Unspoken Words

The three of us remain silent as we ride through the night. When we finally make it back to the base, it was still pouring. Thane parks the vehicle is some large bushes, deciding it would be better to walk up to the gates of the base.

CheeChee rides on my shoulder as the three of us walk through the rain in silence. The bright lights from the base light up everything as we walk up to the gates. Only a few seconds pass before the gates quickly open.

As we walk up to the base, Conner meets us outside with umbrellas and a large smile. Thane walks up to Conner and pats his shoulder before walking past him. I silently chuckle as Conner holds the umbrella out with confusion.

As I walk up to him, I give him a warm smile as I say "We're soaked. An umbrella isn't really going to help us now. But... thanks for the thought." I pat his arm and give him a large smile before walking away. Conner looks down at the umbrellas before looking back to us.

He awkwardly scratches the back of his head as he follows us in. He really is the sweetest. As we approach the door, Titus greets us at the open door with a wide smile. He quickly steps to the side and waves us in as he says "Hurry in! You both look like drowned rats!"

I silently follow Thane in as I use my powers to pull all the water off all three of us. We remain slightly damp but at least we aren't dripping wet. When I step up next to Thane, I see him staring towards the kitchen.

I turn and look to see Cruz standing in the kitchen with a blank face. Thane and Cruz silently stare at each other but neither one moves. Titus awkwardly clears his throat as Conner walks in with water dripping from the umbrellas.

"Cruz was wrong... He just wanted to help you two but ended up making things worse. I hope we can all move past this." Titus says with a strained smile. I roll my shoulders and say "We're being followed by a woman with blood-red hair. I have a feeling she has some type of thermal vision making her amazing at hunting. She has a kill order for us."

Titus sputters as Thane says "A kill order for me. She wants to bring you to her boss." Cruz's eyes narrow a fraction as Troy comes down the hall with half his shirt on saying "Who the hell is this bastard!? And... is the red-headed chick hot?"

Thane frowns at Troy as I struggle not to smirk. I clear my throat and say "We don't know who's pulling the strings at the moment. We're here to figure that out." I turn to look at Titus as I say "I want to ask you to join us. Thane's father is insane. I have a feeling he's the one responsible for these portals. More is happening than we realize and I think the City is in trouble."

I then turn to Troy and say "Her name is Iris and if you like the icy killer type... yeah, she's hot." Troy blushes and nearly chokes as Conner starts laughing. Titus remains staring at us with a grave look on his face. His internal struggle is clear but I don't want to push him.

He curses out loud and says "Dammit! I knew something was going on... Shit!" He runs his hands through his hair as he does a circle in the room before coming to a stop and saying "I'm in. I need to know everything."

I give him a small smile as I nod my head but when I hear Conner say "I'm in too!" My smile quickly fades. I turn to him and say "Conner... this is dangerous. I can't ask you to do this." Conner gives me a smug smile as he says "You didn't. I'm joining because I want to. As it stands, we're banned from going back to the City. I have a feeling they're gonna try and off all of us once we figure out how the machines work. I have family in the City... I need to protect them."

I glance to Titus but he gives me a grim look and nods his head, confirming Conner's theory. Troy suddenly steps forward and says "I'm in too! Especially if I can meet this Iris chick." I turn and give him a strange look but I'm honestly lost for words. Was he serious?

Cruz finally speaks up as he says "I'm in." Everyone turns to look at him, including CheeChee. I stare at him in silence as he stares at us in silent determination. Thane suddenly smirks and says "Looks like the whole teams back together."

Cruz looks to him but he doesn't say anything in return. I clear my throat and say "I guess that settles it. Everyone should be on high alert. I have no idea what this woman is capable of but I have a feeling we shouldn't underestimate her or her abilities. She has wicked aim..."

Everyone nods in agreement before Titus suddenly says "Ah! I forgot!" I turn to look at him as he gives me an apologetic look. I frown in confusion as he says "I tried to reach your family but... they're gone! I even had my men look into them but it's like they... disappeared!"

I blink in surprise before suddenly feeling like a horrible person. I struggle to find the right words as Thane suddenly says "It's okay. We'll find them, no matter what." I feel myself freeze as I realize what I almost did.

I was trying to think of how to explain my brother coming back and saving my parents and even me before all going to the Oasis. I don't think anyone here would betray us but that doesn't mean people aren't listening. I almost made a huge mistake. One that would have costed my families' lives.

My complexion turns pale as I think about all the devices in the base. I wouldn't put bugging the bases past Thane's father. When everyone sees the look on my face, they instantly feel bad. Conner steps forward and says "Don't worry. We'll find them, I promise!"

Troy awkwardly nods as Cruz gives me a pained look. Titus looks to me with regret and worry as Thane gently places his hand on my lower back. Only he knew why I was actually freaking out. If it wasn't for him... I would have killed them all.