Silently climbing back up the ladder, she rummaged through her bag for the HCID. Bringing it online, she went through the detailed maps. Putting the device back into the bag, she carefully scooted it to a nearby junction so she could slide past. Leaving the pack behind, Helena moved back toward the Storage Bay. If this works, I may do more than just gain time. This could ruin Ventre’s composure and give me more breathing room.

She frowned as small taping sounds resounded in the branching shaft ahead of her. Extended her field, she managed to recognize flashes of something coming her way. They sent something into the ventilation system to scan for me. Is that what Ventre meant when he instructed Echo team to continue their search? He already had the ventilation system covered...

Preparing herself at the intersection, Helena waited for it to round the corner. What’s with this strange pattern? I may only be able to sense fragmented data, but it’s as if it’s jumping around.

Her hand darted out and smacked against its back plating as it flew past her position. She sent a strong electrical shock surging through its circuits. There was a hissing noise as a small puff of smoke flowed up from the blown circuitry and it crashed into a heap, skidding across the smooth vent floor. Some kind of metallic robot?

It had four metal appendages that propelled it through the air in light leaps. Why send something that makes so much noise after me? Not only would I be alerted, but other personnel might report noises and cause confusion in their ranks. In any case, this is bad. It didn’t see me, but what are the chances of their expensive robot toy malfunctioning while in search of an Electro Master...

Grabbing one of the robot’s arms, she scurried along the vents, the metal luggage behind her causing a horrible screech. She found a retractable opening in the ventilation shaft with a five meter drop on the other side. Pushing it open with her static field, she shoved the device into the room, luckily it was empty. Replacing the vent, she rushed back to the Supply Bay. They’ll be searching the vents in my area soon. If they find my pack my plan’s ruined!

Climbing down the ladder, she crouched near the brown bag she’d left and extended her senses into the room. The man was back, going from shelf to shelf. Hope filled Helena’s thumping heart. This is even better.

Quietly lowering the vent with magnetism, she left it undone, she needed to hastily get back up the ladder once she was finished. Silently moving through the opening, she knelt by the shelves. She waited for the man to study more items before moving in. She neared him as he muttered. “I know there were more knives here.”

Helena placed her palm on the lower end of his back and sent a surge of electricity up his spine. He first jumped, then convulsed before falling unconscious to the ground. Helena grabbed the tablet before it hit the stone floor and swiftly brought its cores under her control. I already have a backdoor. I just need to use it to jam cameras along a different path.

Beginning to block camera feeds along a different route, she led them away from the Treader Bay. Now they’ll be searching for me in a different section of the base, it should give me plenty of time.

Fluctuating power to different sections of the building, she finished with a complete cut of power in two key functions of base integrity. She then found the cameras in the Treader Bay and told them to show on screen. All the people were moving out of the room as a loud speaker cut off. When the last person exited, she put the cameras into a loop.

I missed the words, but the result is clear. It should now be empty. Resetting the tablet’s logs, she put it into sleep by the man’s open left palm. Returning to the vent, she put it back into place and made her way to the Treader Bay. Hopefully, they haven’t checked the shaft where my pack is. I’ll have to come up with a completely new plan if that HCID’s gone.

Along the way she heard sounds of people running in the opposite direction. Good, they took my bait. Entering the shaft with her pack, she breathed a sigh of relief. It was still there. She didn’t see anyone below through the ventilation slits or hear any robots scurrying around the vents beside her.

Helena took out the HCID from her bag with the wired tether she’d taken from the Supply Server room. Climbing down the ladder, she quickly unscrewed the cover to the vent and slipped through. Double checking her surroundings with the Wi-Fi signals, she found it empty. Moving from behind the box, she headed toward the fitting room. Finding the smallest thermal suit made of bright white material, she moved back to the vehicles.

Running to the nearest machine, she dropped the outfit on the ground and tethered the HCID to the small outlet on a Treader’s onboard display panel. She began to program set quadrants before deactivating remote protocols. It had timed delay features, so it would start immediately after she imputed the final destination and finished its countdown. Helena took a moment to get used to the reprogramming before setting the vehicle to leave in forty-five seconds.

Removing the tether, she moved to a second and did the same. Matching its departure with the previous vehicle and sent it in a forked direction. Removing the tether from the second vehicle, she grabbed the suit off the ground and headed back to the ventilation shaft. As she reached it, the Treaders initiated their course by heading to the bay doors. The doors opened to let in a gust of freezing air. A flurry of snow rushed into the open space as Helena entered the vent and closed it. Obviously, the storm’s started.

She felt warm air expel from above as the automatic temperature regulation system kicked in. With how many vents were spaced in the room it heated fairly quickly. However, her body temperature was rapidly warming with the air and she felt sweat dripping from her pores as she screwed the cover supports in.

The outside doors shut and the heat started to gradually lessen. Helena felt a bizarre shiver pass through her. It was like she was being observed and the magnetic fields around her shifted in an odd way. After she finished the last screw, she climbed the ladder to her bag. The hallway doors opened with a flurry of voices. Reaching her bag, she moved past it toward the slits further up the shaft. Peering through, she saw fifteen people gathering in the center of the room. The group comprised of eight OP’s members, a female and male teenager, Vendre, three people she didn’t recognize, and to her surprise, Jake.

“This is a complete—disaster!” Ventre threw his arms into the air, hiccups escaping his throat.

“Very interesting, the girl’s much smarter than I gave her credit for.” The male teen said.

Jake had a thoughtful expression. “She used the signal disturbances on the other side of the facility to lure her pursuers away. Looped the security cameras, and even sent two Treaders to deter certain follow, while still keeping you guessing.” Jake’s tone held mild admiration.

