The whole trip would take eleven hours with scheduled stops along the way. Tessa hoped the next few hours would go by uneventful, but she remained prepared for anything. Their group had separate comm links, but they were on radio silence from this point forward. Careful not to risk H.I.V.E picking up an alternate signal. Communication would be for an emergency only. It was time to watch and wait.
Tessa watched them load machinery, which she recognized as pieces of Denver’s destroyed arc. She identified the components of the energy core which she knew they could not power. They once wanted her to energize the core, and she wondered what recourse they would take without her cooperation. She couldn’t imagine what their plan B might look like.
Tessa needed to follow this core from Denver to Los Alamos. She could follow it deep into the enemy’s lair and destroy their plans for good. All she needed to do was follow the breadcrumbs.
22
The train traveled south through Colorado Springs, Pueblo, and Trinidad Colorado, where it stopped to collect additional passengers. The passengers dressed in everyday clothing, but Tessa figured they were H.I.V.E workers. She suspected they might be scientists recalled from their civilian assignments. They may be reassigned to work on the arc or another of the government agency’s many shadow projects. H.I.V.E seemed desperate to complete their arc and would call every resource into action to reach the finish line.
Tessa watched out the window as Colorado’s mountainous landscape gave way to the painted deserts of New Mexico. There were still green areas and high rolling hills, but the rock here was a reddish orange that blended with the setting sun. This part of the country was beautiful but dangerous. Temperatures here in the desert could reach dangerous levels of heat during the day and frigid temps at night.
By the time they reached Santa Fe, it was pitch dark outside. The remote locations made the view a dense cloak of blackness with no light for miles. That meant no civilization for miles.
A few pluses and minuses ran through Tessa’s mind regarding their current location. For one, it was so dark outside if bandits moved on the train and they had a light source they would be seen from miles away. On second hand, if they traveled by night vision, then they wouldn’t be seen until they were already boarding.
The train picked up the last of its passengers and supplies at the Santa Fe stop before heading off the original Union Pacific lines. H.I.V.E built a new set of tracks leading from the Santa Fe station to the Los Alamos Lab, making logistics much more manageable. The tracks cut north through the old Santa Fe National Forest and over the Rio Grande River through White Rock to Los Alamos.
By the time they reached the forest, Tessa and her crew were getting tired. They had been on the clock for well over twelve hours. Delays caused their commute time to increase, and they were feeling the effects of sleep deprivation. Their journey from Chicago to Denver already limited their sleep, and now a twelve-hour security shift added to the problem making it worse.
Tessa didn’t see the signs until it was too late. From the stillness of the night, a loud thump sounded on the train car roof. The train traveled through a canyon area, and Tessa guessed someone jumped onboard from above. What she wasn’t sure of was how many or what their intentions might be.
Finn broke radio silence over their comms, “Hold fast, remember why we’re here. To serve and protect.”
Finn didn’t want to come over the comms to say the group should continue to pretend to be H.I.V.E security. He implied no Evo powers in case someone else might be listening. They had to do this one old school. Tessa hoped her reliance on her new Evo powers hadn’t caused her to lose skills in her other areas of combat expertise. She was soon to find out.
Tessa set down her assault rifle and relayed her message over comms, “I’m going topside.”
“Keep a level head,” Finn cautioned.
“Don’t worry. I got this. Sam, you coming with?”
“Roger that,” Sam answered.
Tessa chose Sam as the most viable option to partner with on an assault mission. Norine and Arica had next to zero combat training. Finn, Melody, and Stonewell were Evos, and they trained with their abilities in combat. Sam and Tessa were the most proficient in combat without the use of enhanced power.
Tessa exited the train car into the open coupling between her car and the one behind. Sam exited the car behind to join her. Together they climbed the ladders, Tessa onto her car and Sam the one behind. Tessa would cover the forward area, and Sam would cover the rear.
They both coordinated a simultaneous peaking over the edge to find groups of hostiles in both directions. They retracted back down to discuss options.
Tessa gave her assessment, “I count five on my side.”
“Same. Options?”
“Shoot or Stealth?”
Sam thought for a quick second. “I opt for stealth. Take as many out as we can before they know what hit them.”
Tessa agreed, “Works for me.”
This time they climbed up their ladders and onto the top of the train car. The wind whipped against Tessa’s body as she mounted the train car. It took a few seconds to adjust to the rocking motion and the air movement above the train. She used her goggles to block the wind from her eyes, and the night vision helped her see the targets in the pitch dark. She could tell the invaders wore eyewear, meaning they
