Cipher (25 page)

“And the last one?”

“You’re not going to like this.”

“I already hate everything about this. Just tell me.”

“The car disappeared in the Nevada desert, and I haven’t been able to find it.”

“What do you mean disappeared?”

“It’s not just in the dead zone, it’s off the grid entirely. Short of moving some satellites into Seligo occupied space, I can’t track her.”

I stopped walking and started sprinting. “Everyone move. Now. I want you in the cars and ready to move five minutes ago!”

As soon as I was in the car, I took off. Dex was still half outside.

“Fucking shit, Hunter. Are you trying to kill me?”

“I can’t help it if you’re slow.”

He muttered something and I didn’t give a shit what it was. He was quiet for a second. “That’s a lot of desert to search.”

“I know.”

“There’s no power there. No surveillance.”

My knuckles turned white on the steering wheel. “I know.”

“She’ll be cut off from her ability.”

I ground my teeth. “I know.”

“So how are we going to find her?”

“I don’t fucking know, okay. I don’t know.” I shouted at him and cringed. “Sorry.”

“We’ll get her back.”

That sickening feeling in my stomach was back. I gripped the steering wheel and pressed on the gas. The desert was massive. We’d have to get lucky with the air team to have any clue where Emma was being held.

I gripped the steering wheel hard.

This was royally fucked.

Chapter Nineteen

CIPHER

My heart was beating so fast in my chest that I was pretty sure I was going to have a heart attack if it didn’t slow down. I started meditating, or tried to, but a man strode through the plastic, killing my concentration dead. Dr. Grozdan. His white lab coat billowed behind him as he speed-walked toward me. His eyes were deep set and dark, and his hair was slicked back.

I wasn’t sure how long I’d been here. Days maybe? The Black Helix goons had knocked me out a few times. I’d been in and out of consciousness for a while, but now I was awake.

I wasn’t sure what I was more afraid of—being awake or being knocked out.

Dr. Grozdan moved to the closest rolling cart and opened a drawer of implements. Metal clanked on metal as he searched for his torture device of choice.

He turned back around with a needle.

No way. An injection? We had technology. It was easier to put on a patch that delivered whatever straight to your bloodstream. “What the hell?”

“It’s a shot.” He wasn’t mocking me, simply stating a fact.

“I see that, but it’s got a real needle on it. It’s older than Nagi.”

He petted the syringe like it was something to be revered. “It’s perfectly safe, and has no electricity for you to pull from.”

“I don’t care about it being safe. Get that thing away from me. Go get a normal non-prehistoric torture device. Hell, I’ll take last decade’s injection gun over that.”

“Those run on power, and aren’t allowed in this room. This will have to do.” He stepped toward me. “I’ve heard that it will only hurt for a moment.”

Bullshit. No one had used an actual needle in forever. He had no data to back up his dumb-as-fuck statement.

He wiped my arm with some sort of chemical and then stabbed the long-ass-needle into my bicep.

I gasped as my eyes crossed. “Holy shit that hurts.”

“Oh yes, I was supposed to tell you to breathe out. It’s supposed to make it not hurt as much. Well, next time…”

Next time? Next time!

He pulled the needle out much slower than it went in. Was he trying to prolong the discomfort? Pain traveled through my arm as whatever was in the injection made its way through my body. I ground my teeth until it was bearable. “What was in that?”

“A microbe. It’s a biological information gathering system. We inject it, and then after three hours, take a sample of your blood. It’ll tell us more about your current genetic status and the extent of your…powers. Once I know more about your DNA sequencing, then I can tailor a second batch to really get into the nitty-gritty of how you are the way that you are. If this yields the data I need to prove my thesis, I can finally be elevated to Seligo.” His matter-of-fact way of talking made me want to punch him. If I ever got free from the table, I’d make sure to do just that. “You might experience some discomfort as the microbe makes its way through your system, but it shouldn’t be more than you can bear.”

More than I could bear? My blood was on fire, like he’d injected acid into my veins. “This is more than discomfort.”

He grunted. “Well, I can’t give you any pain inhibitors. There’s always the chance they could interfere with the results. You’ll just have to take it.” He patted my leg. “Don’t forget to breathe.”

