"Why, thank you, Hero. I know you will. Melanie, can you make everyone here fly?"

Melanie gently floats off the floor, her brow furrowed in concentration. I feel something brush against me, but there's nothing to see. The phantom feeling returns, wrapping around my entire body. It's a pleasant snugness like that of a warm blanket, a comforting hug by a loved one. Or how it feels when He speaks to me. Doll and Hero's confused faces let me know that they're experiencing the same thing. Dominique's prone body and Charles' slack form start to hover first, then Doll and I, and lastly, Hero lifts off the ground. Flying is weirdly nerve-wracking; flying thanks to another person's abilities is terrifying. I trust my daughter and don't think she will mess up, but it's hard to quiet the tiny voice inside my head. We go higher and higher until we're eight feet up in the air. Melanie's eyes are shut tightly, and her telekinetic grasp on everyone is growing shakier by the second.

"Drop the two Special Agents, darling," I said softly.

She releases her control of them, and instantly her mental grip on us becomes more secure. Dominique and Charles quickly fall to the ground. Melanie doesn't let them crash into the floor, catching them right before they hit and gently lowering them the rest of the way. Melanie starts to fly toward the elevator and pulls the rest of us along like balloons. She is able to move quite quickly through the air, but the rest of us move very slowly. It's unfortunate, but with time, her powers may grow stronger as she gets more familiar with them. Melanie lands with a skip in front of the lift, bringing all of us forward faster once she's not flying herself.

"Sorry, Mother. I can't carry the two heretics," Melanie apologized.

"Don't worry about it. A limitation is just an opportunity for creativity," I assured her, patting her on the head. "Charles, bring the agent over here."

A solid steel slab covers the elevator door, blocking our way out. The point of the BNA headquarters' jails is that they aren't designed for long-term imprisonment; they are a stop before Neuvohumans are sent along to one of the Omnimax prisons. That doesn't mean they're easy to get in and out of. I didn't expect the lockdown; that was a failure on my part. There are no emergency exits; the only way in is the only way out. My plan always required that I would have to fight my way out of here. I am leaving here with significantly more firepower than I assumed I would have. Charles arrives with Dominique and drops her at our feet.

"Freeze the obstacle," I ordered.

Charles does his frost attack, focusing it all on the slab. The metal flash freezes as all the heat is sapped out of it and its surroundings. I've figured out how his power works. He doesn't have multiple abilities; he has a singular one that appears to be two separate ones. The ability is to extract all the heat out of a cone in front of him, and then concentrate all the acquired heat into a single source: the red orb he creates. He cannot spam the freezing cone without expelling the previously absorbed heat orb. How long can he hold the heat for? Charles stands there, waiting for my next command.

"Hero, would you kindly break this?" I asked.

George Dellinger, aka Hero, is a Bruiser classification—enhanced strength and durability. He's got an insane level of pain resistance, and his endurance is nearly bottomless—a frontline fighter for our cause. There are limits to all of those, evident by his injuries inflicted by the BNA, but he will make a great champion. Hero leans back, winds up a punch, and strikes the ice-cold metal wall. The metal groans, large cracks spiderwebbing out from the point of impact. Hero punches again in the same spot, and it explodes. The metallic chunks blast away from us, and Hero is able to tear the remainder of the pieces out. Behind it is the elevator we took, the lights off, and clearly it isn't in working condition. I turn around and walk over to where Special Agent Ferguson's body is. I yank his shoes, socks, and suit off.

"I hope you don't expect me to turn this on, because I don't know anything about elevators. I'm a Tinkerer, not a mechanic," Doll said from behind me.

"No, your assistance is not needed, but I have to ask: are you capable of defending yourself? Because the BNA is not going to just let us waltz out," I answered.

"I can handle myself," she replied cooly.

"I can protect you, miss," Hero said to Doll.

"That's sweet of you, Georgie. But like I said, I can handle myself."

I walk into the elevator, beckoning Charles to follow me. Tapping the buttons does nothing, not even the fingers I collected can get the elevator to turn back on. Above us is the access hatch to the roof of the elevator. I can't reach it, and from what I know, they're locked from the outside anyway. Charles summons the translucent red sphere at my order, and begins to melt a large hole around the hatch at my order. I have him widen it enough for George to get through without damaging any of the machinery required for it to work.

"That's enough. Hero, Melanie, come here," I said, having them join me and my thrall in the elevator. "Melanie, I need you to bring Hero up to the forty-first floor. That's three above where Greg was, honey. Then, Hero, I'll need you to pull us up there. Melanie, don't let anyone see you, okay?"

"Yes, I understand," Melanie responded.

"I won't let you down, Ma'am."

