Valeria - A Short Story Collection

Chapter 4, Part 4

Valeria POV

It didn’t take long until I spotted a squad of armed soldiers outside. They started firing as soon as they saw me and I instantly pushed up a protective barrier while Lieutenant Matthews returned fire.

“Can’t they send in some reinforcements now?” Eric asked.

I shook my head.

“There are mines all around the building.” I replied. “Libertas must have activated them to keep everyone outside.”

I turned to Lieutenant Matthews while Eric stiffly picked up a rifle from one of the dead Libertas operatives and pointed it to the door too.

“You good here for now?” I asked.

He nodded.

“Just hurry.” He replied.

I nodded and sprinted towards the window. The wind swooshed around me when I jumped out the window, immediately taking off in a steep dive.

I dived towards the ground, careful not to get too close. Then I pushed force fields in pulses downwards, effectively setting off the mines.

The mines exploded, shockwaves rumbling through my body and almost throwing me off course, but I steadied myself and kept going until I had gone around the whole building.

I could barely see anything from all the smoke, and when I looked down at myself I realized that my clothes were covered in dust.

The crowd that had gathered in front of the building had fortunately moved back, and the commanders were barking out orders. I landed in front of them and Sam came up to me.

“You work your way up, and I take it from the top.” I said.

She nodded and I gave a joyful wave to the people staring at me before taking off towards the roof again.

Lieutenant Matthews and his team seemed to be able to hold off the Libertas army pretty well, but as soon as I landed, I rushed past them out in the hallway without hesitation. The Libertas soldiers seemed startled and I used that to my advantage. Before any of them reacted, I had pulled their guns out of their hands and thrown them against the wall until they were all unconscious.

I walked back to the office and closed the doors.

“Now we just wait.” I grinned.

Eric chuckled and slid down the wall until he landed on the floor. I rushed over to him to make sure that he was alright.

“I’m fine.” He whispered before I could even ask. “I’m just tired.”

I sat down next to him and we waited in silence for a few minutes while the reinforcements arrived.

*

Surrey, United Kingdom.

February 13th, 2138.

*

Eric Sampson POV

I parked the car in front of my sister’s house, took a small folder with me and knocked on the front door.

As soon as Annie opened the door, she pulled me into a hug.

“Thank God you’re alright.” She whispered. “I was so worried when Sam called.”

“I’m fine.” I replied hoarsely and patted her back. “But you’re gonna rebreak my ribs if you don’t loosen your grip.”

“Oh sorry.” Annie squeaked and quickly let go of me.

“I was looking for Valeria.” I said. “Is she home?”

Annie nodded.

“She and Aidan are in the garage.” She replied. “Come on.”

We walked over to the garage next to the house and Annie opened the side door.

I frowned when I saw a small sized windmill inside.

“Alright Valeria, hit it!” Aidan squealed.

Valeria raised her hands and the propellers started spinning. They went faster and faster until I could barely see them moving.

“It’s working!” Aidan yelled from his computer. “Keep going!”

We all ducked down when suddenly one of the propeller blades shot out of the windmill, quickly lodging itself deep in the ceiling.

“Crap!” Aidan shouted.

“Language.” Annie and Valeria said at the same time.

It seemed like Aidan first registered that they weren’t alone in the garage anymore, and he came to give me a hug.

“What are you guys up to?” I asked.

“I’m making a windmill to power a lamp.” Aidan explained.

“You did this by yourself?” I asked.

“Ned and Valeria helped me.” He grinned.

Valeria chuckled.

“I’m just providing the wind.” She smiled and pulled the propeller blade out of the ceiling. “But I think we need to work on the structural integrity before someone gets decapitated.”

Annie chuckled.

“Aidan, how about a little break to figure it out?” She suggested and pulled Aidan with her out of the garage.

Valeria put the blade down on the workbench by the wall.

“I think the Masters would throw a fit if they realized that their only surviving project was helping a ten year old power a windmill for his science project.” She chuckled and gestured to the contraption in the middle of the room. “I’m sure this was not what they had in mind for me.”

I frowned.

“Don’t talk about yourself like that.” I replied. “You are not a project. You’re a person, and you shouldn’t be considered anything other than that, either from anyone else or from yourself.”

Valeria smiled.

“How are you?” She asked suddenly.

I shrugged.

“Cuts and bruises, and some broken ribs.” I replied. “You?”

Valeria sighed.

“It’s all out there now, is it?” She whispered.

I nodded.

“We’ve been able to keep it away from public knowledge, but NATO, the United Nations and the British Government are all asking questions. I wouldn’t be surprised if you were contacted by our government with a job offer.”

Valeria gulped.

“What do you think I should do?” She asked.

I saw tears gathering in her eyes and put a hand on her shoulder.

“I’m sorry that you’re in this because of me.” I whispered.

Valeria shook her head.

“I don’t regret anything.” She replied. “It’s just a little… scary.”

“I know.” I replied. “Which is why I have a few options for you.”

Valeria looked up.

“I have options?” She asked.

I smiled.

“Of course.” I said and pulled a passport out of the folder.

I put it in front of her on the workbench.

“First option.” I said. “You run. I have a passport made for you with a fake name. You can take it, along with some cash and go into hiding. I will make sure that they will never find you.”

I took out a paper from the folder and put it down next to the passport.

“Second option.” I continued. “You start working for the military, but you’re working for me.”

Valeria furrowed her eyebrows as she studied the paper.

“First of all, you don’t turn sixteen until October.” I said. “Which means that this contract won’t start until then. After that, I want you to help out only during your breaks from school. I want you to still have the option to finish school if you want to, and I hope that you do, because if there’s ever a day when you feel like you don’t want to do this anymore, there is an education for you to fall back on. As your boss, I can protect you from people who want to use you, and I choose which missions you should be assigned to make sure it’s not something traumatizing or unethical.”

I shrugged.

“The third option is that you listen to other offers and see what they can give you.” I said. “I’m sure there are some pretty sweet deals in store for you, and I won’t be angry if you’d rather do that. I’ve got your back, no matter what.”

Valeria smiled softly.

“You always do.” She mumbled. “I trust you.”

She picked up the pen from my folder and scribbled her name on the line.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

Valeria nodded.

“I’ve considered offering my help to you for a while now anyway.” She replied. “You saved me, and I feel safe trusting my powers with you.”

“I’m honored.” I replied and handed her the passport. “You might need this for the job, so keep it.”

Valeria took it and put it in her pocket.

“Take these next few months to get ahead in school.” I said. “I’m keeping your missions on your breaks, but I can’t guarantee that you won’t miss a few days here and there. Also make sure to keep your strength and stamina up. You have powers, but it’s hard work and you should still be strong on your own.”

Valeria nodded.

“Yes Sir.” She grinned.

“Good.” I smiled. “Welcome to MI6.”