Tessa moved the tram into motion using her Evo powers, and the four rebels traversed through the underground tunnels toward the Denver Airport. Tessa turned to her crew, “Well, we made it this far. Still alive.”
“Yeah, but what’s next?” Sam wasn’t sure what to expect on the other side of the tunnel.
Finn came through on his hack and answered the question, “A few security guards are waiting on the other side. They know you’re coming.”
“Perfect. Norine and Arica, you should both take cover. Sam and I will take care of these guys. What else do you see, Finn?”
“Looks like five scientists are working in the Evo lab, eight engineers working in the hangar, and about twenty or so security guards in the hangar.” Tessa wasn’t crazy about those odds, but they only had one direction, forward.
Sam suggested, “We do this in waves. Clear one area before moving on to the next.”
“If we free the Evos, we might get some extra firepower,” Tessa added. She hoped a few of them might be healthy enough to help.
“As long as they’re not all drugged up,” Finn suggested there might be some complications with some of their released prisoners.
“We’ll re-evaluate our position when we get there,” Sam was right they had to work this in stages. Since they lacked a perfected plan, they would have to take it in pieces. Focus on one task at a time. The first obstacle being the security guards waiting for them at the end of the rail.
Tessa and Sam drew sidearms and took cover below the main control panel with Norine and Arica. Tessa craned her neck to see over the counter and through the window. Since she disabled their breaks, she would slow the tram to a stop using her power. When she saw the light at the end of the tunnel, she applied her power to slow the tram to a gentle halt.
The security guards opened fire on the tram. They showered the tram with a barrage of bullets that broke the front panes of glass, which shattered down on Tessa and her friends. Tessa and Sam waited until the gunfire stopped and then pulled the pin on two grenades tossing them over their heads and out the now open front window.
A loud boom echoed through the tunnel, and concrete rained down, creating a dusty haze. Tessa and Sam exited the tram on opposite sides with sidearms focused forward. As the security guards, came into focus Tessa and Sam fired. Once the dust settled, and the platform empty, Tessa signaled the all-clear, and Arica and Norine joined their friends on the platform.
Even though H.I.V.E expected them, they were unaware of the acquired weapons. Tessa still got the jump on her enemy. They hadn’t expected grenades or even sidearms. These security guards figured they could stop their targets without backup.
Tessa wondered if H.I.V.E had figured out who was behind the escape. She wondered if they knew of the potential hazard her Evo powers posed. She might still have an ace up her sleeve if they didn’t know she was behind this uprising. Once they figured it out, they would breakout their special weapons. The ones they used to fight Evos. Tessa preferred to avoid that complication if they could manage.
They all took a moment to regroup and assess the door. Finn allowed Tessa to use her strength to destroy the lock and hot-wire the door. The less Finn was in the network, the less H.I.V.E discovered about their movements. Tessa proved successful improvising on the fly, so they would continue that strategy until it no longer suited them.
The door and lock were reinforced with high grade steel to prevent anyone from blasting the doors. It took Tessa several tries to break through to the locking mechanisms wiring. This lock was much more complex than the other and she struggled to find the right wire combinations to override the security protocols. The group grew more nervous the longer they stood outside the main door. If they took too long, H.I.V.E agents from the elevator might catch up to them. Every second Tessa’s lead on them dwindled and pressure mounted. She had to get through this door or they would be trapped with no chance of escape. She had to push those negative thoughts from her mind and focus on the task at hand.
Tessa used her goggles to send a video feed to Finn so he could help walk her through the process. Hopefully, the two of them together could crack this security. After what seemed like an eternity, Tessa bypassed the security and started breaking the lock. She sighed in relief at realizing they would not die here. She couldn’t speak for what they found on the other side, but she was determined not to die here today.
5
Their impromptu tact team breached the lab doors with Sam on point. Tessa swept behind wrangling lab scientists into one corner of the room. Norine and Arica zip-tied their wrists to finish securing the area. Tessa returned to the main doors and activated the security blast doors. Then she scrambled the frequency and changed the code. With the door jammed, it would slow their enemy’s pursuit.
Tessa approached the mainframe computer with stacks of monitors and a massive control panel. She plugged in her comms device so Finn could access the network via hardwire connection. She hoped a direct link would give him a fighting chance to access data and avoid H.I.V.E.’s counter hacks. Finn’s assignment was to download all the research data and upload a virus when he finished.
Sam investigated the lab window that overlooked the hangar bay on the floor below. He reported that no one here on this
