Phalanx

The members of the resistance sat around a table hours before the mission, silence and tension hung in the air. Each member was reeling from the knowledge of Juhl’s betrayal. He had not been there long enough to cause deep rifts, but his presence and the revelation surrounding it was enough to harm the emotional connection between everyone in the group. One act of distrust was enough for the seeds to be sewn.

“Are you ready?” Aaron looked at Arie, sending her a telepathic message. Somehow, her mind was completely blank, though Aaron was able to read enough in her expression. Though they could barely eat, the five who would infiltrate Xeloc’s base consumed what they had to. Running out of energy in any way was not an option. Soon, they began to disperse. Once ready, Syleh left the compound. Aaron decided it was best to establish some connection with her before the mission.

“Ready for the mission?” Aaron asked Syleh as he stepped outside.

“There never is a real answer to that question.” She stood, solid, without turning to face him.

“What do you mean?” He stood next to her, staring off into the distance.

“Things can always go wrong. Sometimes, people die…” She responded. Aaron detected an intense emotional response, but decided not to pry in any way. “Still, we know this is something we all have to do.”

“I’m not used to this life. I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to help,” Aaron looked to her.

“I trust you to be able to help enough. So does everyone else.” She turned and gave a faint smile.

“Why? Why do you all believe in me?”

“I have a feeling you do, too.”

“Believe in myself?”

“Yes. If you did not, you would have found a way to not be here.”

“I didn’t have much of a choice.”

“Everyone always has a choice, Aaron. You have a light. That’s why we believe in you. It is apparent. That doubt will only get you killed. Find the energy to believe your power can make things happen.”

“Okay.”

“I said, ‘Believe,’ Aaron. Not ‘Acquiesce.’” She narrowed her eyes at him. They both turned when they saw the rest of the mission group. “It’s time.” She motioned towards Kiehr, Arie, and Kilep.

“Everyone, make sure you have all that you need. It is time to go.” Kiehr looked to all of them. Once they were set, Arie transported them to Xeloc’s base.

“Aaron, start cloaking us, just in case anyone tries to spot us,” Arie spoke to Aaron as soon as they arrived. Aaron complied by masking the group from any detection, followed by a telepathic link among each of them.

“Decided to take care of that, too,” Aaron smiled.

“Kilep, you should—“ Kiehr began when he noticed footsteps moving toward the base.

“Beat you to it,” Kilep said telepathically as he began his foray into the compound.

“Stay invisible, the telepathic cloak is only a secondary measure,” Arie said to Kilep.

“Of course,” he responded. He made quick work of the security system and the accompanying guards. As he made his way through the compound, he found a room the group did not know about.

“Kiehr, this room… It was not—“ he began.

“Your mission is to disable the security system and only that. Stay on course.” Kiehr responded. Aaron sensed the hesitance within Kilep. Though he objected, Kilep continued his own part of the mission. Soon, he gave the signal for the group to move forward.

“Here we go,” Aaron and Syleh ran toward the compound.

“We will keep each other notified of any complications,” Arie said as she and Kiehr began preparing the explosives for the compound.

“Absolutely,” Syleh said as she and Aaron encountered their first guards. The cloak gave them the element of surprise and disorientation. She and Aaron were the battering ram, making quick work of the surprised guards as they moved through the compound.

“What exactly are we doing?” Aaron asked as he threw three guards into the wall with his telekinesis.

“Taking down Xeloc’s main guard and capturing him,” Syleh responded as she punched a guard into two more behind him.
“Kiehr left that out on purpose, didn’t he?” Aaron replied, keeping his focus on taking down guards in the distance with telepathic waves.

“Of course he did,” Syleh answered, smashing two more guards with a door she ripped off its hinges.

“Who are we dealing with exactly?” Aaron asked before he felt a wave of nausea.

“Us,” a slender man approached them, accompanied by a taller and more muscular man.

“Do you know anything about them?” Aaron asked Syleh telepathically.

