Isaac was already on the bike, with Elijah close behind. Phebe stood still and silent, seemingly reluctant to ride with the two young men to Milton. To the left and right of the motorcycle were jerrycan full of petrol. She knew that neither Elijah nor Isaac had ever ridden a bike before. She didn't know what kind of journey they would make to Milton. Phebe couldn't imagine, but she was sure it would be difficult.
"I'd rather walk," Phebe decided.
"Isaac will get used to riding a motorbike, don't worry," Elijah said.
Phebe shook her head. "You already have enough luggage."
"OK, whatever you say," Isaac replied lightly.
The young man slowly moved the bike forward, but the cycle began to sway after a few metres. As Isaac and Elijah struggled to balance the bike, Phebe thought they were putting on a comedy show.
"I think walking will arrive at the same time as you on the bike." Phebe chuckled softly.
Hearing that, Isaac began to heat up. "It'll only take a few minutes. I'll get the hang of it; you'll see."
Elijah got off the bike quickly. "You'd better practise. We'll follow you from behind."
"You don't trust me? Or are you using this opportunity to get close to a girl?" Isaac grinned.
Elijah made a 'What?' gesture, and his face immediately turned red. Meanwhile, Phebe was laughing again at the ridiculousness of the two. Phebe's eyes suddenly fell on the stone on Elijah's neck, and the girl gasped and stepped back.
"Is that a jewel?" asked Phebe, gesturing to the back of his neck.
Isaac groaned as he got off the bike and set it down. Isaac rushed over and put his arm around Elijah's shoulders. They had never been this close for two years, and now, suddenly, Isaac was acting differently.
"The stone came with Elijah's powers. Whether you want to believe it or not is your problem," Isaac said. "But he's my friend, and I trust him."
Phebe looked uncomfortable. "I ...."
"We're all mutants, strange to mere mortals. Can't we focus on the fact that the biggest problem is the aliens?" Elijah said. "I'm not going to hurt anyone except those creatures."
"Speaking of which..." Isaac broke the hug and reached into the front pocket of his trousers. "-This is a patch. To cover your nuclear button neck."
"What colour is the stone?" Elijah asked curiously.
"Red," Isaac and Phebe replied simultaneously.
"It must be undeniable," Elijah complained.
There was a quick nod from Isaac. "Yep!"
Isaac helped put the bandage on Isaac's neck and returned to the bike.
"We haven't got all day," Isaac said.
"If you have any doubts, we'll go to New Castle. We don't want you to feel unsafe," Elijah told Phebe.
"And vice versa," Isaac added.
Elijah got in behind Isaac. The two young men stared at Phebe, who was still silent, as if deep in thought. Then Phebe took a long breath.
"Move forward a little, Elijah. I want to have a seat," Phebe said.
*
The journey from Auburn to Milton usually took four or five hours. But it took longer because Isaac was still learning to ride the motorcycle, and they took turns learning to drive. They arrived at their destination nine hours after leaving Auburn.
The entrance to the city was lined with large steel piles that resembled a wall. Construction workers still needed to stop building the security fence, which was heavily guarded by the Army and Deformity. As soon as they saw the motorcycle coming, all the troops in the vanguard were alerted. They trained their weapons on Elijah, Isaac and Phebe.
Phebe got off the bike and waved her hand.
"Phebe Deformity Spanaway, from Gamma Spanaway Headquarters! Reporting from Auburn!" she shouted.
Several Deformities dismounted from where they had been watching, and the steel gate opened sideways. The Deformities ran over to Phebe, Elijah and Isaac.
"Phebe? Where are the others?" one of the Deformities asked, a worried look on his face.
Phebe shook her head weakly. "They've all gone."
"And the people in Auburn?"
"Killed." Phebe lowered her head and began to sob.
One of the Deformities hugged Phebe, then hurried the girl into the city. The other Deformity looked suspiciously at Elijah and Isaac but allowed them to enter.
Once inside the city gates, the Deformities escorted them into the jeep. Then the car sped along the deserted highway. Although Elijah could see that the city was in good shape. The lights were still on in the apartments and houses they passed. It was just that no people were walking around at this late hour.
