Narrator-

When the Test Subjects descended the stairs and the old man locked them in, Jackson cleared his throat then spoke, "Khairo? Can we get some light please?"

"Why of course." Khairo replied, and his plans came alight.

"Oh shit!" Matthew exclaimed, just as Valerie screamed, "Aaaah!" and ran into Adina's legs.

"Guys! Guys it's fake." Jackson was quick to remark, when the Test Subjects came face to face with the life size sculpture of a black bear in mid-roar, then he added, "bears are not too common in this area. At least they haven't been for a while." He added in afterthought.

Both Adina and Lauren sighed, and Valerie slipped her fingers into Adina's hand, squeezing it tightly. Matthew cleared his throat, as the group began looking around the space. It was a small basement, dusty and musty, and packed with random objects, including many trophy heads of different kinds of animals. There were various fishing and hunting gears lying about, and other objects which only reflected a life in the wilderness. There was also a very significant aroma of urine hanging in the air above their heads.

"Alright, we need to find a place to hide and quick. Preferably a corner where we can huddle against each other will be better. That way Adina you can create a barrier between us and the rest of the room. Lauren all you have to do is be the center of attention." Jackson began.

"If the many sci-fi movies and TV shows I've watched over my time are accurate, I think as long as we can all physically touch you, we should all be able to turn invisible. All that being said, that is an assumption." Jackson continued.

"Once the barrier is created, Khiran I need you to cool down our little bubble to match the room temperature, so if the soldiers do discover this place, their thermal scanners won't be able to pick up our body heat." Jackson dictated, and surprisingly no one disagreed with a word he said.

Not even Khairo.

Each Test Subject simply nodded, some shrugged, but no one disagreed. It appeared that the entire group was just as worried about being caught as he was, so any idea he produced they all followed. But Jackson felt that the reason for their silence was not so simple.

"Agreed?" Jackson asked nevertheless, not wanting the others to feel as though he was pushing his ideas unto them.

"Yeah, let's just get this over with." Lauren was the first to speak, as she began looking around for a free corner.

Jackson looked over at the remaining of his team, Adina also walked away, avoiding his eyes. Matthew and the twins said nothing. They also made it seem as though they were busy looking for a free area.

"Okay guys seriously, what is it?" Jackson asked, feeling the tension in the air growing thicker than the brick walls of the basement with every silent second.

The last thing he wanted or needed at this time was drama, especially when Warlord's men were practically breathing down their necks.

"Nothing." Matthew spoke first and shrugged as he turned and looked away, but Jackson did not miss the edge in his tone.

"Yeah, there's nothing wrong." Khiran replied a while after, though the eye contact between the twins did not ease Jackson's mind.

"Adina? Khairo?" Jackson called out to the two people he knew wouldn't mince their words if they had something to say, but even they hesitated.

Something was definitely wrong.

"Lauren?" Jackson called rather than asked, if anyone could tell it as it was, it would be Lauren. She was his last resort.

Lauren took a moment before speaking. For once she actually looked towards Adina who shrugged silently, followed by Khairo who acted indifferent to her gaze. When Lauren looked back at Jackson, she could see that he suspected the tension in the room, and since he called on her, she figured she might as well speak for everyone.

"Don't you see?" Lauren decided to answer him, "We don't trust the old man. Yeah, he gave us water, but he was too quick to help us. What if it's a trap?" Lauren posed.

Jackson nodded, "I get that. I do. But right now, he's our only option. Either that or we risk exposing ourselves to the soldiers out there. That would be suicide. But I mean if you're having second thoughts..." Jackson trailed off and shrugged, then he scratched the back of his head before sighing.

Adina's eyes flashed to Khairo then Matthew, neither of them seem to oppose her will to speak up, so turning to Jackson, Adina breathed before saying, "you're right, we never said we disagreed. We're just worried that's all. Let's get through this and hopefully everything will work out." Adina nodded, hoping her vote of confidence would make Jackson feel better, and ultimately ease the growing nerves in the small brick basement.

Jackson nodded at Adina's response but said nothing more.

"Hey," Lauren called out after venturing behind a few boxes, causing all eyes to turn her way as she added, "this corner is not too bad, all we have to do is move a few of these boxes around, and we can all fit."

"I don't think physically moving these items is a good idea," Khiran spoke up.

Lauren rose ana eyebrow and asked, "and why not?"

"Because," Khairo replied, always ready to have a go at Lauren, "look at just how dusty this place is, if anything is moved physically, when or if the goons with the guns up there find this place, they'll see the displacement due to the dust prints."

