Chapter Text
Ellie hadn’t been having a good day.
She was used to bad days, sure, but today had reached a new level of awful. Her tent had been soaked through by rain, her meager food supply ruined, and her socks had been wet all day. Hungry, cold, and tired, she was searching for any decent place to spend the night.
First, though, she needed something to eat. She wasn’t picky today, literally anything would do. That’s how she found herself digging through a trash can for a bagel that had just been tossed out.
“Gross…,” she muttered, wrinkling her nose as she slipped her hand inside, squeezing her eyes shut.
‘It’s fine, Ellie. It’s fine. It’s all fine. Just grab the damn bagel and keep moving, you need to eat something…’ some small voice in the back of her head urged her on, desperate to have at least some sense of optimism.
Ellie wasn’t very comforted.
Then, some little feeling clicked into the back of her mind. Some soft ‘thudding’ noise suddenly apparent to her. A faint shuffle behind her, almost lost in the drizzle and distant hum of Old Oasis. Her stomach tightened, and she froze mid-reach, her eyes popping open.
Ellie had barely begun to turn and glance over her shoulder when a sharp impact slammed into the back of her head. Her teeth vibrated in her skull and she felt a split second of mind-numbing pain. The world was whirling around her, twisting as though she had been wound up and let go like a spinning top, her vision a mess of color as her brain simply shut off. Then, her vision went black, and her mind went quiet.
…gasoline…
That was the first thought to surface when Ellie’s eyes snapped open. The sharp, spicy stench filled her nose, vivid and unmistakable. It was, apparently, the one thing her brain was fully capable of identifying. If only it were half as good at explaining where she was, what had happened, or why everything felt so wrong. How helpful.
After a few sluggish moments, her vision finally sharpened. The world was… sideways? No— she was sideways. Lying on the ground. Her hands were bound behind her back, rough rope biting into her wrists. Her feet, at least, were free, which she supposed counted as a small mercy. There was also an odd pressure at her neck, like two narrow prongs pressing lightly against her throat, close enough to make her acutely aware of every swallow.
She didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Letting her kidnappers know she was awake felt like a bad idea. Instead, she took stock of her surroundings as quietly as she could.
Several figures stood nearby, all dressed in black, though not in any coordinated or impressive way. Hoodies, sweatpants, jackets, jeans, even t-shirts. T-shirts, despite the recent rain. It was less a uniform and more a jumble of dark clothing unified only by color.They were on the side of a road. One of them was pouring gasoline from a canister into the tank of a car. What kind of car, Ellie couldn’t tell, just that it was big, painted black, and had tinted windows. Had she been in it already? Huh. Figures. She hadn’t been in a car in years, and the first time since her pre-teen days, she’d been unconscious for it. Somehow, that tracked.
Alright. Enough of that.
Her head felt clearer now, the fog lifting just enough for instinct to kick in. Which meant she had no reason to stay put.
With a simple mental push, she reached for her ability. Psychic force surged outward, or at least, it was supposed to, meant to shred the rope binding her wrists and knock the people standing nearby flat.
Instead, nothing happened.
No release. No pressure. Just a faint, irritating hum inside her skull, like the signal she’d sent had nowhere to go, ricocheting uselessly against the inside of her own mind.
“What—?” She regretted the word the moment it left her mouth. It had been an act of pure instinct, confusion. She was supposed to have telekinesis. Where was the telekinesis?
“Hey.”
The word was sharp, cutting through the low murmur of voices around her. A shadow fell across her vision, and before Ellie could react, a rough hand fisted into her hair. Pain flared as her head was yanked back, forcing her to look up.
“She’s awake,” the man called out, not bothering to loosen his grip or be gentle with her poor scalp.
Ellie bit back a sound, her hands clenching uselessly behind her back as she stared up at him. Black hoodie, scruffy beard, eyes that flicked over her like she was cargo rather than a person. Around them, the others shifted, attention snapping toward her in an instant.
That was when it clicked.
The pressure at her neck wasn’t incidental. It wasn’t some awkward way she’d landed. It was a collar.
A power dampener.
The realization hit harder than the blow to her head had. Of course her ability hadn’t worked. Of course all she’d felt was that hollow hum in her skull. They’d slipped it on her while she was out cold. She muttered a curse mentally, biting down on her tongue to stop herself from speaking up, likely to insult the man currently holding her by the hair.