I clenched my jaw and tried to focus on not swallowing my tongue.

I heard myself whimper. My eyes started to tear up, so I closed them and focused on my time with Knight on the island. On how he made me feel. The sound of the waves on the beach.

He would find me. I knew it. He wouldn’t give up. I couldn’t either.

Thinking of him made me feel better. It didn’t hurt as much. Or at least he was enough of a distraction to get me through it. So I thought about his dimples. His bright blue eyes and how they changed shade depending on his mood. About his neatness. And his sensitivity. And his abs. I could dream about those abs forever.

I missed the jerk.

But he was safe. Far, far away from whatever hellhole I was in. He’d be pissed that I left. Maybe even looking for me by now.

I wondered if he’d ever find me.

If I’d ever get out.

The pain was getting worse. What happened at the end of three hours? Would whatever was left in me die out? Or would this pain be a fun new addition to my life?

No. It had to go away.

Something brushed my hand and I whimpered again, squeezing my eyes tight.

The lab-dick was back. So was my uncle. They were arguing, but I couldn’t focus on their words. The pain was too much.

Sweat soaked through my clothes and I started to shake.

I choked as my body tried to rid itself of the chemicals. Suddenly I was rolled to my side, free of my bindings, as the contents of my stomach came back up. Just my luck I wasn’t in any state to try to get away.

Another needle stabbed my bicep.

Then there was nothing but darkness.

***

The next time I awoke I was blessedly alone. The bindings were back, but that was to be expected. My mouth tasted like something had died in it. I could’ve killed for a toothbrush, some super minty toothpaste, and an ice-cold glass of water.

The only positive was that I could feel a faint twinkling of energy. It made zero sense. It was barely there, so much so that at first I thought it was my imagination. But then, a dusting of electricity hit my fingertips when I tried to pull it and I knew it was real.

How could there be electricity here, when Jack had cleared the space to hold me?

I tried to focus on what Knight had taught me on the island. Everything in nature had a base electrical current. Electrons moved. I tried to feel it, to pull the energy toward me, but without him here to ground me, it was so much harder. It was like I could see what I needed just outside of my peripheral vision, but couldn’t reach it.

I struggled against the bonds that held me to the bed, and suddenly it didn’t matter where the electricity was coming from, only that it was there. That little buzzing along the outskirts of my senses boosted my confidence. Even if I could grab it, it wasn’t enough to stop a heart or even bust a lightbulb. But if I could get it to come to me, then maybe I could scare the guards. Keep the sadist and his needles away from me.

I smacked my lips and blinked. My vision was going a little fuzzy around the edges, even lying down. That cold glass of water was becoming more of a necessity by the second.

“Hey,” I said. My voice was raspy and much quieter than it should be when it felt like I was yelling. Whatever Grozdan had given me was seriously gnarly.

Rustling noises came from beyond the plastic curtains.

“Hey! I need some water!”

No one came.

“Hey!” I put a little more force behind it. “Water! Please! I’m dying over here.”

“We’re not supposed to go beyond the barrier. You’re going to have to go without,” said a deep voice.

“You scared of little ole me?” Chicken. If he came over here, I could try to give him a little shock. “Come on. There are how many of you—”

“Forty-one.”

“Jeez. Forty-one to watch one little girl who’s strapped to a bed and helpless. And not one of you is brave enough to get me a glass of water. Someone never learned their manners…”

A hushed argument echoed through the plastic and then someone strode through the sheets. The guy who stepped around the bed was tall and Asian, and held a glass of water.

“Thanks.”

“My mother raised me correctly, but you’re a prisoner for a reason. Reds are dangerous.”

“Not me. Not here.”

The beige plastic glass had a straw in it.

He held the straw to my lips and I tried to sit up a little so that I wouldn’t choke. As I sucked the lukewarm water down, I focused those tiny little specks of electricity along the straw. I held a little bit of water in my mouth and coughed, using it to conduct a tiny bit of electricity as it splattered him.

“Motherfucker,” he said as the cup crashed to the ground. “The bitch shocked me.”

