Experiment VII

Chapter Thirty-One: "Routine" Mission

"This is finally it. Our first mission," Ellie declares in a state of awe as she finds herself a seat opposite me.

"Yeah..." I sigh, leaning my head back and closing my eyes.

     I peel one of my eyes open as the back of the van shakes slightly. Gemma's hand grasps onto one of the seats, pulling herself in. Plonking herself onto a seat she clutches desperately onto her backpack, the floor taking the sole focus of her attention.

"Nervous?" I arch my eyebrow, noting Gemma's frazzled appearance as she stares aimlessly at the ground.

She peers up at me. "Maybe a little," she admits reluctantly.

"Relax. It's just a routine mission," I state calmly.

     Ellie leans forward, trying to get an angle at the driver's seat. She perks in, "Yeah, it'll be fine. We even got Rychner to babysit us, remember?"

"He's just here to supervise and you know...make sure we don't get killed on our very first mission," Gemma says with a hint of sarcasm.

"Ooh! Gemma with attitude? That's a first," Ellie speculates.

     The van shakes once again as someone gets in. Noticing Chester, I slightly over-extend my foot as he steps past me. I bit my inner cheek, resisting the urge to grin as Chester stumbles forward. He shoots an icy glare in my direction as he catches his balance. He wordlessly moves on, finding the furthest away seat possible.

~*~

     My eyes linger on the old, dingy warehouse. The wind whistles softly as it blows through the night sky, the atmosphere holding an eerie silence.

"Ugh, I think my leg's cramping," Ellie whines, shuffling around behind me. "Are you sure anybody's even coming?" she half-whispers.

"Shh. Keep the noise down. She'll be here," I whisper, peering over the stack of crates and keeping my attention focused on the warehouse.

     The sound of an engine running fills my ears, alerting me to an incoming vehicle.

"Everybody get down," I command as Ellie's head pops up over the crate.

     A bright light illuminates the dark warehouse as an SUV pulls up, the small, jagged stones crunching under the tyres. Silence once again fills the air when its engine shuts off.

     The driver's seat door clicks and opens, a burly-looking man stepping out. He opens the back door the of SUV, allowing a well-dressed woman to get out.

"Is it her?" Chester questions from somewhere behind me.

     I squint, trying to identify the Latino woman under the moon's dim light.

"It's her," I affirm with confidence. "It's Doctor Lopez."

     My eyes follow her movements intently as she approaches the warehouse. The metal hinges on the door creak as the bulky man pulls it open for her. I peer through the door, catching a glimpse of the inside. Various figures wander throughout the warehouse, most of which appear to be carrying a multitude of wooden crates from place to place. The crack in the door soon closes as Doctor Lopez's figure disappears into the building, the door closing behind her.

"Right." I turn to face my teammates. "Chester I want you to take Gemma around the back and plant your charges on the doors and breach it on my command."

     Chester nods in understanding as I glance over at Ellie.

"Ellie you're with me. Once we're in we'll clear the building from the sides inward. Rychner...uh."