Earth(41)

With hands bound behind their backs, people were dragged to the trail. I squinted my eyes in the dark; we were losing. A small contingent of guards set themselves up around their captives.

"Do something!" shouted Alex.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. He was the man of action. Besides, I was doing something. I was finding Susan. I blocked out the noise around me, tuning into the telltale frequency of plants. I had meant to explore finding people’s frequencies with Margie – but her group had never caught up.

Now was not the time for experiments, but how else would I find Bee? I raised my pitch, disregarding the plant life and searching for humans. I found heartbeats – everywhere. Most were racing, beating frantically during the fight. I chose one and delved into it, mentally dissecting the body down to individual cells. They each vibrated at a certain frequency. Brain cells were faster. Those in the stomach were slower.

I looked closer. Each cell held its own anomaly. An additional type of energy emanating. This was a Fire. I moved to the next body – there were a lot of Fires.

It barely registered that two men had approached us. Alex intercepted them. They wrestled on the ground, similar to what Susan and I had done over the radio earlier. I hoped Alex had better moves than us.

He finally pulled out his knife, finishing the fight with two clean cuts.

I went more quickly now, pinpointing Waters. I found one, moving fast and away from me. A significantly stronger signal accompanied her, which caught my attention. Bee.

"Straight that way!" I caught Alex by the arm, hoisting him off the ground. I pointed the way and he took off running.

Two more men approached. I raised my pitch to the frequency of air, sucking it toward me then shooting out. I ducked to avoid my own gust, and the men flew back into the trees. The gust continued toward Alex. I flattened it to give him a push, increasing his speed and a better lift over obstacles.

I moved forward, making it back to the trail. The group of guards surrounding my people turned toward me, each pointing something at me. Few had guns with ammunition these days, but I wouldn't put it past them.

With one hand extended toward Alex, still pushing him forward with air, I shot my other toward the guards. Flames volleyed at the group, flying over my guys, who had been forced to sit. The smell of burned hair and singed skin permeated the air.

I left the trail, running again. I kept trying to use my own air to propel me up and over – an arc straight to Susan and Bee. It didn't work. Twice I was shot down by branches I didn't see. The third was a hard knock to the head. The fall took my breath away.

By the time I recovered, I was completely disoriented. My head pounded, and my ribs ached with each breath. I could set up a shield around Bee, if I could just get close enough. I closed my eyes, seeking her out again. It was easier this time.

She wasn't too far; maybe ten yards away. Susan had stopped moving. And Bee wasn't crying. My stomach dropped.

Are they okay?

My heart pounded in my chest as I struggled to stand. Right away, I realized why they were quiet. Three members of One Less stood in front of me. Two men, one woman, all Fires. They had me back on the ground, face down, with my arms behind my back before I had time to think. If only my head would stop pounding.

Behind us, a twig snapped.

"What was that?" I felt a pair of hands come off me while one turned to investigate.

Bee, no!

I struggled, attempting to get my legs underneath me. "I'm one of you!" I shouted.

That caught their attention. I felt Susan backing away slowly. She needed to get further. "I mean, I'm with you. I'm part of One Less."

Someone tugged at my arm. "You're not wearing the band."

I craned my neck to see a bright blue piece of material wrapped around his bicep. Uniforms were hard to come by, without direct shipments from factories in China and all. "Got torn off while I was just scuffling with an Air. Got her good though – her nose will never look the same," I laughed. It sounded fake to my own ears.

I heard rustling a few feet from my face. I looked up to see Alex peeking out from some foliage. I shook my head, then motioned for him to go around. He nodded once. The three behind me were oblivious to the entire exchange.

The woman grabbed me at my collar and yanked me to my feet. She was stronger than she looked. "Yeah? Prove it." She had a British accent.

Damn – is there a secret password? A code or sign or something?

Susan was far enough away now to move more quickly. Alex was catching up. Bee would be okay. All I needed to do was get rid of these guys. Air would do the trick again. As I started to call for it, a searing pain shot through my head. Had it not paralyzed me completely, I'd be on my knees throwing up.