“Only a few centimeters, but still incredible. He was in one spot, and in the blink of an eye was in another.”
“And Aalexis?”
“Aalexis cooperated, but the assistants had to work with her. She’s becoming quite defiant.”
The angelic face of the young beauty was dangerous, her innocent look deceiving. Aalexis was the perfect predator.
If Ellyssa hadn’t escaped, his vision could already be underway.
Of course, growing his army without the mind reader could be done, but to know what your enemy was planning before execution was beneficial. Plus, his soldiers would need to be able to seek out hidden lairs. He needed all of his children’s gifts added into the final sequence.
George wished he’d sent Micah earlier. The oldest of his children had proved invaluable in the search for Ellyssa. Without him, Detective Petersen would never have located the storage facility. His child could have saved precious days better used by splicing the genetic makeup.
“She knows how powerful she is,” George said, eyes gleaming.
“Dr. Hirch, you don’t understand how difficult she’s becoming. Her sudden changes in attitude are unpredictable. The staff is growing wary of her.” Leland pulled his hand over his face. “They’re afraid.”
The news caused George’s smile to intensify.
“What if she hurts someone?”
George brushed off the notion with his hand. “Impossible. She has been educated on proper protocol. She will obey me.”
“Like Ellyssa?”
A tic worked at George’s jaw as anger responded. “The two are unrelated. Aalexis is just finding herself.”
“None of the other children have proven to be so difficult. Even without emotions, they knew what was expected. They all obeyed, like good soldiers, without question.” Leland pulled a stool over and sat down in front of the microscope. “What if she…becomes uncontrollable?”
“What are you suggesting?”
Glancing down at the Petri dish, Leland said, “It’s just—you have what you need from her. Maybe she should be…”
Leland didn’t finish the statement; he didn’t need to. Without giving control a thought, George advanced on the younger man, grabbing him by the lapels. He yanked the assistant to his feet. Nose to nose, he glared into the startled man’s eyes. He’d had enough of him.
“She is indispensible,” he seethed, “unlike you.”
Fear froze Leland’s face in a partial shout. Panicky breaths wheezed between his parted lips.
Finding his restraint, the doctor released his grip and smoothed out the crumpled fabric of the collar. “Your services are no longer needed.”
“Wh-what?”
His demeanor calmed, he stepped away. “Your judgment has become clouded. I will talk to career services. You will be placed in a more… appropriate job.”
The fear melted away as the tendons in Leland’s jerked. “You’re playing with something very dangerous.”
“I know what I am doing.”
“You have no idea.” Leland spun around and stalked toward the door.
George felt heat rush into his face at the young man’s gibe. He inhaled once and maintained control.
“Leland,” the young assistant stopped, his shoulders clenched, “your badge.”
Leland yanked the identification off his coat and tossed it on the table.
“Security will meet you at the doors. I would not keep them waiting.”
As Leland walked out the door, George hit the intercom and alerted the guards. Afterwards, he contacted the
Kripo
unit and spoke with the man Angela had left in charge.
“I want you to keep close tabs on Leland.”
33
Under the soft glow of his flashlight and the moon, Rein examined the debris covering the drive leading to the weather-beaten farmhouse. Something was wrong. The decaying trunk looked out of place, as did the bushes.
As a matter of fact, nothing had seemed right since he and Woody had left the cavern. Right from the beginning, Rein’s radar had been tripped.
Davis’ absence nagged him. The ranger had failed to leave a message. He had to have known about the search. They’d checked all the designated points for communication—nothing.
The rusty Oshkosh was still parked in the barn where he and Doc had left it. They were hoping it’d still be there, because it’d be easier to move the supplies, but neither had really expected to find it. Then it’d seemed as if the search teams had completely disappeared, which spooked Rein more than the thought of running into them.
“I don’t like this,” he admitted while helping Woody pull the rotting tree trunk out of the way.
Woody rolled his eyes. “What’d you expect?” Grunting, he lifted his side of the tree over a protruding rock. “Listen, we’re going to load the stuff and get our asses out of here.”
Rein hoped he was right.
They finished the job and climbed back inside the cab, him with his doubts and Woody with a reassuring smile.