“Eh? Oh, that’s fine. Just make sure she keeps quiet. Or knock her out again, doesn’t matter either way,” The man that had been filling up the car responded, glancing over and making momentary eye contact with Ellie. Well, sort of making eye contact. He was wearing black sunglasses, making it a bit difficult for Ellie to actually see his eyes.
One of the others snorted softly, stepping closer. His gaze dragged over her in a way that made Ellie’s skin crawl, slow and appraising, like he was confused by her, trying to figure her out.
“Say,” he said, voice thick with amusement. “What’s the deal with it? Are they supposed to be a guy or a girl?”
A couple of them chuckled.
Ellie’s jaw tightened. Heat flared in her chest, sharp and familiar, a mix of anger and humiliation she’d learned to swallow down long ago, or at least thought she had. She kept her eyes fixed on the cracked pavement instead of giving him the satisfaction of a reaction, nails digging into her palms as she forced herself to breathe.
“Does it matter?” another voice muttered, disinterested.
“Not really,” the man replied with a shrug. “Just didn’t expect to be grabbing… whatever this is.”
The hand in her hair gave a rough tug, as if punctuating the point. Ellie sucked in a breath through her nose and stayed silent. They didn’t get her voice. They didn’t get her fear. Not yet at least.
She satiated herself slightly by imagining what she’d do to them once she got the stupid collar around her neck off. Ideally involving a boot straight to their precious bits…
“We’re fueled up. Load her into the back and let’s keep going. Not too far anyhow.” Sunglass dude gestured to the trunk, and Ellie suddenly felt herself tugged up to her feet by her hair, earning a quick grunt of disapproval from her.
“Hey, hey! Wait! What the hell is this? Stop– Stop! Hey! Stop!--” Ellie broke her silence as she was forcefully marched over to the truck, starting to shout before being quickly silenced by a sharp tug of her hair, whipping her around by her neck and tossing her off her balance.
“Shut it. Keep quiet or I’ll give you a proper concussion next,” The man holding her hair said gruffly.
Sunglasses dude began to speak up once more, glancing over to her, “If she talks again knock her out. I don’t wanna hear her v–”
Something howled through the air, and then–
WHAM!
Ellie barely had time to register the sudden rush of wind before a blur of motion exploded out of the alley behind them. There was a sharp crack, knee meeting skull.
The impact was brutal and precise, snapping sunglasses guy’s head sideways and his sunglasses sent skittering across the pavement. His body followed a heartbeat later, crumpling to the ground like a boneless heap, out cold before he even hit the asphalt.
The figure landed a few feet away in a controlled skid, boots hissing as whatever force had launched him forward bled off into the concrete. The boy straightened, brushing imaginary dust from his jacket like he had just dropped off a ledge rather than propelled himself like a missile.
“Man,” the newcomer said, glancing down at the unconscious man, “you were this close to saying something really lame.”
Ellie’s breath caught.
The hand in her hair loosened in surprise, the grip faltering just enough for her scalp to stop screaming. Around them, the other members froze, some reaching instinctively for weapons, others taking a step back.
The guy turned his attention to the rest of them, rolling his shoulders like he was warming up.
“Hi,” he added cheerfully. “Name’s Techhead. You’re gonna wanna let her go. Trust me, this gets way worse for you if you don’t.”
Up close, the newcomer, ‘Techhead’, looked like he’d been assembled from spare parts. He wore an old, ratty black leather jacket streaked with blue racing stripes, the fabric scuffed and creased from hard use. A wide, heavy belt sat at his waist, crowded with all kinds of odd, unfamiliar gizmos, metallic, angular things that hummed faintly, none of which Ellie could begin to identify. Beneath it was a plain black shirt, paired with black denim jeans worn soft at the seams.
Ellie wanted to point out that he could have used that moment of surprise more effectively than belting out a one-liner. and not even a very good one, but honestly? She was just grateful for the help. And for the distraction.
She reacted on instinct. Whipping her head sideways, she tore her hair free from her captor’s grip and lurched away, feet slipping on damp pavement as she scrambled back. With her hands still bound behind her, the movement was clumsy and unbalanced, but it was enough. Enough to put space between her and him.
The sudden motion seemed to jolt the others back into action. The man she’d escaped snarled and lunged after her, arm outstretched, while the rest of the group pivoted toward Techhead, weapons coming up fast.
They never got the chance to fire.
