GONG!
The sound echoes inside Chloe's mind like a strike. Her eyes burst open. Towering above her is the face of the mall clock. The mechanical bells toll again causing the metal bench below to shudder.
Beside her Jonathan abruptly awakens with a jolt. He springs up confused, about where he's and hits his forehead on the metal edge of the bench.
"Ow! What the—WHY are we standing under a clock?!" he yells, clutching his head and fleeing the place.
Chloe holds her temples the pain is instant. "I told you we were, at the mall."
Jonathan strokes his hair looking at the shut shops, around him. "You doubted what I told you."
"Wait, seriously… INSIDE the mall? Throughout the night?" He murmurs, eyes widening. "Thats definitely trespassing. Ugh we are completely doomed."
Just when Chloe is about to object, a burst of white light cuts, across the atrium and hits them straight in the eyes.
"HEY! You kids! What are you two up, to here!"
They squint against the glare. A small woman among the staff stands with her finger pointed. Behind her looms a security guard a man, in his twenties dressed sharply with his hand resting near his belt.
"Uh—uhm," Chloe stammers, shielding her eyes.
"The mall opened ten minutes ago! How did you even get inside?" the blonde worker demands, stamping her foot. "Leave immediately! Both of you!"
Chloe's legs become unsteady. She remains frozen, in place. Jonathan appears ready to flee. There is nowhere to run.
The guard proceeds forward. There's no necessity for him to shout; his presence conveys everything. They are guided down the staff hallway the linoleum blurring beneath them until they are ushered out a side door and into the parking lot.
"Keep your distance you rascals " the guard warns, as the heavy metal door slams shut behind them.
The chilly morning breeze brushes against their skin. Chloe crosses her arms shivering and casts a look, at the closed door. "Great. What I needed. So what now?"
Jonathan. Flicks a small stone, across the sidewalk.
"We need to talk " Chloe says softly. "About what's happening between us."
Meanwhile, Deep Below the City.
Far beneath the streets and shops, under layers of bedrock and concrete, a bunker hums with electricity.
A single desk lamp casts shadows across a metal table. Agent Sherlock leans forward his eyes fixed on a map. Two red dots flicker, at the center of the grid.
"They moved additional " Sherlock utters softly. He slides a metal box along the table toward a figure hidden in the gloom.
The silhouette moves, into the illumination.
Electric current flows across his fingertips like streaks of lightning. He has hair, piercing eyes clad in a grimy white t-shirt and a faded black leather jacket.
"Do you prefer them alive?" questions the Mutant. His tone crackles like interference, on a radio.
Sherlock snaps the briefcase shut. "Alive. Safe. Bring them to me."
The Mutant grins. Sparks flicker, between his teeth. "You've got a deal, Agent."
McDonald's.
The scent of oil and salt fills the air. Chloe and Jonathan sit in a corner booth sharing a platter piled with burgers and fries.
Jonathan takes a bite of his burger chewing like he hasn't eaten in a long time. Chloe wraps her lips around a straw staring at the counter with an expression.
SLURPP. SLURPP.
"How are we going to pay for this?" Jonathan whispers, wiping ketchup off his chin.
Chloe's eyes grow large. She gestures wildly for him to STAY SILENT. Once their number was called they grabbed the tray from the pickup counter trying to remain unnoticed. The guilt is overwhelming her.
Jonathan looks up letting out a sigh. He reaches for the fries sitting on the paper beneath them.
His finger makes contact, with a fry.
Phhhht.
There is no sound, a visual anomaly. The moment his skin makes contact, with them the fries don't fall they crumble. They break down into bits. Disappear into the air.
"Good heavens!" Jonathan shouts.
Heads turn. Eyes remain fixed.
"Is there an issue, ma'am?" A waiter walks past holding a tray casting a look at the empty spot, on their table where the fries used to be.
"No! No it's absolutely okay " Chloe responds, her voice squeaky. She pulls off a smile.
The server frowns in confusion before walking.
"Isn't it crazy that McDonald's allows you to pay once you've finished eating?" Jonathan whispers softly trying to calm the anxiety.
"The bill is the problem!" Chloe murmurs quickly her voice growing tense with worry. "Did you see that? You literally made a potato vanish into air! How are we going to explain that?"
