The next day
There were only a few days left until the mission. The kids had nicknamed it 'Operation: Prisonbreak', which was mainly Chase's idea.
The group of teens were all hanging out in the gym, except Hendrix, Kai and Taro. The two brothers were tasked with fixing the mess they made in the second building while Hendrix said he was looking for something.
"Alright, Akilah. Here comes the hard part." Jason grabbed the sword he had left sheathed throughout their time training. "I want you to start practicing with the real thing, so I'll get my wooden dummy out of the second building for you. But what I want you to focus on the most is combining the weapon with your Mode."
Akilah's eyes furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"This is a Spirit weapon. I manifested it years ago, when me and my sister first made it to the compound. I poured more and more Spirit into it every time I used it. It's already pretty solid as it is, but it becomes a good weapon when it syncs with your Mode by using it in an ability. A balanced Spirit user hones in on 3-5 abilities and perfects them. Since all of your skills stem from one ability, you're in the perfect position for another one." Jason explained.
Akilah looked down at the sword Jason had handed her as she tried to soak up all the information Jason was giving.
"Spirit weapons… Use it in an ability… How am I gonna use a sword with an Intelligence Mode?" Akilah asked herself.
As Vida listened to Jason and Akilah's conversation, a question popped into her head.
"You've only been here a couple years? Where were you guys before then?" Vida turned to Jason.
The red-head paused. He scratched his head as he tried to decide how to answer Vida's question.
"Me and my sister don't remember anything from before the day we walked up to the compound. The only things we had were the clothes on our back. It's like our memories were wiped, and the only thing we remember is that we're siblings. We didn't even get names until Manny gave them to us. I'm eternally grateful for him." Jason nodded as his head hung low.
The gym went quiet as they tried to find the words to say.
"Just like Hendrix…" Vida muttered. Her mind went conspiratorial.
Her mind connected dots she had no proof for. Vida quickly shook her head, emptying her mind of any of those presumptuous thoughts. But, they never fully went away.
Just as Vida said his name, Hendrix opened the door. He was breathing heavily, like he had just finished running a marathon.
"Has anyone here seen my sketchbook?" Hendrix looked around the room.
"You have a sketchbook?!" Chase asked in utter disbelief.
"I haven't seen it. I didn't even know you drew." Vida responded to Hendrix.
The pink-haired boy sighed in some sort of relief. This only made his friends more confused.
"Alright. Sorry for bothering you guys." Hendrix closed the door, making his way down the hallway.
The gym went silent once again.
"What was that all about?" Chase turned to Amora, who shook her head and shrugged.
Jason chuckled, "That guy."
The rest of the room joined in on the laughter, except Akilah.
Her mind began to race, ideas of how to combine a Spirit weapon like this katana with her Intelligence Mode.
Meanwhile, down the hallway, Molly walked slowly, her head filled with questions about the sketchbook in her bag.
She went to pull the sketchbook out, but her hand froze. She thought of the feeling that flooded her body every time she laid eyes on the drawings of the masked figure. It wasn't just simple fear, it was some sort of terror, some sort of awe.
"That feeling, those eyes, they feel familiar." Molly muttered to herself. She pushed past her hesitation, taking the book out and flipping to the drawings of the figure.
That familiar feeling sent chills down her spine, just like the last time.
"Who could this guy be?" Molly said.
"Molly!" Hendrix came jogging down the hallway. "Have you seen my…" The boy slowly realized what Molly had in her hand.
"Hey, Hendrix! I want to ask you a question. I-" Molly was interrupted.
Hendrix snatched the book out of Molly's hands.
"What are you doing with that?" Hendrix's eyes furrowed. He shut the book closed.
"I just wanted to ask you something-" Molly couldn't finish her sentence.
"Why would you go through my things?" Hendrix shook his head. "I'll see you later, Molly." Hendrix said with an annoyed tone.
"I just wanted to ask you about that guy you drew! The one with the mask!" Molly exclaimed, pointing to the sketchbook. "Who is that guy?"
Hendrix stopped in his tracks. "Do you know him?" The boy turned around with a new expression on his face.
It was the outward expression of the feelings Molly felt when she laid her eyes on the drawings. His face was riddled with confusion, terror, and awe.