Ventre’s face grew purple. “Send a team after her—immediately!”

“Sir.” The two OP’s teams got on vehicles to pursue her decoys.

Ventre turned to one of the men she didn’t recognize. “Nathan, can you remote kill or return the Treaders?”

Nathan had an HCID active in his hands. “No, she disabled the protocols.”

Ventre shook with rage. “She can’t be this—smart! If I have to call in a Tracker....” He cut off with a loud growl and hiccup.

Helena furrowed her brow as she felt magnetic field anomalies shifting around her in the strangest manner she’d ever perceived. I shouldn’t be able to feel this many field anomalies inside the shaft; my sensory radius is only five meters? She projected her static field to try and interact with the field anomaly. If I concentrate, I might be able to distort it and get a better sense of what it is.

Bewildered, she felt her field start to forcibly warp as it encountered the interference. Why is my field changing around the irregularity? In shock, she was shoved backward as her field was repelled. Her back struck the ventilation wall behind her and a dull thump resounded.

Calming her breath, Helena slowly approached the slits again and peered down as a shiver ran down her spine. She could almost taste the overpowering force being discharged below, but the other occupants in the room seemed completely oblivious as the teenage girl threw back her thick medium length mocha brown hair and laughed.

Ventre sounded slightly irritated. “What’s so—funny, Kara?”

Helena fixated her vision on the teenage girl, trying to glimpse her face. She seemed to be in her mid to late teens and moderately tall for a girl. She had small proportions and seemed slightly muscular with long legs. She had medium toned skin, down-turned secretive lips, and a small straight nose. Her thick straight hair was hanging loosely down her front and back, ending slightly below her shoulder blades. Bangs covered her forehead that seemed to slightly overshadow her vision.

She had a tightly fitting white thermal suit on, promoting the idea that she was going into the tundra or had just arrived. Helena couldn’t see her eyes, but she had a rather kind looking face. Is this the girl Drake wants me trained under?

She recognized Kara’s domineering attitude, despite her kind features, it was in her posture. She was receiving a strange vibe from her that rubbed Helena’s static field the wrong way. I’ve never felt this way before. My hair seems on end and my skin’s prickling. My stomach feels tight and my breath is caught in my chest. Also, that push… A strange chilling was sweeping her body and she felt her fingers shaking. Is this fear?

Kara’s laughter cut into a humorous tinkling chuckle. “If I’m not mistaken, she’s surpassed ninety percent of all tested subjects in this facility. What’s her name again?”

“Helena.” Ventre savagely replied.

Kara hummed with an interested tone as a smile lit her lips. “Helena—I like her style.” Moving her index finger to her lips, she moved her head to stare at the exact spot Helena sat. Helena’s muscles constricted. Without a doubt, Kara knows I’m still here. What will she do? Is this where my test ends, in failure? “I think I’ll talk to the President about a request I have. Give me the full specs when she’s recovered.” She spoke with a sense of authority that sent shivers down Helena’s spine.

To her surprise, Ventre’s rage quelled. “Of course.” He replied with respect.

The boy next to Kara projected a curiosity hum in his throat. “It isn’t every day that you give attention to a new recruit, Kara.”

Kara’s mouth twisted into a light smirk as she glanced his way. “It’s not every day I meet another Electro Master.” Another Electro Master, Kara does have my ability. A depression sunk into her stomach. Kara’s lips parted to reveal white teeth as she smiled. “She reminds me so much of myself at her age. I can sense the hidden potential.” Again, she glanced at Helena’s hiding place.

Helena felt the adrenaline pumping through her veins. Why hasn’t she outright told Ventre I’m still in the base? She only hinted at the possibility.

“Wasn’t your first escape under four minutes, Klen? I believe she’s trampled that record by a large margin.”

Klen’s smile vanished, replaced by a frown. “We both know how far I’ve excelled since then, don’t we? You should talk to Booker and see exactly how far I’ve progressed.”

Kara chuckled and moved toward the door. As she reached it she stopped, turned and said. “I’m anticipating further results.”

With sarcastic tinkling laughter, she glanced up at Helena with a glint of her deep almond brown eyes as she winked. “I wish you the best of luck in your game of cat and mouse, Ventre.” Brown hair and eyes … like Jake, but her eyes are even darker. With that statement, she walked out of the room, a cheerful hop to her step.

Helena relaxed slightly as Kara left and Klen followed shortly after. Her mind quickly turned to what had transpired and the strange magnetic anomalies slowly faded. Kara told Ventre to give her the report on my capture. She’s taken that much interest in me. That comment was directed at me, Kara’s telling me that she’s expecting more. She exudes a sense of dominance, even over Ventre an Operations Manager. What position does she hold? She seems high enough to receive an instant meeting with Tenzen.

Helena gulped down the saliva that had gathered in her mouth. Kara’s an Electro Master, the distortions at least showed that. Cold sweat started to gather across her body as the thought struck her. I need more information before I can truly believe it, but what other explanation is there? The only thing I can definitely determine is the danger when I looked at her, a feeling that I’ve never experienced at this level.

Ventre screamed harsh words and kicked a nearby crate. “We’ll see if the assault—team can handle the recovery. If that fails—I’ll call in a Tracker. This has been a complete catastrophe!” Walking through the door, he said. “I’ll be in—the observation room to direct the assault.”

The three other people exited, leaving Jake behind. Jake sighed, with a musing twist to his lips. “Espers.” He said with an interested tone then quickly followed after the group.