“We should consider ourselves lucky we haven’t run into anybody,” said Woody as the truck jolted forward. “You worry too much.”
Rein looked forward, concentrating on keeping the wheels aligned with the grooved tracks, once in awhile bouncing over a rut. Not an easy feat, but the full moon helped with navigation. “Seriously? After you being a jerk about Ellyssa, and your paranoia of about being discovered, now you’re all calm when your fears are justified. They’re searching for her.”
“I was wrong about her,” Woody said, his voice soft.
Although Rein knew Woody had had a change of heart about Ellyssa, he’d never expected him to admit his misjudgment. Surprised, Rein looked askance at his friend. “Really?”
“Yeah. The concern she showed for Jordan was something I’d never witnessed before,” Woody said, as he faced Rein. “She’d only known him for a couple weeks, and supposedly she’s an emotionless soldier, but she really cared about him.” He glanced down, lips pursed before he continued. “She cried. And I mean cried. Not just a few tears, but an ocean of them.” Sighing, he turned away. “Plus, she was there for me.”
Rein’s grip tightened on the steering wheel as jealousy reared its ugly head. He should’ve been there, not Woody, to hold her and make her feel safe during the emotional barrage. It was a part of her transformation that he’d never be a part of. A part of her she’d always share with Woody.
“Jordan was right. She’s special, Rein,” continued Woody, oblivious to Rein’s reaction.
“I know,” he replied in a low voice.
The dirt path roughened, and the two men bounced over the rain-washed potholes. The old truck rattled and creaked. Rein eased his foot off the gas and glided, trying to cut the jostling to a minimum. The last thing he needed right now was to leave a trail of parts.
From behind a thick fir tree, the rubble of the farmhouse glided into view. The mound of debris was silhouetted against the light of the night sky. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary. But with every meter the tires rolled, Rein’s apprehension radar pegged.
“Something’s definitely not right,” he said, bringing the truck to a stop.
Sweeping his gaze across the field, Woody said, “There’s nobody here.”
“There’s no one that you can see.”
“Do you honestly think we’d have gotten this far if they knew about this place? They would’ve stopped us on the road. Hell, probably back at the barn.”
“I don’t know, Woody.”
“You were all for this back home.”
“I know, but…” His words trailed off.
“Rein, you’re spooking yourself. Look, we at least have to get a few of the supplies, or we won’t make it. Let’s just grab a couple of boxes of food and get out of here.” He paused. “Okay?”
Inhaling deeply, the word
no
dangled on Rein’s lips. An urge to run twitched in his gut. Instead, he released the brake, and the truck jerked forward.
“Four boxes of food.”
Pulling the truck next to the sagging wall, Rein pushed the gear into neutral. He left the engine idling. “Four boxes.”
Woody glanced at him and wagged his brow. “This is it. Keep your eyes open.”
“Stop it.”
Woody scrambled out with his gun, and Rein reluctantly stepped from the driver’s side. A low wind rustled through the grass, carrying the scent of fall blooms and pine. He peered into the line of trees, seeing nothing more than a rugged black outline that circled the overgrown field. There were no sounds of insects or curious wildlife.
Everything was eerily quiet.
He grabbed his rifle off the seat and moved to the other side of the truck where Woody waited.
Everything appeared normal, but the tiny hairs on the back of his neck said otherwise. He moved the branches aside and grabbed the edge of the old tin door. The door swung open easily, without a squeak. He gazed into the gaping hole. Darkness swirled.
“I hate to say it, but I told you so,” Woody said with a smug grin.
Rein ignored him.
Switching on his flashlight, Woody said, “You ready?” He directed the beam into the mouth of the basement.
“Not really,” Rein replied. He descended the steps anyway.
A chill met Rein at the bottom of the stairs, sending a shiver down his spine. He didn’t remember the cold being so biting before. He swept his flashlight to the right. The beam revealed boxes and cartons of supplies piled along the walls.
Everything as it should be
. Relieved, he stepped toward the bounty, but as he moved, the light flashed deeper into the hand-dug basement. From his peripheral vision, a reflective glimmer caught his eye.
