“Enough, Aalexis.”
The pain instantly stopped, disappearing like it had never happened. The aftereffects still remained, though. Gasping, Rein slumped forward in the chair, the ropes holding his limp body in place. Sweat poured from his forehead and dripped into his eyes.
“I hope this little demonstration has changed your mind about helping us.”
Wearily, Rein lifted his head as high as he could. Through the pain-induced blur, he could barely make out the forms of the doctor and the girl. He tried to form words, but his mouth refused to work. He barely managed to shake his head before it fell forward.
“You leave me little choice. Aalexis, if you would.”
Pain flowed again. At first it was slow, a faint burn, like someone had touched his insides with a match, one organ after another. But as the intensity grew, it clouded his mind, until it dominated the core of his being. In retrospect, he wished he’d accepted the medication the doctor had offered earlier.
In the moment, Rein’s screams filled the air.
39
Ellyssa heard muffled voices as the crate was lifted from the train and loaded into a vehicle. She stayed perfectly still, her breaths shallow.
Whoever had moved her crate slid her into place onto another vehicle. The wood of her enclosure grated along metal. Silence followed, except for the hum of motors or the occasional mumblings from some passerby.
Ellyssa wondered to whom she and Woody were entrusting their lives. Was it a friend? A foe? Fingering the release, her brain screamed for her to lift the lid and peek, if for no other reason than to be prepared. The risk of exposure was too great. Pressing her lips together, Ellyssa forced her hand to let go of the lock. She had other means to seek information.
She blanked her mind, opened her gated barrier, and drifted into the closest person. A male, his thoughts teemed with anxiety, incoherent and hard to read. She slipped into another male, next to him. Jumbled images flickered through him, including a deep concern for their packages. He was looking at a female, who seemed calm. The female had blond hair and blue eyes, easily recognizable as a citizen.
Ellyssa concentrated on the female. She felt rushed to get their
special
cargo loaded. She directed the two males, both also citizens, to load the other crate. Ellyssa recognized the rectangular box as the one containing Woody. Relieved, she pulled away from the stranger’s mind.
After a few minutes, the vehicle tipped down slightly as Woody’s container slid into place next to hers. She floated into Woody’s head, just to be sure. No anxiety or fear plagued her friend. He was calm and relaxed. Darkness pooled around him.
The anonymous persons opened the truck’s doors and, once again, the truck dipped as three distinct people clambered inside the cab. The engine turned over, and the sensation of movement followed.
Ellyssa hadn’t the slightest idea where they were headed. The Renegades’ nameless cohorts’ minds said nothing of a location. She tried using the sounds of her surroundings to gather her bearings, but all she heard were engines of other cars as they stopped and accelerated along the street.
She wanted to call out to Woody, but the soldier side of her obeyed Tim’s instructions to stay silent. She hoped the contacts would stop soon and release her. Every instinct she had rallied to be freed.
The vehicle dipped and swayed to the left and right as the driver maneuvered around curves and corners. Then, there was a long straightaway that seemed to last forever. The truck gently rocked back and forth, and the soft hum of tread on the blacktop was hypnotic. Sleep pulled on Ellyssa’s lids and she caved. The next thing she knew, the truck skidded to a stop and its doors opened.
Wide-awake now, Ellyssa waited. People shouted and doors creaked. Her box was slid toward the back of the truck, and then lifted out. One of her carriers grunted as he adjusted to her weight, and then she bounced with each step they took. From what she could determine from the ruckus, Woody followed close behind.
“Tilt it to the right,” said a female.
Ellyssa was shifted to the side, moved forward, and righted again. A moment later, she was jostled as the contacts placed her on a hard surface. A thump sounded close by, she assumed from Woody’s box.
No one spoke, but there was plenty of noise as people—she counted fifteen—shuffled around. She also heard clicking, like ammunition being loaded.
Anxious, she touched the latch, the metal cool under her fingertips. No one had moved to let either of them out. With freedom no more than a flick away, the temptation grew. What if her sudden move surprised them? What if a jumpy citizen had a twitchy finger? What if the
Gestapo
stood waiting? She decided to be patient.