"He just… He just looked kinda familiar." Molly fidgeted with her newly painted blue nails, averting her gaze from the boy.
Hendrix's eyes widened. He walked back towards Molly.
"Who is he? Do you know his name?" Hendrix's speech became manic.
"I… No- I just-" Molly stumbled over her words nervously.
"Please, Molly. You have to tell me." Hendrix put his hands on her shoulders.
"Hendrix, I-"
"Please!" Hendrix's grip on Molly's shoulders got tighter.
"Hendrix, you're scaring me!" Molly exclaimed. She closed her eyes and looked away.
Hendrix paused, releasing his grip immediately. He covered his eyes with his hands, rubbing his forehead with his palms.
"What am I doing… What's happening to me?" Hendrix muttered, turning around. "I'm… I'm sorry, Molly. I'll see you later." The boy said.
Molly stared. "Are you okay, Hendrix? You know, you can talk to me-"
"I'm fine." Hendrix interrupted.
Molly couldn't do anything but watch Hendrix turn the corner towards the stairs, his sketchbook in one hand.
"What's going on in that head of yours, Hendrix?" Molly thought.
A few hours later, The group sat in the cafeteria, eating their dinner now that they had finished all of their chores.
The afternoon sun peeked through the tall windows surrounding the large mess hall.
Hendrix sat silently, picking at his food as he thought about that masked figure in his sketchbook.
"I just drew what I saw in my dreams. He keeps coming back, no matter how long it's been." Hendrix thought.
Vida was laughing with Amora about her new ability when she saw Hendrix's blank expression next to her.
"Are you alright?" Vida asked.
"Yeah." Hendrix responded, unconvincingly.
Vida frowned sarcastically, making Hendrix chuckle.
"Did you ever find your sketchbook?" Vida questioned.
"Yeah. Molly stole it from my room." Hendrix waved the book and smirked.
"Ooh! Let me see!" Chase jumped across the table, snatching the sketchbook from Hendrix.
"Wait!" Hendrix exclaimed, reaching towards Chase.
The blue-haired boy wore a mischievous grin as he turned the thick paper pages.
"Oh, I look good in this one!" Chase showed everyone a drawing of himself. "Look, babe. He drew you too!" He showed Amora.
"Aww, that looks nice, Hendrix!" Amora chuckled as she stared.
Chase continued to thumb through the pages.
"Taro, Vida, Kai, Vida again, Akilah, Vida again. I think I know his favorite subject!" Chase showed the rest of the table a drawing of Vida, the tenth one they've seen. They all burst into laughter as Hendrix averted his gaze in embarrassment.
"Alright, that's enough!" Vida reached across the table with a flustered look, grabbing the sketchbook and shutting it.
"You guys are having fun over here, huh?!" Jason asked, chuckling as he walked up to the table. He held his clipboard in one hand.
Hardy caught up behind him, tying his dreadlocks into a ponytail.
"How've you been doin' on the new ability, Akilah?" Jason asked.
"I…" Akilah paused. She still couldn't think of a way to combine a sword with her Intelligence Mode. Her fist tightened as pressure crept up her spine.
"Only three more days. If I don't come up with something by then…" Akilah thought.
"That's alright. You've got time. That being said, there's only three days until the mission, girls!" Jason laid his clipboard on the table. "So, I'm gonna go over the plan with you guys. All of you kids can listen in if you want."
Vida, Akilah, and Amora looked at each other, their faces filled with nervousness.
"Don't worry. Jason tells me you guys are more than capable. And you'll have me as a safety net." Hardy smiled.
"You guys'll enter through the back, where there are small gaps in the soldiers' patrol routes. Once you get past the gate, they'll probably have Spirit sensors, so you'll have to use Hardy's Mode to take those out and sneak in." Jason pointed his pen to Hardy, who put up a peace sign and nodded. Jason continued.
"Then, you'll find a quiet path to the control room, subdue anyone there, and open gates 331-362. After you guide the inmates out, you'll be scot-free, got it?" Jason held a thumbs up as the girls soaked in the information.
After looking to each other for verification, they all turned to Jason.
"Got it!" The three of them exclaimed.
Hendrix looked to Vida, examining her worried yet confident face.
"She's inspiring as always. And she doesn't even realize it." Hendrix thought.