Rein stopped dead, as did Woody. His heart leapt into his throat and raced in his ears. His first impulse was to flee, to run up the steps, hop into the truck, and tear out of there. But voices, and the soft clicking of shoes on the scrap above them, told him escape wasn’t a possibility. For a split second, ice ran through Rein’s veins and his muscles seized. Then, everything fast-forwarded.
“Move,” he shouted, shoving Woody toward the stairwell. His friend’s flashlight clattered to the ground; the light winked out.
Woody stumbled under the steps and slipped behind a wooden beam as Rein rolled behind the stack of supplies. He flicked off his flashlight and gripped the gun, pulling it into his chest. The coolness from the metal penetrated the thin material of his T-shirt.
Swallowed in blackness, as if time itself had disappeared, everything else seemed magnified. The clicks and voices from above, his breathing, his heart rate. Rein stared over where Woody was, but he couldn’t make out anything other than a dark silhouette.
“Put your weapons out where we can see them,” said a feminine voice, filled with authority. Deep satisfaction saturated her tone.
A familiar hum Rein had lived with all his life resonated, and a blinding light flooded the enclosed space. Ducking behind the boxes, Rein glanced at Woody. Terror drained all color from his friend’s face as he pressed his back against the beam like he was trying to melt into the wood. His grey eyes were wide and scared, hair slicked to his head. Rein knew his expression mirrored Woody’s.
“Don’t move,” Rein mouthed.
Woody gave him a
duh
look.
Rein worked to loosen his death grip on the rifle. As the blood ran back into his fingers, he slid the bolt back and chambered a round. The click echoed in his ears, drowning out the thumping of his heart.
“If you value your friend’s life, drop your weapons and show yourselves. I want to see your hands first.” The same feminine voice, only this time, anger pulled at each word. “Now!”
Friend?
Taking his eyes off Woody, Rein peeked through a small gap between two of the boxes. Beaten and bleeding, Davis sat slumped in a chair, a strap around his chest and two leather bindings around his wrist holding him in place. His head cocked strangely to one side, one eye blackened and swollen like his lips. Blood ran from the edge of his hairline down the side of his face. The ranger opened his one good eye and desperately stared toward the stairs as if looking for rescue.
The torture their contact had suffered was incomprehensible, but gauging from the lean woman in off-duty, civilian clothing, flared jeans and a black blouse, Rein began to understand. The woman’s blond hair was cut short, cropped at her neck, and her face was pinched in hardness, sharpening the angle of her cheeks and thinning her lips into nonexistence. She aimed an electroshock weapon at Davis’ head.
Her mouth pulled into a smirk as she thumbed a button on the weapon. Davis’ muscles locked, his hands gripping the armrests and his head rocking from side to side. She released the button and Davis stilled, his head flopping back over to the side. Spittle streamed from the corner of his mouth to the collar of his shirt. His good eye rolled under his lid.
Horrified, Rein couldn’t look away.
“Do you understand me, now? First, your weapons.”
Hands shaking, Rein carefully placed his rifle on the ground where she could see it. Woody copied his actions.
“Put your hands where I can see them, and step out.”
A grin stretched across the woman’s face as Rein stepped out, palms up. Woody stopped next to him.
“That’s better,” she said. “Let me introduce myself. My name is Detective Petersen. And you are…?”
When neither Rein or Woody responded, the detective’s eyebrows pinched together. “I see. Introductions can wait. You gave us quite the run, didn’t you?” she said as she walked around Davis, her weapon still trained on him. “Captain Jones, would you remove their weapons?”
Two men stood next to the generator, both tall, muscular, and blond. The one dressed in a green police uniform was older with sea blue eyes and defined cheekbones. He shifted from one foot to the other, as if nervous, and kept glancing over at Davis with a mixture of regret and hate. The other was dressed in regular jeans and a T-shirt, young, with alabaster skin, his hair platinum, his features familiar. He looked bored, unaffected.
The older one stepped forward, his electroshock weapon trained on them. He warily walked toward the men. “Step over there.” He motioned toward the front of the staircase with the electroshock weapon .
Rein nudged Woody, and they both moved.