"Hero, before you go, let's get you changed out of that awful jumpsuit. Take these clothes and try them on, dear," I said.

Hero stares at the bundle of clothes and then starts to strip naked. Melanie quickly covers her eyes with her hands. Hero has no shame or reluctance as he throws the clothes on the ground. He takes the suit from me and puts it on. I have to help him with his shoelaces and the belt, but we get it done. It fits him pretty well. Once he's wearing a cleaner set of clothes, Melanie hovers up, and then Hero follows her into the air. Melanie disappears as she flies through the escape hatch, and George quickly follows. My little girl is so strong. She is worthy and has already faced God's crucible at only five years old. She will grow into a fine young woman.

After the two of them leave, Doll drags in the Special Agent. Doll leans against the opposite side of the elevator from me and Charles. She really truly looks like a supermodel with her proportions and the way she holds herself. Despite knowing her beauty is artificial, I can't help but be swayed. Her work is so seamless, I can't see any lines or proof that her body contains so much machinery. We sit quietly as we wait for the children to finish their task. I want nothing more than to hear His voice, but I know that I haven't even finished the task He gave me yet. Don't be selfish, Zero. He has an entire world to watch over. I stumble as the elevator lurches, and then a sense of motion sickness as Hero starts to pull us up. I pass the sickness onto my thrall and instantly feel better.

Hero's strength wasn't exaggerated, and he manages to get us there in fifteen minutes. It takes a second, but the forty-first floor's doors are shoved open. The forty-first floor is where several different things are stored. There aren't many regular workers; it's mostly a skeleton crew to catalogue evidence and acquisitions. It will have approximately twenty or so agents. It will also have the items we need to guarantee our escape. Doll and I step out onto the floor as Charles drags along my tool. As soon as all of us are off the elevator, it drops, falling faster and faster, racing to the bottom. A loud boom echoes up the shaft as it crashes below. Hero floats in from above, joining us.

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"Hey. What're you doing up here?" An agent asked, aiming his rifle at us.

I tap Hero, Doll, and Charles, activating my shield on them and myself. The agent's gun is ripped from his hands by my special little girl. Hero charges him before he draws his sidearm. The agent calls out for backup as Hero smashes his fist into the man, throwing him into the wall. The agent's grunts go silent as his skull cracks against the wall. Loud footsteps draw near as other agents respond to the cries for help.

"Melanie, find where the evidence room is. We need something from there," I whispered.

"I thought we were getting out of here?" Doll asked angrily.

"We are. But I came here to do two things—rescue Hero, and to find a certain item. I am not leaving without both. He has commanded it, and thus it will be so," I responded harshly.

More agents rush toward us as we argue, rifles at the ready. I raise my hands in the air and carefully tread forward. They move their guns to point at me and not the others. Can't risk having my tool broken by a stray bullet before I can even use it. There are six of them now, and I see a few of them swallow as I get closer. Good. Ye who have betrayed Him shall meet an end befitting of the livestock you are. Despite my best efforts, a smile blossoms on my face when I think of the pain they will all experience.

"Stop moving right now or we will shoot," one of them ordered.

"That's not the right word," I said, peeking back at Charles. "What you're supposed to yell is FREEZE!"

Charles holds his finger gun up and blasts them all as I jump out of the way. The agents are flash frozen before they can possibly retaliate. Charles' attack clips my ankle and foot, which forces me to transfer it to one of the dead BNA agents. I have Charles walk in front of us so Hero can pick up my tool. We march through the floor, and my thrall switches off between turning people into popsicles or burning them to a crisp. Melanie returns to let me know she found the room I'm searching for.

"Lead the way," I said.

Melanie becomes visible and plops down next to me. I offer my hand, and she takes it. She pulls me along as we take a few turns and arrive at an unassuming black door that says evidence on it. Melanie points at the sign, and somehow I can tell she's proud of herself. Her emotions are still there, just deep below the surface. With time, I'll get better at recognizing what she's feeling. The door is locked. Twisting the handle does nothing, and I don't hear anyone inside. Melanie holds her little palm toward the door and closes her fist. Her telekinetic force crushes the door. That's what she did to the tool's ankle.

"Excellent job, sweetheart. I'll be right back," I said, stepping into the room.

The evidence room is small, barely as big as an average bedroom. Metal racks take up the majority of the floor, with catalogued boxes full of files and random objects sitting upon them. Crappy lights hang from the ceiling, their original cords either half snapped or completely missing. Someone went through the trouble of tying knots in the strands of string to make a better pull. The white wallpaper walls are stained with ink, coffee, and who knows what else.

