[OLD] The Phoenix Project (#3)

Nine

"The others got away, but we grabbed her."

Spencer and Ivy each had one of the Scorpion girl's arms. That much, Claire could see, but she couldn't figure out the rest of their surroundings. They seemed to be standing in an endless black void.

"What are you here for?" Summer asked. Claire could hear her voice, but she couldn't see her.

"I'm not telling you," the girl retorted.

Claire grimaced. Someone was in pain. A lot of pain. She could feel their ache in her abdomen. Her connection with Victoria was easily the strongest. She could sense her twin fighting to conceal her pain, struggling to maintain a relaxed expression.

Hestia appeared for a brief moment, clutching a folder in her left hand. In the blink of an eye, she was gone again.

For a moment, Claire thought it was simply her connection, but the others' reactions told her they saw the same thing she had.

"Where'd she go?" Victoria asked.

"The folder she had is probably what they came here for," Ivy said.

"Well, now she knows where we are," Summer said. "She'll probably bring the others to grab her." She shot the Scorpion girl a glance.

"We need to find out what's in that folder," Spencer said.

The folder. Claire forced herself to pull away from her friends and seek out Hestia's mind. It was much more difficult, but she managed to locate her within a few seconds.

"They have her on the floor below the top one," Hestia said.

"We have the folder," Seth replied. "Let's just go."

"No, we'll grab her and get out," Ash said. "It will be easy."

"What if we lose the folder?" Hestia asked.

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time Ash has lost an important folder."

Ash shot Seth a glare. "Shut up, Seth. We won't lose the folder. Let's go."

Claire reached out with her telekinesis, focusing on the folder. Come on. Concentrate.

The others faded away, leaving the folder floating alone in the black void of Claire's mindscape. Claire reached out and grabbed it. As she opened it, pages drifted out.

Claire frowned as bits of text jumped out at her.

'Nightmare Kid.'

'Secret agent.'

'Laboratory experiment?'

It's a file on Malcolm, Claire realized. She flipped through the pages. It looked like it had been put together by a journalist. An old newspaper article caught her eye. The edges of the page were torn, and it was covered in stains.

"Mysterious hospital earthquake," Claire read. "Why would that be in a file about—?"

A scream ripped through Claire's mind, breaking her connection with the folder. The world went black as she instinctively clapped her hands over her ears.

Someone's mind was reaching out to hers, trying to connect. Claire hesitated a moment before letting them in.

A girl materialized in the darkness. The one John had been experimenting with—Raven. She didn't seem to notice Claire. Claire watched as Raven held up her arms and encased herself in a forcefield of ice. The frozen sphere lifted off the ground and drifted into the air.

John Smith's disembodied voice entered Claire's mind. "She seems stable."

"Physically, I suppose, but mentally?" Rosa Rivera responded.

"I think she's ready. Go prep Icarus and Arachne."

"This museum is pretty secure. And they don't have Medusa to freeze the guards, or Atlas to fight them. Are you sure they'll be able to handle it?"

"Easily. Besides, everyone's distracted with the Scorpion attack down the street. Most of the guards have been evacuated."

The sphere of ice shattered. Raven and the shards of ice drifted lazily to the ground.

How did she stop herself from falling? Claire wondered.

"Speaking of Scorpion," Rosa said. "I still don't understand what Claudia's team is doing in those offices."

"A Scales agent found out a journalist is compiling information on Malcolm," John explained.

"And?"

"I don't know. Claudia seems to think we need the file, although she was unclear on why." John sighed. "She's getting impatient. That's why she's doing it. The file has nothing of value and no one's going to believe the journalist if they write an article. But she's desperate to prove herself to Andrew, especially after losing Scorpion's headquarters."

Can anyone hear me?

It was Raven's voice speaking to Claire, but the Raven training in front of her didn't seem to be aware their minds were connected.

Raven? Claire asked. Are you okay?

They've hidden my memories from me. But a part of me still remembers. I can use my telekinesis, but not for long. Who are you?

Claire grimaced. The long distance communication with the Supers had been a strain, and now she was fighting to hold on to Raven's subconscious. Her headache was rapidly growing more painful.

I'm a prisoner here. I have telekinesis, too. But it looks like you have cryokinesis. Ice powers. How are you reaching out to me?

Please, I'm going to break the connection. I can't fight myself much longer—

Her presence disappeared. Raven, and the scientists' disembodied voices, vanished.

Claire was alone again.

I have to warn the others about the museum. She had no idea what exactly John was sending his team to do, but it couldn't be good.

With the last of her strength, Claire reached out to her strongest connection.

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Hey all, sorry for the delay in getting this posted. I went straight from school to work and forgot I didn't have any chapters ready to post. Hope you all enjoy! <3