Zoe's planning was interrupted by a snort from Maddison, who was holding a card near the top of the tower. The womans eyes flickered over the tower before she grinned and reached out, removing a card near the bottom. The tower seemed to shudder, but hold. It was then that Maddison casually removed a supporting card in the middle and watched as the tower folded in on itself. Almost absentmindedly she plucked a card out of the air.

"May I ask, what is your Talent?" Zoe asked, slightly in awe of the other woman.

"You can, I wont tell though. While Ty seems to trust you, I am much less trusting." She quickly gathered the cards and started on another structure, effectively dismissing Zoe.

Nodding once, Zoe went to her buggy and retrieved a couple of small devices. Heading back into the office, she hunted around the walls till she found several sockets. After identifying the one she needed, a small bundle of wires appeared from one of her pants pockets and was the link between the socket and a small tablet.

Closing her eyes and cupping the tablet between her hands, she sat down, back against the wall. The tablets main programming was to figure out what infrastructure it was attached to before Zoe hooked up a more powerful machine to start messing with things.

Quickly identifying a few key systems, she also figured out that she needed to power them up to get the bulk of it working.

Opening her eyes, she focussed on the new card tower that Maddison was already building. Zoe watched for a few moments, trying to judge the womans abilities. She would move her hands close to the tower, stop for a moment, adjust position and then place the cards perfectly before grabbing more and placing them.

"Maddison," Zoe said into the silence. "Can you please show me where the mainframe is?"

Maddison tilted her head, questioning. "Mainframe?"

"Oh!" Zoe quickly pulled up a picture on her tablet, turning around to show Maddison. "Sorry, I forget not everyone knows the same terminology."

"That door, first on the left," she said, pointing at a door at the back of the door, partly obscured by a bookshelf. "Though don't expect much."

Zoe nodded thanks and pushed the door open, also thankful she didnt have to move the bookcase. Trotting down the hall, she entered the mainframe room. Pieces littered the floor, but the bulk had been left alone to gather dust. Touching the ancient technology, Zoe tried to get a reading from it, with no success. All the batteries had died over time. Trotting back to her buggy, she rummaged through the trailer, grabbing a long, spooled cable with power leads on one end. Hooking the power leads to a port near the back of the buggy, she ran back to the room, past a confused Maddison.

"I hope this works," she muttered to herself, pulling more components from her pockets before eventually connecting it into the back of one of the mainframe towers. "Avi, low power please," she called out the door, past Maddison, who stood leaning against the door frame, silently watching.

Lights flickered on in the small section near where the cable was connected. Plugging her tablet into the mainframe with her mess of cables, it lit up, showing systems that were coming back online. It wasn't a big mainframe, but it was big enough to have needed the bigger computing power. A bunch of error messages popped up on the tablet, pieces of the over all network were missing, which didn't surprise Zoe in the slightest.

"Little more power Avi," she called out. "Let's try and get some secondary systems online." She plugged extra cables into the mainframe and into other parts of the computer. More lights flickered on and the emergency lights in the room and hallway beyond turned on.

"Huh," Maddison said from the doorway, looking out into the hallway at the lights. "How many of those lights are on?"

"Ah?" Zoe replied, touching the mainframe. "All of them?"

"I would suggest turning them off then, don't want to attract trouble."

Zoe nodded and the emergency lights flickered off. "Good call." Another part of the mainframe turned on and a satellite symbol appeared on the tablet. "Oh!" she exclaimed in delight. "We have communications. That is some good news. Means I should be able to get a map of the area the Bloodless Pact control. I might even be able to connect to my satellites."

Taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly, she closed her eyes and focused. She could never accurately describe what she did or how she did it, but her mind pushed and pulled at numbers and programs, making them do what she wanted them to do. Most of what she did was remotely, through the tablet, but having the tablet meant she didn't have to type, or even move. She barely had to think about what she was doing.

Data raced through her mind and her tablet, connecting the ancient, long dormant mall systems to the just as ancient satellites in orbit, linking her into her communications network she had already established. A single line of data got her all the way into the Community communications hub.

