Extraordinary Mistakes

Immediately, as they face the assassins, Rachel teleports herself and Megan to behind some desks. Alex does the same with Ánh, and right away teleports to the back of one of the shooters and hits him. The man turns around and punches him.

The other assassin is going to shoot Alex, but he teleports near Ánh again.

“Sis, please distract them, so I can kindly tell them to shoot each other,” Alex tells Rachel inside her head.

Rachel forms a fog around the shooters. Alex tries to focus on one of them. He goes through everyone’s mind, but Megan. As the shooters continue to fire, he loses focus and has to start all over again.

Ánh tells him that nearby one of shooters there’s a massive fish tank. One of Madeleine’s extravagant purchases, probably.

“Burst the fish tank,” Alex’s voice echoes inside Rachel’s mind.

A first crack appears on the glass. No one hears it. Rachel keeps controlling the water inside the fish tank until it bursts and hits the back of one of the shooters. The other fires indiscriminately.

Alex takes the opportunity and puts them one by one into a deep sleep state.

Megan and Rachel approach the deviants hurt and their right hands turn blue. They cry, beg for mercy. The bleeding stops.

“Aren’t you the terrorist group?!” an instructor asks.

He touches his stomach, realizing the blood stopped pouring.

“Not today,” Ánh smiles.

She recognizes him from her grade when she studied there. Realizing that if he knew who she was before, they wouldn’t picture her with the terrorists.

“Today as well. You are welcome!” Alex smiles.

Ánh gets closer to the assassins, uncovers them and takes photos of their faces. Alex skims the mind of one and realizes that Emily Roberts is the primary target.

“Come. Hide in that room.” Rachel leads the instructors and their students. “Block the door. Don’t open it, no matter what.”

“Rachel Moore... thank you!” He smiles.

The group puts their hoodies back on again and walk slowly through the main hallway.

“Emily Roberts is the target. They aren’t here to kill anyone else,” Alex says softly.

“We have to find her,” Ánh says.

The silence threatens them, being fully aware that any mistake can make a difference. There are no gunshots, no one’s screaming, and that’s scarier, the anticipation.

Rachel heads the group. She and Megan walk forward while Ánh and Alex backwards, securing the rear. No sudden moves, silence only.

They pass by Ánh ’s memorial photo hanging on the wall. She stops and stares at it for a second, she was 22 back then, and the fakeness on her smile is obvious.

A gunshot ruptures through. It hits Rachel’s leg, she falls to the ground without screaming, holding the pain in. Blood pours out of it, and the worse is that they can’t understand where the shot came from.

“That was a warning shot. Next one’s straight to the heart!” a woman’s voice says from the inside of one of the rooms in front of them, “don’t come any closer. I have time and weapons. Leave if you don’t want to die!”

Ánh recognizes it and shouts in Vietnamese welcome!

Megan and Alex look immediately at Ánh, while Rachel holds her wound tight and Abigail Parker freezes.

Ánh? She wants to come out of the room right away. No, this is mental control, probably. Ánh is dead... She shoots again, this time against the wall next to Alex and Megan.

Rachel looks around, trying to come up with any solution, but deep down, she knows she wouldn’t be fast enough to teleport even if she found out where the voice is coming from.

Ánh removes the hoodie, and slowly walks forward, passing by Rachel who grabs her leg.

“What are you doing?”

“It’s okay, Rach. It’s okay.”

Abigail zooms in with a micro camera, it’s Ánh’s face, but it can’t be real.

One of them is controlling my mind... she isn’t real. Ánh’s dead. Tears fill her eyes.

“Don’t come any closer! I won’t say it again! Stay there!” Abigail shouts.

Ánh takes her phone out, ignoring Abigail’s final warnings, and plays a video of them. A happier day, all the touristic, foolish things on their first day.

Abigail shakingly holds the gun and comes out, being only a few steps away from each other. She points it straight to Ánh’s head.

No! Rachel teleports and puts herself in front of Ánh, barely standing, with the blood all over her pants.

“Rach, it’s okay,” Ánh smiles and holds her face.

Is that... Rachel Moore? Abigail focuses on Rachel’s face.

Megan and Alex remove the hoodies and come closer with their arms in the air.

That silver hair, probably the son of Amy Anderson. I didn’t know she had one. So, these are the heirs of the Five. Oh, here’s something no one wishes to see. The Angel of Death in person. A shiver goes through Abigail’s spine.