Lauren sneered at Khairo's comment and was ready to respond, but Jackson beat her to it, "He has a point."

Jackson's words caused Khairo to smirk arrogantly and wiggle his eyebrows in a taunting manner towards Lauren, who simply scoffed and rolled her eyes as she retorted, "whatever."

"What I mean is," Jackson quickly added, hoping to diffuse any fires before they even start, "Maybe we don't have to physically move these boxes, Adina can move them with her mind, but we have to move quickly. Are you up to it?" Jackson then turned to Adina, who nodded a few seconds later.

"Yeah let's do it."

"Alright, give her some space, we don't have to move them too much, just enough so that we can all fit." Jackson instructed, as Adina shook her head and released a breath through her opened lips, before she began focusing on the piles of cardboard boxes.

The first pile Adina moved composed of three large cardboard boxes, but since they contained nothing but clothes, it didn't weight much on Adina's mind. Releasing another breath, Adina closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. When she opened it, her eyes were pulsing white, a sign that she was using her powers. Feeling her powers extend to the cardboard boxes, Adina registered the soft papery surface in her mind.

The remaining Subjects watched on carefully and quietly, as the first pile of boxes begin to shake and rise off the ground.

"Okay good," Jackson pepped, then he took a step closer to Adina, lowering his voice so that he did not disturb her concentration, he instructed softly, "now shift it just slightly forward, just enough so that we can squeeze behind it."

Adina nodded stiffly, though her eyes remained white. The floating stack of boxes suddenly moved above the ground and landed softly a few steps away from their original position.

"Alright, now the next one," Jackson continued to coach, though he found his eyes admiring Adina's profile, "Move it behind the first stack, as well as the third, and it'll be enough."

Adina performed the task without commenting. When the last stack was moved, it took Adina a moment before she could snap out of her mind and back into her conscious thoughts. When she turned to face Jackson, she realized he was closer than she thought, and Adina instantly looked down and blushed.

Jackson cleared his throat, making sure to avoid the attentive eyes of the other three guys in the basement, then he said in a louder tone, "Alright then, let's do this people."

As soon as Jackson finished his sentence, a string of muffled bangs was heard just above their heads.

The blood drained from Jackson's face, just as Lauren whispered anxiously, "It's the soldiers!"

"Come on, we gotta move." Jackson urged the Subjects to the corner in haste.

Once they were all huddled together, Valerie stood in front of Adina, their fingers intertwined. Matthew stood to Adina's right, Jackson to her left. Khiran stood a step in front of Jackson, with Lauren to his right, standing directly in front of Adina and Valerie, and Khairo stood to Lauren's left.

When they were settled in the corner, their eyes jumped to the ceiling when another string of muffled yet significant bangs sounded from above. No doubt it was the soldiers banging on the cabin's wooden door.

In their small huddle, it was easy for the Subjects to acknowledge the nervous breathing and the thudding of each other's hearts. Another string of muffled knocks, and the Subjects tensed quicker than the dried mortar which lined the wall behind them. For a while no one spoke. Their eyes remained wide, their heartbeats reflecting in the tight muscles of their necks, and each of their foreheads burned hotter than Khiran's blazing fire, who had now extinguished his palms, causing the entire room to once again go pitch black.

For a moment, the floor above their heads was quiet. Then they registered the creaking of the front door and an exchange of muffled tones consistent with a loud conversation.

Then Lauren suddenly remembered the rest of Jackson's plan.

"Wait Jackson, how do you know that if you touch me while I'm invisible you'll be invisible too? I mean that was the next part of the plan right?!" Lauren whispered harshly.

At Lauren's words, Jackson finally snapped from his scaredy daze as he blinked and cleared his throat before replying, "I don't." Jackson shrugged, then he added quickly, "At least not for sure."

"What?!" Lauren hissed, her heart jumping to her throat at Jackson's word.

Jackson in turn lifted his hand in sign of pause, before he instructed, "Khairo hold Lauren's hand."

"Dude!" Khairo shot just as Lauren muttered, "gross."

"Come on guys, this is not middle school or high school. Just hold hands for a moment. I'm not asking you to get married." Jackson retorted at their childish response.

BOOM! A sound erupted above their heads.

The Subjects' eyes snapped upward, then quickly back down.

"Seriously guys, now is not the time, let's go! Hold Hands!" Adina now urged just as heavy footsteps stormed the floor above.

The old man was knocked to the floor by the butt of a rifle, earning him a deep head laceration. The elder stared on disarmed at the barrel of a military gun.

"Whatever." Khairo muttered then he grabbed Lauren's hand.