Opening her eyes and grinning widely, she moved the tablet up to eye level and switched the camera on. A young man appeared on the screen.

"Greetings Zoe. How goes?"

"Hi Hayden," she replied. "Found the first two, this is Maddison." She turned her back to the woman standing in the doorway, showing the camera over her shoulder. Lighting, however, was something she hadn't thought about, so only showed a non-moving silhouette. "Eh, not enough light. Anyway, Maddison and Tyson are the two really strong Talented that Mini sensed."

"Cool. Anything else to report?"

"Yeah, the Bloodless Pact are here as well. There's a serious base nearby that Maddison and Tyson wish to disable before moving out. Don't worry, I won't do anything more dangerous than I need to to help. Also, don't tell my father."

Hayden chuckled. "Lips sealed. Anyway, Mini is fine. With all the seeking she did today, she's wiped out. You also better look after yourself."

"I will," she said, smiling faintly. "I miss you already, moya lyubov'."

"Yeah, I miss you too mon amour," he replied. "Stay safe."

"I will," she said, disconnecting the video and glancing back af Maddison, who still hadn't moved from her spot. "Sorry, that was my partner, Hayden. He's one of the head operators in comms."

"Uh huh," Maddison replied, uncaring.

Zoe nodded once awkwardly before turning her attention back to the tablet. Getting the satellite link to connect to an imaging satellite, she quickly got the images of the area, lining them up with the memories Tyson had given her and a street map, downloading everything to the tablet.

When she opened her eyes, Maddison had been replaced by Tyson, who had a bemused look on his face. "You've been sitting there for most of an hour, apparently."

Stretching and standing up slowly, Zoe nodded. "Yeah, that happens. I get lost in the tech and I have no sense of time in the real world." Quickly scanning the info she had transferred to the tablet, she nodded, happy with what she had gotten. "Avi, kill the power," she called out, and as soon as the lights dimmed in the mainframe, she disconnected the cable, returned pieces to her pocket and called to Avi to retract the cable. As it snaked away, she showed Tyson the tablet.

Holding up his hand, he shook his head. "It's easiest if I just get it straight from your mind. You don't mind."

Zoe chuckled in reply. "No, I don't. Seems efficient enough. I take it you talk to Maddison with your mind as easily as you breathe?"

"Yes, the joy of being a twin. Let's go sit, Maddison has prepared lunch." Tyson lead the way back to their nook, taking a seat on a crate, leaving the seat for Zoe. A couple of cans of food sat open on the table.

"Oh, let me," Zoe said, trotting out to her trailer, where she pulled out some apples and some jerky. When she returned to the table, Tyson was visibly excited, staring at her and the apples, while Maddison looked at them skeptically. "Please, the apples need to be eaten as soon as possible, they're going to expire first, everything else has longer."

Tyson bit deeply into the apple before Maddison took a smaller bite. The pair sighed happily as Zoe started eating the jerky and the offered tinned food. "There's plenty more apples back at the Community. We have plenty of fresh food to share."

"Save the apples for the town to the north, Asquith. They haven't had success with growing anything other than root veggies." Tyson wiped the apple juice from his chin.

"Do you know about the trio out west of here? My map says that area is called Penrith."

Both twins shook their heads. "Might be newly awakened Talents," Maddison said, polishing off the entire apple. "As long as we get to them before they stumble into Bloodless Pact, they should be fine."

Nodding in agreement, Zoe put the tablet on the table. Tapping a couple of spots, a small projection of the walled off area appeared as a projection above the tablet, three buildings lit up.

Letting her thoughts flow, knowing Tyson would relay to Maddison, Zoe laid out her plan. Use Tyson to keep them away from people, disrupt their communications, then destroy the power plant with their own weapons and try to target their leaders. She relayed that she could disrupt communications with satellite hacking and get a fix on chatter leading to any of the leaders.

