EVOLVE 10 Chapter 10: I Don't Think I Should Be Leader.

I can still feel the pain on the lower and upper parts of my back, legs and arms despite it having been a day and a half since we got jumped and given an ultimatum. Toni has been giving me healing hands three times a day. Needless to say we've been in hiding, and like I said at the start no one's been saying much.

The attacks have been happening though as Euroc promised, there has been four now in a the day and a half, at first I thought they'd be coherent so that maybe they'd be a time frame that way we'd somehow have enough time to guess where the black forms would be released. But there hasn't been a time frame not only that but it's not just limited to the city of Johannesburg, its other places in other continents of the world, with one happening in Sandton right here in Johannesburg, one in Beijing, one in Cape Town and one in Belfast. By the second attack of course authorities were placed at the ready to try and stop the things but it didn't matter, the black forms tore through any resistance like it was nothing even army officials in those very places. And after each attack a message was left, a very simple one at that written in blood.

'Are You Satified yet?'

Marc walks into the living room where I'm seated infront of a switched off TV, he sits next to me reaching for the remote and switching the TV on. It's already on the news channel. The others follow in behind him.

"------ Yet another attack has happened, in the Vatican city " Says the news anchor in a sorrow filled voice, "the number of claimed victims is said to be nearly all the cities of Vatican City were killed with a few being injured and the Pope numbered amongst those taken. It is indeed a sad day for the Catholic faith, and we can only hope that for today this is where the death ends." Says the news anchor with a pause and a sigh.

"We cross over now to live images of the newest message which is indeed different from the last ones." Says the news anchor

A brief t.i.tle card warning people that the images may be of a sensitive nature comes on and off

The message being shown is indeed different. For one the black forms are standing guard next to it surrounded by what seems like army officals who aren't firing. This time the message is written on a series of propped up sheets, with blood still as the ink, another thing that makes it different is that the Pope and his bishops are strung up like puppets around it and it reads.

'How much more can you bare? Will you sacrifice other symbols of belief before giving up?'

d.a.m.n you Euroc. There are already marches and protests going on calling for whoever is responsible to stop or for us to step out of the shadows, they of course don't know who we are, none of the protests were attacked but this would anger a lot of people and incite chaos.

I suppose the good thing is we aren't being called out, i suppose WECA wants to keep it hush hush.

I grab the remote from Marc's hands and turn off the TV. No one says anything just as yet still. The girls are on their feet with Marc and myself on the couch, Toni sits cross-legged on the carpeted floor.

"What do we do?" I ask finally breaking the silence.

"We're supposed to ask you that." Whispers Carla.

Of course you'd say that.

"No actually, no you shouldn't." I say quietly

"We elected you leade----" begins Toni

"It was different a few days ago!" I hiss and watch Toni slink back at bit, i feel a twinge guilty.

"Hey don't snap at him." Nicole says as she walks over to Toni and sits next to him wrapping an arm around him.

I shut my eyes and take a breath. "Look I..... Don't know how to deal with any of this.... I was still working on getting a grasp on what I can do, I----"

"And we know what we're doing mmhm?" Say Marc with a growl beside me, "we're just as lost as you, just as conflicted. Three thousand six hundred and fourteen people have died because of us now and you're forgetting thats us and not just you, you're acting like you're the only reason any of this is happening. You're not the only one responsible, we may not have spoken to you because when you aren't moping around in the open you lock yourself in a room."

That's where you're wrong Marc, most of the blame can most certainly be put on my back. You just don't know it yet.

"Marc's right, we're all in this together and we have to figure it out but Carla's also right we can't really be cohesive without a leader. A pack of wolves can't hunt if they aren't directed." Says Nicole, drawing my attention to her

"Then one of you do it. Carla you can take the mantle, you're the most experienced." I say

"Stop." She whispers

"You're the most aware when we're out there other than Marc because you know what to look for," I continue

"Stop." She whispers again

"And you're quick." I say

I'm on the floor winded and feeling the pain of my injuries in an instant with Carla's knee on my chest.

"Stop it!" She screams, right in my face. She let's me go and stands taking a few paces back to let me stand but I elect to up and lean against the couch.

"You don't get it do you? I may be the most experienced but I froze that day when those things started killing people, all of us did." She says looking at the others who cast their eyes down.

"But you didn't.... You stood and gave orders, orders that snapped us back and into action. Same thing at WECA you planned and you excecuted. It's instinct for you to somehow know what to do and sure it doesn't always work out nothing ever really works out a lot of the time in life but we NEED you, Terry." She says pleading.

I can't maintain a gaze with her so I look down at my hands instead, feeling the pulsing pain in the back part of my body. Am I really what's best for them? If I am going to lead them they need to know everything right? On the plus side once I tell them what I haven't told them and they're p.i.s.sed at me I'll probably get ousted as leader.

"I need to tell you all something first," I say, "Look there's a reason why I feel I need to blame myself and maybe it'll sound a little 'think you're the centre of the universe' in a way but when I'm done telling you it'll make sense."

And so I tell them everything. Marlea's appearance to me on the day of the event, how she told me it was coming, the imprisonment of my conciouness twice, how Marc and I ended up at the facility, the stuff about Frank and his people wanting us dead. And Marlea's final appearance a day and a half ago where she basically told me this is all happening because we aren't ready for whatever grand test she has set which will, as it has seemed, revolve around my existence and theirs.

"So yeah that's pretty much everything." I say slowly.

