There hadn’t been just one Mage.

“That wasn’t fair!” Alex said as he followed Mettan onto the bridge, “You knew there were going to be two of them!”

Paige rung out her wet blonde hair, dropping water onto the floor of the bridge, “You weren’t the one that got wet!” She pouted as she dropped onto the side of the couch facing the front.

Alex gestured at her hair and pulled the water out. He grabbed the water on the floor and merged it in front of him, “You know we can just do this instead.”

Paige rolled her head back, “I’m too tired to use my powers anymore!” She rolled her head forward, “It’s easier to just let it dry the other way.”

Alex shook his head and turned to Mettan, “Where do you want me to put this?”

“Hold it,” Mettan said as he began punching buttons on his console.

Alex sat down in the gunner’s chair. They had “trained” with Kark and Zeus for almost four hours. His muscles were sore, but he had at least a little better grasp on what he could do with his powers. He could even feel the water with just his mind. It wouldn’t move much, but it wouldn’t be long before he could. Mettan had told him that he was rank four, but almost a rank five Elementalist. Once he could master mental control of water he would have graduated to a rank five.

The ship parked in space. Mettan punched two buttons and motioned for them to follow him.

“Ugh!” Paige said as she stood up

“It could be worse,” Alex said as they walked into the hallway

“How could it get any worse?” Paige asked

“I don’t know.” Alex said, “But it can always get worse.”

They stopped behind Mettan at the lift. The lift was up, but their teacher wasn’t getting on it.

“We going to just stand here?” Alex asked

“No,” Mettan turned around and jabbed a pen into Paige’s jaw.

“OW!” Paige covered her jaw with her right hand, “That hurt.”

“I knew she needed shots.” Alex grinned

Paige hit him in the arm, “What was that for?”

Mettan lifted the pen and pointed it at Alex.

“No thanks.” Alex lifted his hands, “I’ve had mine already.”

“It’s a communicator.” Mettan said, “So we can talk to each other.”

“Oh.” Alex lowered his hands and Mettan poked the syringe into his jaw just below his left ear. It felt like getting stung by a wasp, but he didn’t drop the handful of water he was still holding.

“How come you told him first?” Paige demanded

Mettan replaced the syringe on his belt, “He let me stick him. You wouldn’t have.”

“And you were the one that wanted to know how it could get worse.” Alex pointed at her jaw, “See? Worse.”

Paige rolled her eyes.

Alex ignored her and got on the lift behind Mettan, “If we’re sticking together why do we need a communicator?”

“In case we get separated.” Mettan said as he stepped off the lift, “The communicator senses who is on the channel and their proximity. If someone is close enough it won’t transmit the conversation.”

“Can we turn them off?” Alex asked

“Tap your jaw.” Mettan said

Alex tapped his jaw and the communicator buzzed. It felt weird and his jaw was swelling a little.

“You’ll get used to it in a few days,” Mettan said

They had reached the back of the ship. Alex was wondering how they were going to get down.

The smaller bay door opened up and Mettan motioned for Paige to step out.

“What?” Paige asked, “I’m not going out there.”

“You flew two days ago, you can do it now.” Mettan said,

“I don’t even know how I did it the other day!” Paige crossed her arms, “I’m not going to do it.”

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Mettan grabbed Paige by the arm and tossed her out the bay door.

Paige screamed as she began falling. Alex looked out the door, making sure he had a tight grip on the door. He didn’t have air powers and hoped Mettan remembered that.

Paige was suspending herself about ten feet below the door. She was on her hands and knees, but she was floating in the air.

“That was not cool!” Paige yelled as she looked up, “You could’ve killed me!”

“You are fine.” Mettan motioned for Alex to jump, “Your turn.”

“I can’t fly!” Alex exclaimed, “I don’t have that power!”

“You won’t.” Mettan nodded at Paige, “She’ll catch you.”

“No, she won’t.” Alex blanched, “She doesn’t like me.”

“Should’ve made a better impression.” Mettan gestured out the door, “Jump.”

Alex looked down. They were a good forty feet above the helicopter landing pad. If Paige didn’t catch him it wasn’t far enough down that it would kill him, probably just maim him. He looked Paige in the eye, “You better catch me.”

“Wait!” Paige exclaimed as he jumped out.

Falling through the air wasn’t that bad. Minus the adrenaline that had his heart racing. The wind blowing through his hair didn’t hurt and it kind of reminded him of riding in a convertible. Without the impeding pancaking on the ground that is. He would have been able to gauge how fast it was approaching, but he had his eyes closed.

