Initiation of the Lost (Book 1) (6 page)

Connor came from under the console with the last guard. August released the psychic network and spoke to the last man standing.

"My friend saved you," he said, using his power to impress the suggestion. "Look."

Connor blinked. The guard looked about at his colleagues, his eyes wide, chest heaving.

"They are asleep. And you can be asleep too."

The guard looked to him earnestly: "Please. I just wanna sleep."

As August had impressed on each guard–from the front desk until now–the idea of sleep, a part of the idea rippled through his network of linked minds, priming everyone to accept the suggestion. After three suggestions, the guard had felt the fear and alertness of his fellow guards and how peaceful they now were. August did not anticipate this.

"First, show me James Crawford."

Connor released the guard who ran to the center of the console. The monitors flashed and showed one picture: two computerized doors.

"Open 'em. And what floor?"

The guard pushed a button. "First. P-please...sleep..." The man dropped to his knees crying.

"What's happening to him," said Connor.

"I think he felt the collective fear of the others," said August. "I didn't know..." He gathered himself: these men were the enemy. They didn't deserve kindness. "Show us behind the doors."

"I can't. There are no cameras. It's a top secret zone. Can I sleep now?"

August looked to Connor, who nodded. "Sl–"

The guard smiled, his eyes becoming heavy.

"Wait. Why are there so few guards for a symp?"

The guard yawned, his body going limp. Connor caught him, propping him up in a chair.

"Your
chikara
has been thoroughly contained." Yaaaawn. "He was moved here from a high security facility to maintain secrecy."

August was confused, and surprised: "If he's in a top secret zone then how do you know..."

The guard was asleep.

"It makes sense," said Connor. "He would know what's behind the doors." He reached into his coat, taking out a mechanized magnet and placed it on the screen. He activated it, waited, five seconds, then removed it.

August reconnected the psy-network and inserted one last suggestion: *Forget the entire day upon awakening. Automatically erase any evidence of our being here.* Then he tapped his comm and said, "Phase two-point-one complete."

"Phase two-point-two complete," said Abbey.

And August briefed his teammates; they assembled before the doors on the first floor. They looked to one another. This was it, phase three: collect James "Raijin" Crawford and get the hell out.

"This is it," said Connor. "We did it."

"So why is no one moving?" said Abbey.

"It all seems too easy," said Derek. On comm: "Dr. Farling, you sense anything?"

In their ears, they heard, "All is well. Everyone is unconscious."

The team once more looked to each other; Derek charged through the doors. They ran down the hall, peaking into the square windows into rooms: laboratories, supply closets, more laboratories. Finally, they ran through the double doors at the end of the hall.

The room was a vast empty space. The moon's beams streamed through the wall of window panes, but there was another light, an eerie green glow radiating from a row of pods embedded in the wall ahead. They were empty, except for one, a capsule where James Crawford, unconscious, floated in a liquid, plugged into the machine by tubes running down his spine and into his chest. Cups, also connected to tubes, covered his genitalia and rear.

"Oh God." Abbey gasped.

"We gotta do something." Connor charged.

Dr. Farling: "Wait." Connor stopped. "There's someone there. The ground. August?"

August focused beneath them: "I sense three thought streams. They're heading straight for us."

"Get out! Now!" said Cassandra.

"They knew we were coming," said Derek. "This room is a trap."

"We can't leave him," said Connor, pointing to James.

"You have to get out!" said Cassandra once more. She had sensed the rage, the desire–the thirst–to hurt–to kill–heading for her students. And with a blast, the doors blew off its hinges–the team ducked as it sailed over their heads. Three Benzaiten flew into the room, unleashing a barrage of sonic booms that sent the team scurrying, each running for a corner of the room. The Benzaiten landed back to back in the center.

"
The young ones aren't half bad
," said Benzai-three.

Benzai-one looked to the children, their faces focused, trying to contain their fear. Then she saw him: the boy she had arrested, turned into a lab experiment. She needed to get these kids out of here, give them a chance to escape.

"Leave the boy with the glasses
," she said. He was closest to the exit. "
Two take the girl; Three, take the boy in the jacket; I'll get the leader."
She'd try to signal to him to run.

"But–"

She rose into the air; her subordinates followed. They hovered, then struck for their targets, flying for the corners.

"Now!" yelled Derek.

Connor blinked; the Benzaiten staggered through the air. While they had been chatting, August linked to Derek psychically. Derek had a plan: for August to project the illusion into Connor's mind that he could see their eyes. Then August linked Derek and himself to Connor and Abbey to relay phase two: blind the Benzai and head for the center of the room. He had thought for sure one of the officers would've charged August at the portal to secure the exit.

The four teammates ran to each other–Derek noticed they didn't go for the door. But it was too late. As Benzai-three sailed through the air, heading into his corner, he swirled firing a sonic laser that drilled into Connor's back. Connor howled, the pulse driving his senses into madness.

The Benzai crashed into the walls; Team Blue crashed into each other. No one could see. Connor's power had gone berserk.

"Follow my voice," whispered the team leader.

"Something happened to Connor." Abbey grabbed him.

"He went haywire. He got hit." He wanted to scream for August and his injured friend, but he had to stay calm. "Everyone quiet."