As soon as their hands connected, Lauren turned invisible along with Khairo.

"Guys?" Khairo called out as he turned his head and saw everyone staring right through him, "did it work?" he asked.

Jackson nodded and confirmed, "Yes," then he continued "Now Adina, this is going to get awkward, but I know that in order for you to create your shield, both your hands have to be free, so lock your ankle with Lauren's." Jackson began the breakdown.

"Khiran as soon as Adina creates her shield, cool us down. Lauren, keep a hand outstretched to turn Adina's shield invisible." Jackson rushed through his instructions and was glad that his team reacted to his words just as quickly.

Sounds of objects tumbling and crashing to the ground above reached the ears of the group of seven, as Adina hooked her ankle with Lauren's, and stretched her arms out, creating a shield between their small huddle and the rest of the basement.

As soon as the shield was visible, Khiran's eyes turned blue, his brow furrowed as he grunted softly, his entire body transforming into crystal clear ice, then the small sphere began to cool down.

Another loud crash above the Subjects' heads had Jackson signaling in a harsh whisper, "Lauren now!".

Lauren instantly lifted her free hand, flushing her hand against Adina's shield, making it entirely invisible.

"Everyone make and keep a physical connection with Lauren." Jackson continued to instruct in a whisper.

Khiran touched Lauren's shoulder, as well as Jackson. Valerie wrapped her arms around Lauren's waist and embraced her completely. Matthew held Lauren's other shoulder. Neither Khairo nor Lauren rushed to undo their intertwined fingers, instead they simultaneously tightened their hold on each other's hand.

Jackson breathed quietly as he prepared to speak. But he had no chance to do so when the latch was thrown open, as a loud hefty voice ordered "Go! Go! Go!"

A train of soldiers began to descend the wooden steps into the basement, the wooden staircase vibrating and groaning beneath their heavy metal boots.

As soon as the heavily armed militias invaded the basement, the Subjects spotted them.

Men dressed in grey-black camouflage, black steel-toed boots, and heavy firearm, began to search the room. Their guns with flashlights allowed them to sift through every dark corner, knock over tall heavy objects, and one by one, the soldiers began to yell out, "Clear!"

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

Almost all of the dark corners and empty spaces had been explored, but the soldiers found nothing. Boxes were torn apart, decorations were violently knocked off the wall, as a soldier began walking around with a thermal scanner.

He pointed at every object and every area he believed a full-grown human being could hide but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Finally, the blond man with thin round glasses and light brown eyes turned the scanner towards the empty corner which harbored the runaway Subjects.

Valerie tightened her hold on Lauren's waist. Adina held her breath, her arms tingling painfully at the joints, her muscles trembling from the stress. Khiran's head began to ache with a sharp pain similar to a brain freeze, his power waning, but he shook his head, attempting to push through the fatigue. Lauren released a soft grunt under her breath, her outstretched arm now cramping. Suspicious of Lauren's discomfort and growing exhaustion, Khairo gave her hand a supportive squeeze and Lauren sighed softly.

The thermal scanner read no abnormal heat from the Subjects' corner. The soldier moved on.

As the men continued to wreak havoc in the basement, making sure no box was left undestroyed, General Charles entered the basement.

"Status report." Charles prompted as all the soldiers stopped and saluted the general.

"All clear General." Bricker, the soldier with the scanner spoke up.

"Really? So the old man is not harboring fugitives?" Charles demanded, his large eyes squinting while he looked around, as if he had X-ray vision and could fish the Subjects out of thin air.

"We have performed a thorough search sir and have found nothing. I even scanned the place for any course of bodily heat, nothing." Bricker concluded.

"Mmh hmm, alright them, move out." Charles ordered, and the soldiers began to file out.

The Subjects prepared to breathe in relief, when general Charles suddenly called out to the last two soldiers, "Jenkins! Hubert!"

"Yes Sir!" Both soldiers answered simultaneously.

"Better safe than sorry," the general noted, "Shoot it up."

Jackson's heart sunk quicker than a metal grenade in ravine.

"Shit!" Khairo hissed under his breath.

"This is not good, not good at all." It was Matthew's turn to comment. 

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Hey Guys!

So here is the newest update! And As you can see, I am in cliffhanger mode!

What did you guys think of this chapter? What did you think of the tension between the Subjects at the beginning? And their plan for camouflage? What did you think of Charles' words at the end? And what do you think is going to happen next. 

Let me know what you think by VOTING, COMMENTING, AND SHARING! 

Lots of ❤❤❤

-Tania.