“Nothing,” she responded, shaking her head.

“Great,” Aaron scowled at the slender man, whom he knew was responsible for his disorientation.

“Arie. Kiehr. We’ve found the guard. This may not be as easy as expected.” Aaron reported to Arie and Kiehr

“Stay your ground. We will assist if necessary. The charges can be delayed.” Kiehr responded. Aaron nodded to Syleh and they engaged the two men in combat.

Syleh charged the muscular man, only to be met with a burst of energy that sent her flying into a wall. The man smiled and rushed toward her. Aaron sent a psychic wave toward the slender man, which seemingly bounced back, hitting him with more nausea, his balance also taking a dive.

“I’m an excellent psychic defense,” the slender man kicked Aaron in the chest. Aaron struggled to get up, finding himself much more off balance than he intended. He looked over to Syleh, dodging the energy blasts of her opponent. As he turned to face his, he was met with another kick to the head.

“Not cool…” Aaron thought to himself. “Keep it together.” He narrowly missed the slender man’s next attack. Hand-to-hand with disorientation powers seemed a bit unfair, but he knew he had to win at any cost. He sped to the nearest wall, supporting himself as he clumsily stood up.

“Read him. You can’t keep balance, but there’s no way around that. Stay linked.” He stared at his opponent, going in-between normal and double-vision. While the thoughts were muddled, he used his telepathy to read the slender man, avoiding his next attack.

“You’re getting better!” the slender man yelled. Aaron looked over his shoulder to see Syleh gaining an advantage over her opponent. Apparently she was invulnerable and his first attack had only caught her off guard.

“You can do this, Aaron…” he thought to himself. “You’re damn right I am!” he yelled to his opponent, using a clumsy speed to move around him and push him into a wall. As his opponent made contact with the surface, Aaron could feel his balance coming back.

“Ahh, so the effects are in play as long as you are,” Aaron ran to the slender man, aiming a telekinetically infused punch toward him, but only hitting the wall.

“You haven’t figured me out,” the man responded, landing a kick to Aaron’s side. Aaron winced, but seeing Syleh begin to overwhelm her opponent helped him keep his resolve.

“Eh, close enough,” Aaron smiled through his pain. Suddenly, he frowned, sending the slender man into another wall with incredible force. “Don’t bother getting up!” Aaron said as the slender man slid down the wall, only to be smashed upward with Aaron’s telekinesis. After he landed, the slender man struggled to rise. Aaron approached him and looked down.

“This is your country, too,” Aaron said to him.

“I was tired of being weak,” the slender man said with tears in his eyes.

“No justification,” Syleh said as she walked toward them, dragging her unconscious opponent by the leg. Aaron then knocked the slender man unconscious with a psychic wave.

“Kiehr. Arie. We are done with our part of the mission.” Aaron looked at Syleh. They were soon surrounded by a flash of pink light.

“Are the charges set?” Syleh asked the newly arrived duo.

“Yes, we are set to leave soon.” Arie responded.

“You may want to check out the room first,” Kilep suddenly appeared and spoke to Aaron.

“Why?” Aaron asked.

“I heard someone mention your name. It was not Xeloc.” He responded.

“How could they know his name?” Kiehr scowled.

“Juhl--?” Arie asked.

“No.” Aaron shook his head. Even countries and an ocean away, people were still hunting him. “I doubt that.” He suddenly ran off to the room. “All of you leave. I can take care of this.” He said to them telepathically. He threw open the door with his psychic abilities and found two men in a room, one of which had to be Xeloc.

“Oh, a familiar face,” one man spoke.

“I guess you’re Xeloc,” Aaron looked to the other man, who had a face crumpled in fear.

“Exactly,” Xeloc’s companion spoke. “I know not to be afraid of you.”

“You should be,” Aaron said, sending a psychic wave in his direction. Before it could take hold, the man stepped out of view.

“Sorry,” the man said as he violently pushed Aaron to the ground. “Other way around.”