In the darkness, Derek pushed Abbey, hoping she understood he wanted her to leave him. The Benzaiten knew where they were–they needed to scatter. The officers themselves were still at the corners. If they had moved he would've heard the mechanized hum of their armor. He needed August. If they could mind-link they could talk without alerting the Benzai. Derek kept reaching out with his mind, trying to find, to grasp, his friend. But nothing. What had happened? He balled his fist: if he had to kill all three of them to get his friends back, he would.

"Alright," he finally said. "My team has already scattered. You shoot me, you'll be blind forever."

"We know where you are," said Benzai-one. "Sonar."

"Well you haven't attacked. So you must want your eyes back. You kill the one who blinded you'll stay that way forever." A lie? Who knew?

"We will let you leave."

"We want our friend first."

A laugh. "Sure," said Number Three. "Unplug him and take his corpse."

"What my subordinate is trying to say is, we've seen those pods before. They're for preservation. Life support."

"What happened?" Derek's voice shook. He had to buy time, account for Connor and August. He wanted to believe when he had said they'd scattered, they understood he was talking to them and left. He wanted to believe it was just him in the room. Everything was okay as long as they were gone.

"Your friend must be gone by now," said Number One.

"It happens," added Number Three.

A gasp. Abbey. By the portal.

A high pitched winding. A machine charging.

"My second subordinate has the girl."

"Not quite," said Abbey. Benzai-two yelped, feeling his metal armor crunch around him.

"
She's controlling my armor
," he muttered through the pain. "
I can't move. Armor is glitching.
"

"Alright," said Derek. "Considering what you did to our friend, you don't care about anyone else. We leave then you get your sight back. You kill us, you’re blind forever."

"Like hell," said Number Three. "I think–"

"Silence," said Benzai-one. "Leader, gather your team and get out."

Derek couldn't see the menacing armor, the cold black masks. He only heard her sincerity.

"Rocky Road, you here me?" he called out.

When the room went blind, August had come to a halt. In the dark, he shuffled forward, still moving towards the center. But he tripped, falling to the ground. Reaching behind him, touching out to feel what he stumbled over, he grasped cloth, a coat, Connor. A hand grasped him, holding tight. He tried to reach for Derek, for Abbey, but afraid for Connor, his telepathy could only reach for him, his fallen teammate. He held Connor's hand, tears falling, feeling Connor's pain and fear as his mind slowly slipped away. They didn't hear Derek or the Benzai. The world was dark and silent. August held Connor tight, hugging him, trying to make him feel warm, like the tighter he grasped the body the tighter his mind could grasp the mind fading. But he knew he was going and would be gone; so he showed him some place special, a place where a large tree was surrounded by flowers, surrounded by plains of grain, where the stars twinkled in the daytime at his command. There. Connor. Faint, but there. He looked at August. Smiled. And was gone. The body in August's arms went limp. He saw his teammate, lifeless in his arms. But he would've gone blind forever to pull his friend back to him.

Benzai-Three took aim. Number One shouted out; Derek ran for August.

BOOOOOOOOM!

Derek jumped in front of the blast, wrapping himself around August, the two lifting off the floor, sailing through the air, crashing through the window. They landed hard on the dirt as shards of glass rained around them.

BOOM!

Derek grasped August's hand as the blast sent them sliding across the ground.

"August!"

No reply. His eyes were closed.

Derek couldn't move. He was too weak. Connor? Abbey? Where were they?

Benzai-three appeared above, hovering.

BOOM!
A blast to Benzai-three's back.

"
That was a warning, Hajime
," said Number One.

"Stay away from them! Or I'll...I'll kill him!" yelled Abbey. Benzai-two screamed.

"Your leader was right, little girl," said Number Three. "We don't give a damn."

"I do." The Benzai Commander charged her cannon.

Benzai-three redirected his cannon at his superior.

"
You fire
," she said, "
and your life is over
."

Central Command had strict policies against insubordination, considered equal to treason. Hajime, Benzai-three, had an itchy trigger finger, but concrete proof of an attack against his commanding officer in a system that worshipped hierarchy would mean execution–he'd disappear, like he had never existed.

Abbey watched the stand off, wishing she could do something: create a magnetic pulse to drain their armor of power (she should've thought of that earlier), get to Derek and August and...something. But her powers were concentrated on Benzai-two, she didn't trust he was weak enough to be released.

"I can help," he now said. "My captain wishes a calm resolution. I can help her."

Could she trust him? Would he follow his superior's orders or turn against her like his friend?

She released–Benzai-two swung his robotic arm, smashing her against the wall. She fell to the floor. Quiet.

Benzai-two aimed his cannon.

"
Katsume, what are you doing?
" said Number One, seeing Number Two's barrel pointed at her.

"
I'm sorry, Aika. But you see this...
" His cannon wavered; his legs shook. "
These chikara...there are so many...they are organizing into armies. WE have to wipe them out...before it's too late.
"

"
Now,
" said Hajime. They fired; their former leader making one last charge. The concussive blasts struck her in the chest and she flew back. She struggled to her feet...

BOOM BOOM!
And she fell, helpless.

Katsume fired his cannon at Abbey, releasing a glue that bound her. They'd take her, interrogate her, find out what she knew about the chikara. Hajime snuck up behind his ally. He pushed the helmet release button, knocked off his partner's mask, and fired a light blast in his face. Katsume fell at his feet.

Rising into the air, Hajime glided out the window. Derek, nearly paralyzed from pain and fatigue, had gotten onto his knees, then staggered to his feet, now dragging August down the hill.