“Abigail...” Ánh’s voice breaks her thoughts.

Abigail raises the gun again, her hands shake, and Ánh goes closer.

Meanwhile, on the marketing floor, Emily keeps moving around the people who work there. Mostly interns. Jessica Miller, the head of the department, is not there today.

“We have to take this bracelet off,” Jade whispers.

Scissors, forcing it with their hands, a lighter. Nothing works. Gunshots fire in a distance, and it won’t be long until whoever is out there finds them.

On the classes floor, Abigail closes her eyes, takes several breaths, trying to stabilize the gun. Ánh is getting closer, she’s almost within arm’s reach.

“Abigail...”

“Shut up!” Abigail shouts, “you aren’t real! You!” she points at Rachel, “you are doing something to me, or you!” she points at Megan and Alex, “Ánh died! She’s dead...” Abigail falls to the ground and starts breathing faster and faster.

Ánh finally reaches her, sits on the floor in front of her.

“How was South America?” Ánh asks.

Abigail’s eyes widen and she looks at her.

“Ánh? How...?”

Rachel sees the opportunity to heal her leg, gets up and Alex and Megan are already next to her.

“I faked it, Abigail. My death.”

Abigail keeps staring at her face and touches it.

“What are you doing with the terrorists?”

“Well...”

“She’s one of us,” Rachel says. “Where’s Emily Roberts?”

“Why?” Abigail looks away from Ánh and focuses on Rachel.

“Answer the question!” Alex points at her.

“Emily is their target, Abigail. They are going to kill her,” Ánh says softly.

“On the marketing department. 10th floor.”

“Let’s split up. Alex, head with Ánh outside to communicate with the security corps. Me and Megan will save the puppet,” Rachel looks at Abigail.

“What if the security corps are in on this?” Alex puts the hoodie back on.

“Right. Let’s call the news, post on every social media, instead, attract enough attention that they won’t move a finger without being watched.”

“There’s no time! Teleport there. I’ll go by myself and meet at home!” Ánh says.

“I’ll go with you. We’ll take the gun in case we run into trouble,” Abigail smiles.

Ánh smiles back and Rachel laughs, comes closer and stands between Ánh and Abigail.

“Abigail Parker, if you hurt her, I’ll use your feckless abili-” Rachel looks away, “-ty to kill you.”

“Rachel Moore, the leader of a peaceful movement! I’d never hurt Ánh. If you hurt Emily, I’ll use my useless ability to kill you. Some of us don’t need other’s abilities to be powerful.”

Rachel smirks, grabs Abigail’s hand, and using Megan’s ability, carefully destroys the bracelet.

“Just in case,” she smiles.

Rachel puts the hoodie back on and they teleport to the marketing floor.

Emily, Jade, and the marketing department’s interns are stuck in the hallway. The door to the stairs won’t open. They turn around and face three of the assassins.

“Emily!” one says.

The interns begin crying. Jade stands tall while the shocks from the bracelet run through her entire body. If only she could activate ability. Save the day.

“You got me. Let the others go,” Emily curls her first, ignoring the pain from the shocks. Time isn’t slowing down; she can’t use her ability.

“Join us! We will do great things together.”

“Where’s your leader? I’m surprised she isn’t here,” Emily looks around them.

“Rachel Moore has proven too weak. Our movement will make us gods again. You are a traitor to our kind, and if you aren’t to join us, then you aren’t to live.”

Jade holds Emily’s hand, tears go down their faces, and then blood comes out of Emily’s mouth once the first bullet hits her.

Slow down. Just slow down. She falls to the floor, in pain from the bullet and from the shocks.

“Leave her alone!” Jade shouts, standing between Emily and the shooters.

“Get out!” One of them punches her in the stomach and pushes her aside.

“Any last words, Emily Roberts? What a day. I’m about to kill the world’s most powerful deviant so easily,” the assassin smiles while holding his gun to Emily’s head.

The other two laugh.

“Excuse me, good morning!” Rachel shows up on the other end of the hallway. “I heard you were interested in killing the world’s most powerful deviant. Not sure why you are pointing the gun to little Emily here. I am the most powerful... she? She’s not even,” Rachel starts counting, “the 15th of the world, let alone number one. Ok, maybe 15th most powerful in this room.”

There are only 15 people there.