Maddison nodded, grinning a little wolfishly at the suggestion of hunting down leaders of the Bloodless. Reaching over to the tablet, Maddison zoomed in on the area identified as the headquarters. "This area is the most heavily guarded, but it also only has minimal supplies and isnt the main comms building. That's next door." The image moved over a little to a three storey building decked out with antennas and a satellite. It was Zoe's turn to grin at the info. She already knew about it, but having visual confirmation made her job easier.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Letting her plan flow through her thoughts, Zoe outlined that she wanted communications down first, make sure to get the weapons storage and use what they find to take out power and the headquarters. Zoe relayed that she could do the communications while on the move with Avi. Maddison stood and started rummaging through gear, pulling out all sorts of weapons and items, even a pair of grenades.

Tucking the tablet away, Zoe prepared herself and Avi, making sure the computer systems needed were booted and ready. Touching one of the electronic locks on the trailer, she set the code to three digits and popped the lid open of the storage chest before letting the twins know. Tyson promptly came out and started filling the open chest with items, most practical, a couple not at all. Zoe smiled happily as a scruffy, worn teddy bear made it's way into the storage.

Rolling out of the underground garage, Tyson nodded the all clear. Evening had started to fall and the city around was covered in long shadows from mountains and taller buildings in the distance. Looking in the direction of their target, Zoe swore that the area was lit up, lights shining in a city where there was no power.

Silently instructing Avi to start it's attack programming, Zoe nodded back to Tyson and Maddison. Tyson sat with a foot on one knee in the passengers seat, while Maddison stood between and behind, resting on the roll bar, rifle in hand.

A small computer screen lit up in the dash board, showing Avi's progress with hacking into the communications of the Bloodless. What looked to be foreign words and symbols to the twins made perfect sense to Zoe. Avi had connected with a local comm sat and was requesting permissions, probing their firewalls for weaknesses, finding a few almost instantly.

"Tyson, if it looks like something is going to happen, make sure you get me out of the coding. Avi has a tendancy to let me ignore my surroundings while dealing with the trouble herself."

Nodding, Tyson looked ahead as Zoe closed her eyes and joined Avi in probing the firewalls.

Zoe had never easily been able to describe how her mind just switched over to computer coding and how she could read and manipulate it however she wanted to. The closest she had ever come to describing it was like how a metal shaper moved metal around. They just felt the metal and pushed it with their mind. She said it was like that, but she didn't really have to push that hard. Codes just did what she wanted them to, most of the time. Firewalls were annoying, but she could handle them.

Zoe grinned to herself as she slipped her mind past the firewall. She was a little amazed that there was working tech, but also unsurprised that it was easy enough to get past. She still hadn't found anyone who was as capable with tech as she was. Even pre-war specialists were horrendously incapable of stopping her. While they all had to manually interact with the coding, she just told the codes to do what she wanted. Still, firewalls were still problems, but not one she hadn't ever really had a problem with.

Slipping her mind back to Avi, she took note of where they were before going back into the Bloodless coms. Out loud, she started counting down. Upon hitting zero, she effectively scrambled all their coding, like a kid sticking their hands into paint and spreading it everywhere. There wasnt a piece of comms coding left in tact before she pulled herself back to the buggy.

"Comms are down," she said as Avi drove towards the area of the compound with the least amount of security

~

Maddison scanned the area ahead, looking for the tell-tale traces of her Talent. Linked with Tyson, he directed Zoe to a safe, for now, area on the edge of the compound. The ruined building they pulled up next to formed part of the wall around the compound, and looked like it would take some earth moving equipment to be passable. Maddison knew better though.

"Follow me," she said to Zoe as she hopped off Avi and walked lithely through the entrance of the building into what looked like the only room still not completely ruined.

~

Zoe followed, her two stun guns in hand. She watched as Maddison climbed up a pile of rocks, sure footed, pausing for barely moments before moving further up, towards a hole into the upper floor. Unfurling a rope, she waved the all clear to Tyson.

Climbing quickly after Maddison, Tyson followed his sisters steps exactly, though still using the rope when he needed. Following after them, Zoe pulled her visor up from her neck and triggered the low light vision. Tyson gave her mental instructions, sending her images of where she should place her feet next while Maddison scanned the area they were going to.