A sharp flash of white light burst from Techhead’s visor, brilliant and blinding. Ellie squeezed her eyes shut on instinct, white spots burning across her vision. Shouts of surprise and pain erupted as the men staggered, hands flying up to shield their faces, aim completely ruined.
In the same breath, Techhead moved.
His boots flared brighter, jets screaming as he launched himself clean over the hood of the car in a smooth, arcing leap. He came down hard on Ellie’s side of the vehicle, momentum carrying him straight into the man reaching for her. A swift, brutal kick connected with the side of the attacker’s head, snapping it sideways and sending him sprawling across the pavement.
For a brief, precious moment, the world seemed to hold its breath.
“Howdy!” The boy raised a hand, smiling goofily and waving to her as though he wasn’t just barely a foot in front of her. Then, both he and Ellie whipped their head back towards the stunned grunts as they began shouting, beginning to move around the car.
“Uh oh!” The boy said, still far too happy sounding for Ellie’s taste, “Time to bolt! Come on!”
That was all Ellie needed to hear. It was a bit awkward running with her hands tied behind her back, but she more than happily followed Techhead as he turned and ran, darting into an alley on the opposite side of the road.
They took off at a dead sprint.
Ellie’s boots slapped against wet pavement as she ran, arms useless behind her back throwing her balance off with every step. Her lungs burned almost immediately, adrenaline doing more work than her body wanted to. She risked a glance over her shoulder just in time to see the grunts pouring around the car, shouting to one another as they gave chase.
“Keep up!” Techhead called back, already a few steps ahead of her. His boots hissed and flared with short bursts of purple light as he boosted himself forward in quick, controlled spurts, slowing just enough to stay within reach of her.
They tore through the alley, splashing through puddles and skidding around piles of trash. Ellie nearly went down twice, catching herself on a wall once and barely keeping her feet the second time. The shouts behind them echoed, growing louder, closer.
Techhead skidded to a stop at the end of the alley, pivoted, and grabbed Ellie by the arm. “This way,” he said, already hauling her along as they cut hard into a second, narrower passage. He slapped something on his belt as they ran, and behind them there was a sharp crack, followed by a burst of sparks and a cloud of hissing smoke that filled the alleyway they’d just left.
Coughs and angry yells erupted from the haze, but neither Ellie nor her ‘savior’ slowed down.
They vaulted a low fence into a derelict lot, sprinted across broken concrete, then ducked through a half-collapsed doorway into the shell of an abandoned building. Techhead finally cut left, then right again, weaving through dark hallways until the noise behind them faded into distant echoes.
At last, he slowed, pressing himself against a wall and holding up a hand. Ellie staggered to a stop beside him, heart hammering in her chest, ears ringing in the sudden quiet.
For the moment, at least… they’d lost them.
“…So, hi there.”
Ellie shot him a look as he tilted his head at her, visor angled like a curious dog’s.
“Untie me,” she whispered urgently, already turning around and shoving her bound wrists toward him.
“Oh—crap. Yeah. Forgot about those—just—” Techhead muttered, fumbling briefly at his belt. Ellie felt a flash of cool steel brush against her wrist, then a quick tug. A second later, the ropes fell away, slapping softly against the floor.
She didn’t waste a second. Ellie rubbed at her wrists, then immediately reached for the collar at her neck, fingers scrabbling at the hard metal edge. “They stuck this thing on me while I was out,” she hissed. “It’s killing my powers.”
Techhead leaned in, visor whirring as he scanned it. “Yep. Power dampener,” he said, far too casually. “Cheap one, too. Honestly? Kinda insulting.”
He pulled a small screwdriver from one of the many compartments on his belt and crouched in front of her, already setting to work. “See, whoever designed this got lazy. Whole thing’s held together with one screw. One. That’s just bad engineering.”
Ellie held still, heart pounding as the screwdriver turned. She could almost feel the collar loosening, almost feel the pressure easing—
Then the sound reached them.
Voices. Shouting. Getting closer.
And beneath it all, the low, unmistakable hum of an engine crawling nearby, searching.
Techhead froze mid-turn. His visor flicked toward the sound, text spiking across it.
“…Yeah,” he muttered. “We’re out of time.”
“What? No! Dammit-” Ellie began to curse, but was interrupted by one of the grunts suddenly bursting into the hallway they were in, spotting them and shouting for his pals.
“I got it!” Jayden let go of the screwdriver, leaving Ellie to fumble with it as he darted forward, reaching into his belt and pulling out what… looked like a hockey puck.