“Come on. There’s nothing here for me to use. Even the lamps are gas.”

“Get back here, Chu.”

Chu looked around the room, then to the glass, and finally back to me. He didn’t understand what’d happened. I didn’t need him to. It was enough for me to know.

“What are you doing in there?” Dr. Grozdan sounded pissed. “I gave orders no one was to go near her.”

“I only gave her a sip of water.”

“Out. Get out now.” Dr. Grozdan came toward me. “You’re up.”

Way to state the obvious, Dr. Dumbass. “As up as I can get while being strapped to a bed.”

“It’s time for another injection. I’ve changed the formula again. This one should give us more information. If I’d…” He trailed off but I didn’t care. All I could do was stare at that needle.

The last one had hurt when I got it, but it was the effect after that I had zero desire to relive. “Please. I’ll do whatever you want. Just not another shot.”

He grasped my arm. “It’s necessary.”

The needle shoved in and I screamed. This one was so much worse than the last time.

One second I was screaming, the next I was dead to the world.

***

When I woke again, I felt even shittier, if that were possible, but at least I wasn’t hooked up anymore. I lay curled on my side, every muscle in my body aching. Even my fingernails hurt. I wasn’t sure if I could move, but I gathered myself and sat up.

The room spun around me. Someone whispered something, but I couldn’t hear what they said. The second piece of good news was that the little fuzzies that had been on the fringe were now full force in front of me.

One of Jack’s men came through the curtain. He tossed a plastic water bottle at me, and I let it hit me in the chest.

An ache rolled through me, but I ignored it. “It’s hard for me to move.”

The guard inched forward and picked up the water bottle. His eyes stayed on me the whole time he bent over. He moved to me, wary of what I might do.

I didn’t know why they were suddenly so scared of me. I’d barely even shocked the last guy. Static electricity did worse.

Maybe I was giving something away with my face. Maybe he could see through me.

As soon as he reached out, I grasped his wrist and let the electricity flow. Just enough to fibrillate his heart. He gasped and his body thudded to the ground.

For a moment I watched him twitching there, and regretted it, but this wasn’t the time to feel guilty. I swung my legs over the edge of the bed.

“Don’t move,” one of the guards shouted from beyond the plastic curtain. The barrel of a rifle peeked through.

He wasn’t going to shoot me. And if he was, I wasn’t sure I cared. I wanted out. It was a game of chicken, and I was more than ready to call their bluff.

I stood up from the bed on wobbly knees.

“Don’t move.”

I kept walking and heard the guys scrambling.

“Keep a safe distance from her. She might want a stroll but she’s not going anywhere. There’s nowhere for her to go.”

I moved past the plastic barrier. My plastic cube stood in the middle of a massive hangar. Over forty Black Helixes surrounded me, weapons drawn.

The guys stepped back each time I stepped forward. I needed a plan. If I could find a car, and knock all these guys out, then maybe I could run. Maybe I could get away. I could—

An explosion rocked the building. The instruments on the carts rattled as my plastic prison shook. Jack’s men shouted orders at each other, but I couldn’t do anything but grin as another explosion rattled the steel walls.

I wobbled, almost biting it, but a burst of adrenaline rushed through my body, taking away the pain. Smoke rolled through the hangar, licking along the walls. Gunshots nearby rang in my ears.

I looked down at the glowing tattoo on my hand. Somehow I knew.

Hunter had found me.

Chapter Twenty

KNIGHT

Chaos rang in the night as we moved through the old storage facility. “I want a hangar by hangar sweep. Capture anyone who doesn’t resist. I don’t give a shit what you do with the rest. Any computer, any drive, any bit of information—I want it. All of it. Let’s make this clean.”

Dex moved in front of me and threw a grenade. I protected my ears and took cover as I waited for the explosion, and then jumped him.

“What the fuck! She could be in there.”

“You’re losing it.” He pulled free from me. “She’s not in there. It’s already been checked. But there were seventeen hostiles. Now none. Let’s move.”

He was right. I was losing it. If she wasn’t here, I didn’t know what I was going to do.

“We have her,” I heard through the link in my ear. “You’ll want to see this.”