Jonathan looks at his hands shifts his gaze, to the door. A grin appears on his face. "I don't know how we came to have these powers. I believe I have an idea…"
Chloe dreads the reply.
"It Starts now " Jonathan whispers.
It is a terrible plan.
They hurry to the glass doors.. The manager a man like a stronghold, with a name tag that reads EARL is faster. He stands in front of the doorway blocking the path arms. A look that says DON'T EVEN TRY.
Twenty minutes later they are sitting in the backseat of a police vehicle.
An hour afterward the Millers arrive.
The return trip seems suffocating. The silence within the car is dense enough to overwhelm. Mrs. Miller grips the steering wheel tightly her knuckles have gone white. Mr. Miller stares out the passenger window steering clear of any look, at the rearview mirror.
The living room " Mrs. Miller's voice breaks the silence. Her tone is rough and unsteady. "The windows were broken… the furniture destroyed. The police said it looked like a bomb had gone off inside the house."
She glances back her eyes wet with tears. "Where have you been? Why did you run away? Who is responsible for this, to my children?"
Jonathan shouts suddenly "It wasn't our doing."
"We just got scared " Chloe answers quickly poking Jonathan's shin under the seat. "We returned saw the mess. Panicked. That's all."
They lack the ability to be truthful.. About the teleportation nor, about the levitation. The disappearing fries. If the Millers recognize they are irregularities the orphanage signifies the result. A government institution is the possibility.
The car drives into the driveway.
Chloe feels her stomach drop. Yellow caution tape flutters, in the wind encircling the house. However that isn't what scares her the most.
What is alarming is the group of three SUVs parked on the lawn.
"Wait a moment " Chloe frowns, leaning closer. "Those aren't police vehicles."
Mr. Miller puts the car into park. The locks click closed. He resists the urge to unlock them. He turns abruptly his face pale, looking sick.
"I'm sorry Chloe. Jonathan. They said they could help you. They insisted you were... A danger."
"What?" Jonathan exclaims, his voice trembling. "You reached out to them?"
Before Chloe can reply the car doors are abruptly yanked open from the exterior.
Armored agents flood the driveway, with weapons raised.
"GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE!" a voice booms.
A sharp icy pang of fear pierces Chloe's chest. They have been tricked. She stumbles out of the car grasping Jonathan's arm and dragging him toward the street. "We have to go. Now."
"A location, for the target has been identified " a voice announces.
Agent Sherlock stands by. He is next, to the SUVs raising a handgun and aiming it at Jonathan's chest.
"KEEP YOUR DISTANCE FROM US!" Chloe shouts.
She does not plan to move. Instincts take over. She pushes her arms forward. The explosive orange light radiates from her palms. A massive shockwave rips through the pavement sending shards of soaring. Two agents are hurled backward like puppets. The front siding of the houses is ripped off.
Sherlock takes the hit. He crashes into the brick wall letting out a groan. He manages to lift himself up more.
Chloe breaths out sharply feeling the power drain from her.. The path is clear.
Prior, to him stepping in.
The man with hair stepping out of the bunker walks through the dusty fog. He wears no gear a black coat and a detached expression. As Chloe's orange energy slams, into him he stays unfazed.
He smiles broadly.
Sparks of gleam upon his skin. He raises a hand. Chloe stares in fear as her waterfall distorts. It spirals like water funneling down a drain pulled into his palm.
The air smells of ozone and burnt plastic.
"Mmm " the Mutant whispers, his eyes gleaming with vitality. "Zesty."
"What, in the world was that?" Jonathan shouts, his jaw dropped. "He really took it in!"
The Mutant's hand stays lifted. His palm shines with Chloe's orange light before it shifts.
It turns blue.
Faster than expected he fires. A flash of lightning hits Chloe and Jonathan simultaneously.
Pain grips their muscles tightly. Chloe's vision blurs to white before turning. Her legs give way. She drops to the floor heavily. The last noises she hears are Mr. Miller sobbing near the car and the pounding footsteps of the agents coming toward them.
"Capture them " the Mutants electrified voice commands. "My work here is complete."
Sherlock collects himself dusting off his suit. He moves toward the Mutant.
"Thanks " Sherlock says, handing a stack of five hundred dollars to the man.
"Pleasure doing business," the Mutant says, counting the cash as the agents drag the unconscious teenagers away