Tossing it like a frisbee towards the man, who caught it with a confused look, glancing at it momentarily before looking back at Techhead, sneering. For a few moments. The moment the man’s fingers brushed the smooth surface of the puck, it sparked violently. White-hot arcs of electricity leapt across its surface, lancing out in every direction. The man screamed, jerking backward as bolts of power surged through him, muscles locking and spasming. His feet left the floor for a heartbeat before he hit the ground with a thud, smoke curling from the puck as it skittered harmlessly across the hall.
“Shocking, yeah?” The boy called out, grinning behind his visor as if this were the most natural thing in the world.
Ellie spun on him, eyes blazing. “Hey! Focus! We don’t have time for–”
He held up a hand, still grinning. “Yeah, yeah, I am focusing!”
But she wasn’t buying it. The sound of boots slapping the floor drew her attention back to the hallway. More grunts were pouring in, shouts echoing off the concrete walls as they closed in fast. There was no time for arguing.
“Run!” Jayden shouted, already darting ahead, the glow from his boots leaving streaks of purple light across the walls. Ellie followed, her heart hammering as she pushed herself to keep up despite the collar biting at her neck.
As they ran, Jayden tapped rapidly on his gauntlet, muttering to himself under his breath.
“What the hell are you doing?” Ellie asked, struggling to keep her voice steady over the pounding of her pulse.
He didn’t look back. “Calling us a ride,” he said, voice casual, almost too casual for the chaos around them.
Ellie blinked at him, disbelief written all over her face. “You’re kidding. You’re what?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. Don’t worry, you’ll see.”
But she didn’t have time to argue further as the sound of their pursuers grew louder, forcing them to turn sharply down another corridor, ducking low and weaving through the labyrinth of shadows in the abandoned building.
The hallway spat them out into another alley, narrower this time, littered with broken crates and slick puddles. Ellie’s lungs burned, collar tugging at her neck with every step, boots slipping on the wet concrete as she struggled to keep pace with Techhead’s jet-propelled strides.
Just as she felt the weight of exhaustion threatening to slow her, a low rumble filled the area, the alley opened onto the street, and there it was. A motorcycle roared into view, seemingly driving itself, blue and black paint gleaming even in the dim light. The engine hummed like it was alive, waiting for them.
Techhead skidded to a stop beside it, visor catching the dim light. “Hop on,” he called over his shoulder, his tone sharp but still carrying that goofy edge.
Ellie’s eyes widened. “I—wait—what—?”
“No time for questions!” he snapped, already swinging onto the seat with a fluid, practiced motion. The purple glow from his boots flared briefly as he balanced the bike, boots landing just right on the asphalt.
Ellie hesitated only a second before she grabbed the rear of the seat, hoisting herself up as best she could with her hands still trembling from the chase. Techhead reached back instinctively, giving her a steadying hand as she swung a leg over.
“Hold on tight,” he said, a grin slipping beneath his visor, “and try not to throw me off.”
Ahead, she caught movement in her peripheral, shouts, lights bouncing off the walls, and then the unmistakable glare of headlights. The grunts’ car was barreling toward them, tires squealing on the slick pavement.
Techhead twisted the throttle, and the motorcycle leapt forward like a coiled spring unspooling. The wind tore at Ellie’s hair, stinging her cheeks, but she clung to him, heart hammering as the grunts’ car roared behind them, tires screeching on wet asphalt.
Gunfire ripped through the air. Bullets spat toward them in jagged arcs, some ricocheting off walls, others whizzing just past their heads. Every so often, a shot seemed to connect, but was stopped cold by a sudden flare of hardlight, a translucent, shimmering shield that blinked into existence where the impact would have landed. Sparks danced across its surface as it absorbed the force.
“I’m low on battery!” Techhead shouted over the roar of the engine. “We can't get caught up in a firefight. Stay close and hold on!”
“How are you almost out of battery?!” Ellie screamed back, none too happy with the fact that they were apparently in danger of just coasting to a stop because he was low on charge.
“I’ve been out here all day! I was about to head home when I spotted you with those losers!”
“You don’t have any spare batteries?!”
“For a motorcycle?! Those things are huge!”
Ellie’s fingers itched, grunting in frustration., With a swift motion, she freed the screwdriver she’d kept from earlier and shoved it at the collar’s lone screw. A twist, a tug, and with a sharp click, the metal popped free. She yanked the dampener off her neck, tossing it to the side.