Getting up to the twins position, Zoe crouched down before sending the signal to Avi to hide and start jamming the individual walkie talkies. Receiving a confirmation message on her visor, Zoe turned her full attention to where they were going. People were scrambling like ants in her visor as they realised that their comms were all down. Sending another burst to Avi, the AI sent off a burst of coding through the only window zoe had left into the comms centre.

~

"Sir, our comms are down, we're receiving no satellite signal. Walkie talkies are still operational."

The man being addressed nodded once, standing and walking fast to the comms centre. By the time he got to the centre three floors up, there was panic in the air. Shoving the doors open violently, he barked an order for silence.

"Erin, status," he said, looking to the woman in charge.

"Everything is down, including local radio. Our computers are fried, there doesn't seem to even be an operating system for us to reboot to." She waved at a black screen, the computer beeping a steady, annoying tone. "Whatever hit us hit hard. I'd expect an attack any time now."

The man nodded, ordering continued efforts before leaving. "Pass the word for high alert, dispense firearms to anyone stupid enough to not be carrying one already. Go."

The messenger bolted, passing the word.

~

The coding Avi launched slammed into the non-comms systems, mainly, the power grid. Lights shut off all over the compound and a silence that can only be created due to the lack of machinery working settled on the compound for barely a moment before shouts of alarm rang out.

Maddison dropped down, tucking and rolling as she hit the ground. Throwing herself up against a small building, she peeked around the corner. Without looking away, she waved to Tyson, who unrolled a rope and secured it to the rubble. Maddison looked their way for a second, nodded and turned back to her vigil as Tyson practically ran down the wall, using the rope to slow him enough so he didn't need to tumble like his sister did.

Zoe watched in amazement as the twins performed acrobatics that she'd only seem other highly physical Talents be able to perform. Yes, they were very fit, but that didn't seem to cover the acrobatics she'd just seen. She knew what kind of effort they just put themselves through, and neither seemed even the slightest bit winded. Oh, and the rope was perfectly secure and Tyson trusted it as if it had been there always and he'd used it a million times. Something just didn't add up to Zoe.

~

As the lights shut off around him, the man addressed as only 'Sir' pulled out a pistol and a small torch. Several other flashlights sprang to life around him, and for once, he was thankful of hindsight. He had insisted on regular testing of flashlights and that all security personel carry them inside the compound.

"Report to your posts and immediate superiors," he barked into the darkness over the scattered cries of distress and worry. "Stay alert!"

~

As Zoe climbed down the rope as quickly as she could, she heard orders being yelled by several powerful voices similar to Sarge's back at home. Sarge was previously a drill instructor and had a very loud and clear voice when he needed it. Pushing that thought aside, she ducked over to where the twins were.

"They are scattering all over the place," she whispered, watching the display on her visor. Satelite imagery showed heat sources running to and fro, gathering in small groups and dispursing again. A massive heat source showed up where Zoe had tagged the main power supply, a combined hydo and solar power plant which was also distrupting her ability to see their foes. "Are you sure you're okay to lead the way Maddison?"

Maddison snorted at Zoe before moving to the next building, waving the others to follow her. She waved to a doorway before clamboring up a drain pipe and onto a the roof. Zoe followed Tyson into the deep shadow and almost yelped in surprise when he pulled on the back of her clothing, pulling her deeper into the doorway, but pressed up against him.

As he whispered to be quiet, Zoe saw a small group of heat signatures move towards them. A torch light flickered across the doorway, barely missing Zoe's arm before moving on. Zoe sighed with relief.

Watching the satelite footage, she saw a large gap and started moving barely a moment after Maddison dropped down from the roof. Winding their way through the compound, the trio barely stopped, pausing once to let another partrol pass. At one point Zoe was about to call out to Maddison to warn her of a lone person ahead, but the other woman just stepped around the corner and rammed a knife into the person's throat before dragging them back around the corner into the deeper shadows. Zoe shuddered at the display of violence, but knew, without a doubt, they wouldn't receive mercy either.