Footsteps approached. Metal scraped along metal and the lid swung open. White light flooded in. She flinched at the sudden brilliance and closed her eyes. False light flashed behind her lids as her pupils adjusted. She blinked a couple of times before opening her eyes on a face that mirrored her shock.
“Ellyssa?” Leland asked.
A trap!
Why else would he be here?
Ellyssa’s instincts kicked in automatically. Before she could think, she reacted. Her fist snapped out and connected with Leland’s chin. His head whipped back, and he stumbled out of view. She pushed herself out onto her feet into a small audience of surprised faces, her back toward the table holding the crates.
“
Easily disposed of
,” Ellyssa thought, as she evaluated the five carrying guns.
Next would be Leland. He posed the most danger, after the armed people.
The doctor’s assistant leaned against the wall. His hand covered the lower part of his face, and he stared at her with wide, disbelieving eyes. She noted the blood on his shirt.
Surprisingly, no one had made a move toward her, and all the muzzles were pointed down, but Ellyssa had no intention of waiting for them to react. She kicked the gun out of the hands of the male directly in front of her. Before the weapon even hit the floor, she stepped forward, palm out, with the intent of striking his nose. The male flinched, face scrunched, waiting for impact.
“Ellyssa! No!”
Woody’s voice stopped Ellyssa from following through, her hand a fraction of a centimeter from her target. She glanced sideways.
Woody stumbled toward her with a piece of packing foam twisted around his legs. He waved his arms frantically. “It’s okay. You’re safe.”
Confused, she looked at the armed guards. The muzzles remained pointed toward the floor. She looked at Leland. He hadn’t moved at all, his hand still covering his mouth and chin, eyes still wide with shock.
Woody kicked off the foam and rushed to her side. He grabbed the hand threatening the stranger, pulling it to his chest. His warmth radiated within her, reminding her of Rein. Ellyssa paused.
“You’re safe,” he repeated.
As Woody slid his arm around her shoulders, Ellyssa glanced around at all the surprised faces. The male she’d almost struck bent over and picked up his weapon off the floor.
“What happened?”
She pointed at Leland. “Do you know who he is?”
Woody’s eyebrow cocked. “You do?”
“Yes.”
Leland lowered his hand. Blood splattered his face, and his bottom lip was split wide open. He took a tentative step forward. “I can’t believe it,” he said.
“You know each other?” asked Woody.
Leland nodded. “I used to work at The Center.” Directing his attention to Ellyssa, he brought his fingers to his mouth, touching his injury. “I’ve never seen any of you move like that. You were a blur.”
“What are you talking about? You ran experiments on all of us, like we were rats,” she sneered.
“Yes, but during tests, none of you ever performed with such efficiency. It seems, when you feel truly threatened, your instincts go into hyperdrive.” He shook his head. “You were amazing.”
Woody looked from one to the other. “Will someone explain what the hell is going on?”
“You do not know?” she asked Woody. She turned toward the crowd. “Do any of you know?”
A pretty female, no older than thirty with curly, golden-blond hair, stepped forward. “You’re one of The Center’s children.”
Stunned, Ellyssa faced the curly-haired female. “You know about us?”
“We’re well informed of the atrocities happening within The Center.”
“Did you know Leland is Dr. Hirch’s assistant? He helped raise us, train us, and perform experiments on us. He is an active part of the atrocities.”
“Was,” Leland corrected. “I no longer work for the doctor.”
Ellyssa faltered. “What?”
“He reassigned me.” Keeping his distance from Ellyssa, he walked over to the table. “It was a hard blow to our cause.”
Her eyebrows knitted. “What cause?”
Leland studied her for a moment, a slight tic working at the corner of his mouth, then he waved his hand in an arc. “All of this. What do you think we’ve been working toward all this time?” Before Ellyssa could respond, he continued, “Freedom. I’ve been gathering information.”
The possibility of Leland performing such an operation was unbelievable. Her father’s intelligence far surpassed the young assistant’s. Ellyssa scrutinized him from behind narrow lids.
“You don’t believe me? You can easily know,” he challenged.