"Thousands of people in Auburn just died, Phebe?" asked a man who looked about 25-26 years old. "There's the Army and Deformity on duty, in addition to the troops sent from here. There were no survivors apart from you?"
"We were able to control the situation earlier when the ants attacked," Phebe said. "But there were other creatures. And they were different. They were Queens."
"Ants? Queens?" The man looked confused.
Phebe pointed at Isaac and Elijah with her chin. "That's what they call them."
"Are you from Auburn?" the man asked inquisitively.
Elijah shook his head. "We're from Fall City."
"We're going to headquarters, so you can explain what happened in Auburn," the man said.
The car sped towards Omega Headquarters at the other end of the city. The cold air was piercing, making Elijah shiver as he wore only light clothing. The road to the headquarters began to change from rows of buildings to pine trees, and finally, they arrived at a tunnel before entering Omega Headquarters.
Isaac whistled as they entered the base, which was very large and crowded, even in the middle of the night. Army, Deformity and civilians were setting up makeshift tents in the centre of the base. These were divided into several rows and other complexes.
"What's going on?" Isaac asked.
"We're evacuating people from the city to the base. Also, to accommodate civilians from outside Milton," the man replied.
"Auburn is one of them," Phebe whispered.
"We've been told the aliens are spreading out, and we don't know where they're going next." There was a weary sigh from one of the other Deformities. "Many places have been destroyed. But as far as we know, the Orb is in Tacoma."
"The Orb is guarded by thousands of ants," Elijah murmured.
"I heard that the Orb in Fall City was destroyed. Did your Academy survive?"
Elijah is reluctant to explain everything because he remembers his friends who died, including all those who lived at the Academy. Fortunately, the car stopped before a large building, and the conversation ended.
The Deformities took Elijah, Isaac, and Phebe into the two-storey building. Phebe was led through the first corridor by two other Deformities while the man took Elijah and Isaac to the second floor.
"You will meet Master Lilith," the man said in a half-whisper.
The man hurriedly knocked on the second door after the stairs, leaving Elijah and Isaac outside. Isaac immediately elbowed Elijah in the arm.
"I wouldn't be surprised if we run into Master Lucifer, Beelzebub, Mammom," Isaac whispered. Elijah tried to stifle a laugh. "What kind of parent names their child Lilith?" he continued.
Soon the door opened, and the man invited them in. Elijah and Isaac entered a small room crammed with bookshelves. A woman sat behind a desk, staring at a computer screen with a tired look. Her hair was cut very short, and the colour was reddish.
"Sit down," the woman pleaded coldly, her eyes still fixed on the screen.
Isaac and Elijah sat down and began to feel the tension. The feeling was similar to when they had been captured by the rebels.
"The Academy in Fall City has no survivors; we even saw someone burying people there. If you're from Fall City, how did you escape being targeted by the Eight Legs?" the woman asked.
Isaac showed her his bracelet. "I survived."
"And you? Where's your bracelet?" Lilith asked Elijah.
"Long story short, I left the Academy, and my buddy took the bracelet off," Elijah replied quietly. "But when the ants attacked, my friends died. I can't be sure, but I didn't find their bodies after the Orb was destroyed."
"Then where were you when the Orb was destroyed?"
Elijah was silent for a moment as Lilith asked this question. He knew that telling the truth would only make him suspicious. "I was told to hide in a safe place."
"We're just students at the Academy. Elijah has no powers anyway," Isaac added.
Lilith snorted and smiled sarcastically. "That's what you think. You don't know that many cases of children without powers are everywhere. But they emit gamma waves, just like the Orb. It's just that their abilities are unknown.
Isaac and Elijah gasped in shock.
"We will test you tomorrow morning, Elijah. You will rest and be assigned to Barracks A. Trevor will escort you there, and he will be your supervisor," Lilith broke in. "Don't cause any trouble, and stick to protocol."
"We're not causing any trouble," Isaac replied lightly.
"Removing the bracelets is a serious offence. Especially you, Elijah." Lilith's eyes stared at Elijah intently. "I will conduct a more detailed investigation after the orb business in Tacoma is resolved. Do you understand?"
"Yes, ma'am." Elijah nodded stiffly.
Lilith's hand flicked halfway away. "Go, we'll meet again in the morning."