All four of them are silent staring at different places on the wall or floor as if trying to draw the necessities to process Everything I've just told them from there. I should probably maybe be getting ready to pack and hit the road on my own? Who knows what the appropriate reaction is after being told there's a psycho alien scientist G.o.d person structuring events like it's a game and seeing how it plays out and that there's a ultimate boss who may or may not be Shao Khan level on Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks, because that's pretty much what I just told them.

"Huh... I mean someone may view it as your fault," says Nicole, "and I don't really know you at all because we spoke just once in basically two or three days ago, I kinda know these three because we've been conversing, but that being said I don't know think you can take the blame for this one if anything you're more of a victim than the rest of us."

The others remain silent.

"Look guys I'm not particularly good with waiting, do you mind saying what you want to say?" I ask

"You are an idiot." Whispers Toni. To which I raise an eyebrow

Marc smacks the back of my head to which hurts and also stings b.a.s.t.a.r.d snuck an electric shock into that one. "I agree with the kid," he says, "you should have told us. You're still leader in my books."

A smile tugs at tge corners of my mouth as I turn to Carla.

"What do we do?" She asks.

So that's it huh? That's the reaction I get. Well I guess I've also been a been nonchalant about the whole thing, why would I expect the people around me to be any different about it.

"We're not going back to the facility," I say as I stand and position myself Infront if the TV in full view if everyone, you know leader style. "So there's only one thing to do. We find Euroc Carmichael and kill him, then maybe this ends." I say

"And if it doesn't?" Asks Nicole.

"Nicole's right from what you said about this Marlea, killing Carmichael might not stop the black forms killing people and who knows what else WECA has under their sleeves this might not stop." Says Carla.

They're right.

"Any suggestions?" I ask.

"That's a first." Says Marc with a smirk

"Thought I'd try something new." I say

"What if we take out both the monsters and Euroc." Says Toni

"That might work." Says Marc

"Yeah but like Carla said we forget WECA's a big organisation with lots of cogs and different parts and probably more monsters, removing just two pieces might not be enough." Says Nicole

She's right. Oh h.e.l.l there's no other choice is there.....

"You're not...." Says Marc watching me closely as he trails off because he knows what I'm thinking.

My gaze now intense despite how mental what I'm thinking is s.h.i.+fts from Toni to Nicole and then Carla, sharing the idea without speaking.

"It's crazy." Says Carla.

"Yeah but it's the only way. We're gonna bring down the entirety of WECA." I say as a smile creeps across my face despite what I just said.

"It sounds a lot crazier now that you've said out loud." Says Marc

"I don't think i was on the wavelength you are on, I thought you meant maybe take out one major WECA building in the country maybe two not this, this is..... Nuts." Says Nicole

"We're gonna need an army. Where do we find an army?" Asks Carla

"There's already an army out there, all of them logged and watched." I reply

"The pledged." Marc says after some seconds of silence.

"Not just them there won't be enough people willing to fight amongst those pledged and the lot who aren't actually Pledged and the anti-WECA establishment as well they have tech and other supplies we'd need." I say

"Yeah but you just told us those guys wanna kill us." Says Toni

"And that they're being watched." Adds Nicole.

"You're invulnerable, can turn into a dragon and are psychic. We each have three abilities that we're fairly capable of using. The others they have limitations. And I think we can get them to listen to us once we get our story straight and figure a work around the surveillance thing.." Says Carla

"I haven't really got much of a handle on the psychic thing but i get your point." Says Nicole

"We'll also need information, a lot of it on everything WECA has going on and planned. And how much they got around to that whole creating a cure to ability ramifications." Says Marc

"Yeah about I've been thinking they might have a serum temporarily shuts down the ramifications thing for a while at least." Replies Carla

This is good, the minds are working. Maybe we could actually pull this off. MAYBE.

The room goes quiet but there's an air of understanding and determination.

"Alright cap, where do we start?" Asks Marx

"We pay a visit to the people who might kill us," I say, "we're gonna need Janice if we're gonna figure out a way to contact the Pledged without WECA knowing and she's the best I know with anything tech related. But before that we're going to need to work with all of them to truly get the anti-WECA establishment off the map without WECA knowing or as you guys put it we need a work around."

"Speaking of contacting the Pledged and unPledged recruits, even if we get them off WECA's watch list how are you gonna convince all those people to line up and join the fight around the world?" Asks Marc

Well when he says 'around the world' it does begin to sound a tad daunting doesn't it.

"We start here at home in our country.... I know people know who I am maybe not my face perse but they know of the first, and we can use that and cook it up into some d.a.m.n good propaganda plus the people out there I think they're tired of always being watched, told when to and not to use their abilities. It might be welcomed by some."

"Not everyone will be willing, Terry, infact most people would probably want to just sit on the sidelines, some might even join WECA or worst case scenario warn them." Says Carla

"We'll have measures to stop word getting out to the wrong people.... After we know what we're doing with recruiting here, then we spread it to every corner and all the anti-WECA establishments, placing whoever's in charge of each one an army waiting to kick things up at our say so."

"How do we know they'll do what we say?" Asks Toni speaking for the first time in a while.

"We'll figure that out too." I say because even I don't know how we'd do that. For all I know someone might feel they have too much power and do something stupid.

"There's a high chance we'll be outnumbered especially if WECA has other monsters under the bed which they most likely do." Says Marc

"I know. That's why we gotta make this shot count.

"Look.... There's a lot of work that goes into this months, maybe even a year but I'm crazy enough to think we'll do it. If we do it together and we don't split up ever for anything I believe we're strongest togeher and will only get stronger because we have to, whatever's on the other side of this war rebellion thing we're about to kick up will be a lot worse." I say.