The others stood silently, perhaps shocked by his request. Ellyssa didn’t have to read their minds to know they had been informed of the gifts bestowed on her and her siblings. They watched, seeming to expect her to perform some miracle, like she was some sideshow attraction. Anger percolated through her veins.
“You know I cannot,” Ellyssa whispered, casting a sidelong glance at Woody. She hoped he wouldn’t say anything about her own recent discovery of learning to block out the white noise.
“Why don’t we go outside?” Woody suggested as he squeezed her upper arm.
“Good idea,” said Leland. He turned for the door. “The rest of you, stay here, please.”
Curly-hair, who had spoken earlier, stepped forward, her gaze raking across Ellyssa, like she was a dangerous animal. “Do you think that’s wise?”
After her initial reaction upon seeing Leland, Ellyssa didn’t blame the female. Her fear was valid.
“It’s perfectly safe,” the former assistant assured.
Leland held the door open for Ellyssa and Woody. Ellyssa’s muscles tensed as she walked past the male who had been a huge part of her earlier life. As soon as they were outside and away from the house, she wheeled around. Fear registered on Leland’s face, and he stepped back, but she had no intention of hurting him. Right now, she wanted answers.
“You have been part of this the whole time?”
He nodded. “Yes.”
“How could you do that to us? To fellow human beings?”
He sighed. “I’m sorry, Ellyssa. Sorry for everything Dr. Hirch subjected you to, and I’m sorry I helped him. But what would you have had me do to stop it? What could I do?”
Ellyssa opened her mouth to say something. Anything. Words tumbled around her head, but truthfully, the situation had always been out of Leland’s hands. He was blameless. Just like she had been when Rein had confronted her. If not him, someone else, and maybe they wouldn’t have been as kind. She shrugged.
“Unbelievable,” Leland stated, shaking his head.
“What?”
“The change in you. Your facial expressions.” Leland’s hand twitched, as if he wanted to touch Ellyssa’s face to verify his observations. “How long have you been experiencing emotions?” he asked.
“It doesn’t matter. Please continue with your story.”
“I suppose it doesn’t matter.” he said, still looking at her with amazement. “Anyway, being part of the whole process gave us more information than we could have hoped for. I was able to share the technology involved as well as Dr. Hirch’s plans. I had to stay.”
“Why were you reassigned?”
“He started to murder citizens for the sake of experimentation. I began to protest.” He straightened his back. “The others’ abilities have grown.”
“What do you mean?”
“Wouldn’t you rather see for yourself?”
It felt strange for him to invite her into his mind; she, like her siblings, had been forbidden to use her abilities on her father or his assistant. After the files she’d found on the computer, she understood why.
Secrets not meant for any of the children’s eyes
.
She easily blocked out Woody as she focused on Leland and delved into his thoughts. Everything opened before her, like pages in a book. A story unfolded, from the time he had come to assist her father, when she was about five, to when the doctor had released him.
Finished, she blinked and looked at Leland. “Aalexis?”
“Her power has grown beyond all expectations.”
“What do you mean?” asked Woody.
Ellyssa touched his arm to silence him. “I will explain later.” She faced Leland. “What now?”
“Tell me what brings you here, first.”
Ellyssa exhanged a look with Woody. “We are going to The Center. One of our friends is a captive.”
Shock flitted across Leland’s face. “You’re risking your life?”
“Yes.”
“You’ve grown, Ellyssa.” He paused, thoughtful, and raked his fingers through his hair. “Dr. Hirch’s coding has failed. If it happened to you, then what of your siblings? Aalexis is already showing signs.”
Ellyssa thought about Leland’s experience with Aalexis. She’d wondered how her younger sister was developing. “I don’t know.”
“And you just used a contraction,” he said, with a slight shake of his head. “So much has changed. To answer your question…we were just discussing what to do when you showed up. Of course, I had no idea the visitors would include you.” He paused for a moment, smiling. “I think you both had better come with me.”
As soon as Ellyssa walked inside behind Leland, everyone quieted, all of them watching her. Some looked concerned, but most were uncertain.
Without a word, Leland walked through the throng, into a back room and kicked aside a rug to reveal a door in the floor. He pulled it open and moved down a set of lighted steps.