“I’ve got it handled!” she yelled back, voice sharp with relief and adrenaline. Her powers surged almost instantly, a tingle running down her arms as the psychic energy reawakened.Her vision sharpened, her senses keener now. That faint rattling hum in the back of her head fading away.
Ahead, the car surged closer, engine growling like a predator.
“How is their car this fast?! That thing’s huge! What kind of engine is in that damn thing?--” Techhead began, glancing backwards at the car gaining on them.
“EYES! ROAD!”
“Good point!”
Ellie’s eyes scanned the street, and her mind landed on a manhole cover nearby.
With a push of will, she reached out telekinetically, yanking the heavy metal disk free from the ground. The cover screamed upward, spinning, and she sent it hurtling straight toward the windshield of their pursuers’ car.
Techhead glanced back, visor flickering. “Ohhh—nice one!”
“ROAD! FOCUS!”
“MY BAD!”
The cover hit with a thunderous crash. Glass shattered, the car fishtailed violently, swerving as the driver fought to keep control. Ellie’s chest heaved, exhilaration mixing with fear. It felt supremely satisfying to finally land a hit on those jerks.
Purple light flared from Techhead’s boots as he twisted the throttle, accelerating away. Behind them, the car faded away into the background.
For a while, they rode in silence. The roar of the engine and the hum of the city filled the space around them, but neither spoke. Ellie’s hands clutched at Techhead’s jacket, knuckles white, as she tried to let her racing heart settle. The adrenaline still throbbed through her veins, leaving her senses taut and hyper-aware.
Techhead leaned slightly forward, the purple glow of his boots flickering with every subtle adjustment to the throttle. Behind the visor, text scrolled lazily, the numbers and letters pulsing in rhythm with the hum of the bike. After a few blocks, he finally broke the silence, his voice hesitant but not entirely serious.
“So… uh… you, uh… you got somewhere you want me to drop you off?”
Ellie hesitated, twisting slightly on the back of the seat as she considered the question. A police station flashed in her mind, neat, orderly, safe, but not really her world. Her eyes flicked ahead, to the dark streets rushing past.
“Not really,” she admitted finally, voice low. “I’m… homeless. Don’t have anywhere to go.”
Techhead let the question hang, apparently deciding not to press further. A faint whirring sound came from the gauntlet on his arm as he tapped something, though Ellie didn’t immediately ask about it. For now, she let herself exhale slowly, leaning forward slightly, closing her eyes against the wind.
“Well… that was a neat trick back there, with the manhole cover. What was that, magnetism?” He spoke up after a few moments.
“Uh, no. Telekinesis," Ellie replied,
“Cool! Cool! So you are enhanced?”
“They put a power dampener on me, dude.”
“Fair enough…”
They rode in silence for a few moments, veering off the main road and onto a side trail. It seemed to have once been solid, but had been weathered over the years, now just stray chunks of asphalt making up more of a gravel path than anything. Which made for a rather bumpy ride.
“Jesus christ- can you drive slower?!”
“Sorry! Sorry– uh– quick heads up? We’re heading back to my place, with a few friends. So uh… yeah! You can hang with us for a bit! Maybe uhh… earn your keep?”
“Earn my keep?” What did that mean? Ellie didn’t plan on being a maid for anybody.
“Yeah! Anyhow, we’re almost there, just a few more minutes. So… we’ve got beds, at least? And like, a roof.”
“...Are you mocking me? I’m homeless, not–”
“Nononono! I didn’t mean it like that! Sorry- just- I’m texting right now, so I’m a bit distracted.”
“You’re texting and driving?”
“…Forget I said that!”
“Stop texting and driving!”
“But my hands are on the wheel! I can do it hands free- besides, I’m telling my friends we got someone joining us for a bit.”
Ellie sighed, rolling her eyes and glancing up at the fading sun overhead with a look that read something along the lines of ‘seriously?’.
She had dreams of someone coming to rescue her in the past. Though in those dreams, it had just been someone saving her from homelessness. A pretty girl with kind eyes that took her hand and led her to her new home. Maybe run her a nice bath and get her some soft, clean clothes. This was not similar to one of those dreams.
No, rather than the girl of her dreams coming to save her from the streets, she had been knocked out while in pursuit of a garbage bagel, tied up, and kidnapped by some weird dudes. At least this guy was nice. Willing to give her a place to stay for the night.