Alex began to slow down and he opened his eyes. Paige had one arm around his waist and the other arm pointed at their feet. They were drifting down to the ground. A place where Mettan was already standing.

“How did he get down there?” Alex asked,

“His shoes are enchanted or something.” Paige said, “He jumped right after you did.”

They touched down on the landing pad. Alex twisted out of Paige’s grip, “What if she hadn’t been able to hold me up?” He demanded,

“She did.” Mettan said

“But what if she hadn’t?” Alex pointed at Mettan’s shoes, “Can my shoes fly like yours?”

“My shoes don’t fly.” Mettan said, “They decrease my speed if I’m falling.”

“Whatever,” Alex said, “Do mine do that?”

“No.” Mettan began walking across the pad to the door.

“So what would’ve happened if she hadn’t caught me?” Alex ran in front of Mettan

“She caught you.” Mettan locked eyes with Alex

The cold icy blue of Mettan’s stare sent a shiver down Alex’s spine and goosebumps speckled his arms.

Alex dropped his head and stepped out of Mettan’s way. He was still mad, but he wasn’t going to push it.

They stopped in front of the door. Mettan tugged on the door, but it was locked.

Mettan took his pistol out and placed the tip of the barrel to the knob. The pistol hummed as the laser began melting the knob off. In a few seconds there the knob was gone and there was only a hole where it had been.

Mettan stuck his fingers in the hole and opened the door.

Alex and Paige walked into the floor. Mettan followed and closed the door.

There was something familiar about this place, but Alex couldn’t put his finger on it. He had never been to Louisiana before, but it was still eating at him.

Alex stared down the 450-foot hall. Sixty rooms dotted the hall, thirty on each side. Four rows of five glass elevators were scattered down the hall, one on the right at fifty feet. The second is on the left at 150 feet. The third on the right is at 250. The final set was 350 feet down the hall. To his right was one of the four empty nurse stations. To his left was a set of double doors that read STAIRS.

“Where to?” Alex turned around to look at Mettan.

Mettan motioned for them to follow him behind the nurse’s station

“The elevator is right there.” Paige said, pointing at the glass elevator fifty feet down the white hall.

“We’re taking the stairs.” Mettan said,

“Why?” Paige asked

Mettan stopped and pointed at the elevators, “They’re glass.”

“So?” Paige asked,

“Anyone could see us.”

“Oh.” Paige puffed out her lip, “Can I just wait here then?”

“No.” Mettan pointed at the double doors, “We’re taking the stairs.”

“But don’t we need someone to watch our escape.”

“No.” Mettan stepped back into the white hall. His black skin and uniform made him look larger against a white backdrop.

Paige hung her head and brushed past Alex, “I hate the stairs.” She muttered,

“Stairs are fun.” Alex grinned, “You can fly down them.”

“We’re going up two more flights.”

“So fly up them,” Alex said as he held to door open so Mettan could follow them.

Mettan glared at Alex.

“Right. Shutting up now.” Alex zipped his lips

They walked up the two flights of stairs in awkward silence. Mettan paused in front of the door to the third floor to look at his pad.

“There are three soldiers at the fourth-floor stairs on the other end.” Mettan pointed at them on the map.

“What do we do?” Alex asked, “Wait for them to go past?”

“I don’t think they are going to just go past.” Mettan said,

“Why not?” Alex asked,

“They are walking the floor then taking the stairs down to the next floor and swapping stairs on their way down to the next floor.”

“Great.” Alex looked at Mettan, “What now?”

Mettan walked into the hall and grabbed the knob to the first door past the nurse’s station. He motioned for them to follow him.

Alex held the door open for Paige and then followed her into the room. A room where there were two beds. Each bed had a person in it and they were both handcuffed.

The first person was older. His face was tanned and leathery. Wrinkles creased his face and grey hair was swirled on top of his head.

The second was younger. She had darker skin and shiny black hair. Her skin was smooth and reminded him of chocolate milk. Alex guessed that the man was in his late sixties and the woman was in her early twenties.

“Are we going to hide in here until they pass?” Paige asked as she sat on the end of the woman’s bed

“We can’t chance that they will double back or stop on the helicopter pad.” Mettan said,

“So we fight?” Alex took out his laser.

“Put that back.” Mettan looked at Paige, “I want to try something.”