe they were real H.I.V.E agents if they rolled up in a rusted out fifteen-passenger van. H.I.V.E drove black SUV’s, and before the team could hope to enter the airport base, they needed a set of believable wheels.
Tessa took her turn in the changing room and pulled on her black armored suit. She pulled her hair into a high ponytail and braided it and put on a H.I.V.E cap to pull the tail through the opening in the back. Tessa opted to wear the hat, hoping to hide her face. H.I.V.E knew what she looked like, and her mugshot would be posted everywhere on H.I.V.E bases by now. Norine would accompany her to assist with the use of her mental manipulations to throw off any suspicions.
Once everyone was dressed and armed, they focused on obtaining a new vehicle. Sam set up a rooftop watch to observe any traffic coming down the road. They needed to find a lone vehicle with enough room for their entire team, which might be tricky to find. H.I.V.E traveled in caravans since Tessa’s rebels starting raiding supply routes.
Sam grew more and more frustrated every time a caravan drove by, and Tessa wasn’t sure they would ever get an opportunity. Finn suggested they might need to create an opportunity. He could use his power to disable a vehicle and hope if H.I.V.E couldn’t fix it, they would either abandon it or leave a small crew behind their team could take out quick and easy. It was a better plan than waiting around for something that might never happen, so the group voted in favor of Finn’s alternate plan.
Finn had to be careful to get the timing just right. The risk was alerting someone to the presence of Evo manipulation. If they raised alarms out here, then security inside the base would tighten even more. They had to remain hidden. It was what they built the whole plan on, stealth.
When the time was right just before dusk, Finn made his move. A caravan of five SUVs drove down 70 headed toward Denver. He waited for all of them to pass and then reached out to finagle with the trailing vehicle. It sputtered to a halt, and the other vehicles also slowed and pulled off the highway. A H.I.V.E agent from the lead vehicle exited and walked back down the road to check the disabled SUV.
Other men exited their vehicles to stand guard while they popped the hood of the SUV. They messed around under the hood for a long while trying to locate the reason for the breakdown, but they failed to find the problem. Finn manipulated the engine with his technomancy powers and there was nothing they could do that would fix the vehicle.
The team waited in the room as dusk turned to darkness and the leader started pointed and directing his troops and sending the men from the broken-down vehicle to split up into the other vehicles. The team got what they hoped for, and the caravan moved on, leaving the SUV behind. They would have a window to snag the vehicle before H.I.V.E sent a wrecker to pick up their broken asset. Conventional vehicles were hard to find these days, and they wouldn’t want to abandon it altogether.
Under the cloak of night, Tessa and her team made their break toward the vehicle. Finn climbed into the driver’s seat and undid his technomancy block, allowing the SUV to start up with no problem. From there they would take the interstate into the city and north on Pena Boulevard. It wasn’t long before signs pointed them toward the airport.
The closer they got