With his ‘friends’, which slightly concerned her.
“Anyhow, just a bit further…” The boy helpfully narrated.
They rode for a few more minutes, eventually breaking away into an old, rundown shipyard. Ellie supposed it was pretty, in a way.
The dock was none too clean, vegetation had long since reclaimed the land that man had stolen from it, with sea water eating away at the thick concrete pillars supporting some of the docking points, which had collapsed into the water, leaving behind the ruins of what had once been a mighty fine shipyard. But the sun was setting properly now, disappearing beneath the water in brilliant shining waves of shades of pinks and golds as it dipped below the horizon.
Eventually, they skidded to a stop, and Ellie happily hopped off. ‘Techhead’, as he called himself, may have been a decent guy, but she wasn’t exactly thrilled about keeping her hands wrapped around anyone’s waist for as long as she had been.
“Home sweet home!” Speaking of Techhead, he hopped off the bike after Ellie, gesturing widely towards… what seemed like an abandoned, rundown warehouse.
Ellie didn’t have high standards though, considering the fact that she had been living out of a tent for the past few months, and before that sleeping under bridges and in old abandoned buildings, so… she was happy with this!
It did strike her as a bit odd though, this guy didn’t exactly seem like the type to live in an old warehouse like this. Seeing as he seemed a bit… high-tech
“So…”, Ellie began, glancing back over at the warehouse doors, then back towards the boy, “Do I just go in, or—“
“Techhead!” Another voice rang out, grabbing her attention.
Turning towards the source, she saw yet another boy. Brown hair, sorta similar to Techheads, though a bit wavier. Paler skin too, and he seemed… lankier. He wore a plain white button up and some black trousers, though the sleeves had been rolled up, his forearms and wrists wrapped in bandages.
“Oh! Hey! Tho— uh- Pivot! Pivot, yeah- Pivot. So uh… you got my text, right?” Techhead turned towards ‘Pivot’ (Ellie had to wonder what the hell was up with their names), waving happily.
“What? What text? You didn’t send any text. Who the hell is that?” ‘Pivot’ pointed at Ellie, not really looking at her though, instead keeping his focus on Techhead.
“I’m-“
“Uh, I totally sent a text!”
“You did not.”
“Did too.”
“You did no such thing, Techhead.”
“My name is-“ Ellie began once more
“I totally did! Check your phone.”
“I assure you, you did not.”
“Then pull it out and check!”
“Fine, fine, I will!” The lanky dude, as Ellie decided to name him in her mind, reached into his pocket, pulling out a phone and tapping away at it for a few moments.
“…”
“…”
“You didn’t see my text, did you?”
“I had do not disturb on—“
“I told you! I told you!”
“Okay- whatever! Who is this?”
Lanky guy gestured back to Ellie, who honestly just found herself grateful that they seemed to be getting back on track.
“Oh, this? Well if you had read my text, you’d know she’s gonna be staying with us for a bit! This, right here, is my new friend!” Techhead gestured to her with what closely approximated ‘jazz hands’, “ Her name is… uh… Isabel?…”
“Ellie. My name is Ellie.”
“Her name is Ellie!”
“…Okay, and… where exactly did you find Ellie?” Lanky guy asked, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“She was getting kidnappped.” Techhead said, a bit more casually than Ellie would have preferred.
“…Oh. I see… and… I apologize. Ellie, yes? No offense, but… was there nowhere else he could have dropped you?” Lanky dude spoke slowly, seemingly a bit more sensitive of Ellie after learning she had nearly just been kidnapped, which she could appreciate.
“Not really, my tent got rained on.” She replied, crossing her arms.
“Your tent… right. Okay. Well… I… suppose we could set you up for the night, but…”
“She’s enhanced, for the record. Telekinetic. Pretty strong too, tossed a manhole cover through a car windshield on my cycle.” Techhead raised his hand as he spoke, like he was a kid in school that didn’t wanna wait for the teacher to call on him.
“…I’ll keep that in mind,” Lanky dude replied dryly, “Anyhow… you ought to get inside. It’s dark now, no use in staying out longer than necessary.”
“Alright, sweet! Welcome to our base of operations, El!” Techhead smiled widely, clapping his hands together before taking hold of his motorcycle's handlebars, beginning to wheel it towards the door, gesturing for Ellie to follow.
Ellie raised an eyebrow at the nickname, but relented after a moment, following Techhead and the lanky guy inside.