The weapons cache was barely guarded and it was two quick strikes from the twins that removed the two guards. Pushing the door open for them, Zoe held it open while they dragged their dead enemies inside. Tapping her visor, the display changed to a night vision, allowing Zoe to quickly move around and identify the weapons they needed to take out buildings with the most efficiency. Quickly loading a rocket launcher, she passed it over to Tyson. Finding a belt of grenades and a small box of C4 explosives, she passed those to Maddison before picking up more rockets for the launcher. She planted some of the explosives around the cache and armed them with the wireless detonators that were packed with them.

Leaving as quickly as they arrived, the trio moved as silently as they could into a two story building. Zoe relayed to Tyson that she couldn't see any heat signatures, but they were probably blocked by the roof.

Don't worry, Maddison has this part, he projected back as Maddison began silently stalking through the building. The only noise Zoe heard while trailing was a slight gasp of surprise followed by a gurgle or splash. Whenever she heard those noises, she rapidly found another dead body in Maddison's wake.

Zoe shuddered again and absently rubbed her own neck. Yes, she did understand that violence was a necessary part of their world, but she still didn't have to like it.

They quickly made it to the room they wanted, one on the corner of the upper story with a perfect view of the comms building and the power plant. Taking a deep breath and releasing it, Zoe held up the remote trigger for the C4 as Tyson aimed his launcher at the power plant. Nodding once, Zoe triggered the explosion and Tyson fired. Two explosions happened within seconds of each other, sending panicked people scattering. Zoe heard the pin be pulled from a grenade as she dropped the trigger and helped Tyson reload the launcher. A small thud of the grenade exploding nearby reached her ears as Tyson aimed and fired the rocket launcher at the comms building, lighting up the top floor.

"Move, now," Maddison barked to Zoe as the roof of the comms building started to collapse. Barely a second after Zoe scrambled away from the windows, bullets whizzed into the room and through the space she had just occupied. Pulling out her stun guns, she followed the twins out a different entrance to the one they had entered and towards the point where Zoe had instructed Avi to wait.

Tyson rubbed his temples. All the loud, panicked thoughts were giving him a headache unlike anything he'd had before. Maddison paused and backstepped, wrapping an arm around his waist. He smiled faintly at her, thankful that she always had his back. He had no idea what he'd do without her.

Zoe tapped back into the satellite footage just in time to see a vehicle rolling along the inside of the compound, towards where they were going. A bright searchlight scanned the air above them a moment later.

"Vehicle ahead, I can see its heat signature, but not what it is or how well armed it is," she said, relaying to the twins.

~

Jumping into the back of the open bed truck, he barked an order to roll out. The passenger had a light rifle poking out the window and he stood next to a mini gun mounted on the roof, operated by another. A pair of soldiers knelt in the back, weapons pointed rearward and everyone, driver included, had a flashlight pointed out. He himself had a larger one.

As they exited the garage, an explosion shook the vehicle, rocking it a bit as it rolled out. Taking in the scene, he hit the roof of the vehicle and pointed away from the explosion to the driver.

As they started traveling, another explosion rocked the compound. He swore to himself as he noticed the comms tower going down. Answering a query whether they should change direction, he waved the direction away from the damage again.

His intuition and, what he thought was common sense, usually lead him to being in the right place, or setting up a correct procedure. As he swept his light across rooftops, he was getting that feeling now.

~

Got them, truck, about 6 people on board, Tyson whispered into their minds as Maddison directed them into shelter. Zoe frowned with concern at Tyson. Even his thoughts seemed exhausted.

"Too many people with too many uncontrolled thoughts make it hard for him," Maddison said, noting Zoe's concern. "Pretty much the sole reason we haven't stuck with Asquith, the community on the other side of the harbor, or Llandilo west of here."

Zoe nodded, faint concern crossing her mind about bringing him back to her home, where there were already thousands of people. Surely a place could be found inside their community where he could flourish.

Watching the satellite view, Zoe relayed to the twins that the truck was stopping, directly in their path to Avi, and that a couple of search parties were coming up behind them.