A week ago, He mentioned that besides freeing Hero, there was an object I had to get my hands on no matter what. Now, where is it? I walk through the cramped room, searching for a particular box. It doesn't take me long before I find what I'm searching for: a dusty old box titled Álvarez, Maya, with a date from over ninety years ago. Inside is a leatherbound journal, a locket, and a stuffed elephant with dried blood on it. The items are sealed inside clear plastic evidence bags. I do not know why He requires this, and it is not my place to ask. I take the entire box with me and exit the room.

"Charles, start a fire in that room," I said.

"You came all the way here for that? What's in the box?" Doll asked.

"It is none of your concern and unrelated to our escape. Just follow me, it's time to get out of town," I said dismissively.

I lead everyone away from the evidence room and over to a meeting room on the other side of the floor. The room is spacious, featuring a long table and seating for twenty people. The reason we're here is for the windows. They provide next to no light, especially now that it's late, but the room has eight large windows that face the building next door. It's an office building with multiple companies set up on different floors. The forty-first floor is currently empty, and no one is currently renting it. I slide open the windows and then turn the lights on and off three times. I can tell that Hero and Doll are confused until a flashlight in the other building flicks on and off once. Good, he's where he's supposed to be.

A second later, something comes shooting out from the darkness and hits above the window. I wait for him to secure it on his end, and then I lean out the window and tug on the cable attached to the harpoon embedded into the concrete above. It's not actually a harpoon, but it's similar enough and is fired out of a gun. The original plan is no longer needed now that Melanie triggered, but it's always better to have a plan and not need it than not to have one at all.

"I'll go first, and then, Hero, you need to throw me the box across the gap. Doll, you can make it across by yourself. Melanie, you'll need to float Hero and the others over," I said.

I put the box down, lean out the window, and hook my legs around the cable. I shimmy my way across the cable carefully. I cannot fail Him at the finish line. Once I'm a few feet from the other window, I see the fool. Snakebite, a professional thief who's fallen on hard times. He reaches out and helps pull me inside. A skinny, awkward man whose namesake comes from the stupid full-length snakeskin tattoo sleeve covering his right arm. He's got his duffel bag with everything he brought to break in and to set up the line. I grab the flashlight and flick it on and off. A second later, the box comes flying through the open window. Hero threw it so hard I couldn't even try to catch it. Thankfully, the box stops when it hits the far wall.

"I didn't believe it. I thought this was going to be the easiest couple grand I'd ever made, and I'd just be sitting here all night for nothing," Snakebite said.

"Is the vehicle ready?" I asked, ignoring his remark.

"Uh, yeah. The SUV is gassed up, unlocked, and the keys are in the ignition in the garage below. So, when am I getting the other half of the money?" Snakebite asked.

Doll comes through the window so quietly that Snakebite doesn't even notice her. I reach into the bag and grab the automatic bolt cutters he brought. Melanie will be over in just a second. I use the tool to slice the cable, and it falls into the darkness below. Turning to Snakebite, I shake my head at him.

"There is no other half of the money. You've outlived your usefulness, and now there is no point in keeping you alive," I said softly.

"I thought you might say that," Snakebite said, pulling a gun out from behind his back and pointing it at me.

His hand shakes as I get closer to him. He doesn't want to hurt me. If he did, my power would have activated, and he'd be under my control. He's a thief, not a killer, but I won't hesitate the way he will. I hold his hand and aim the gun at the top of my chest, which isn't protected by the armor. His eyes are jittery, and his lip is trembling. Don't pull a gun out if you don't plan to shoot it. I force his finger back, firing the gun point-blank into myself. Getting shot hurts, the pain lancing through my entire body. The bullet goes clean through me, hitting the floor behind me, and I transfer the damage to him. Snakebite's eyes go wide as he tries to rationalize what's happening. He drops the gun, hesitantly touching the fresh wound in his chest. Snakebite stumbles backward and falls onto the floor.

Melanie comes floating through the open window first, with the rest following shortly after. The children look around and see Snakebite bleeding out on the floor as his hands press against the wound. It's no use. I see a light spreading in the BNA headquarters as the fire Charles started begins to spread. That will keep them busy for a bit, and also disguise what I took. I dump out the duffel bag and switch the contents of the evidence box into it. The empty box, gun, bolt cutters, and other supplies get dumped on top of the dying man. I have Charles freeze the windows shut and then incinerate the pile I made. The scent of cooked human flesh fills the room, causing Hero to scrunch up his nose. If it bothers Melanie at all, she doesn't make a face. The others follow me as I move down the stairwell.

"That was the last loose end. We're in the clear from this point on," I said.

"Time to see Mama?" George asked.

"Yes, George. It's finally time to visit your Mama."

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