Playing With Fire

by Adrienne Woods et al.

  She seemed to soften, and I could tell this was an issue that weighed heavily on her conscious. "I can't test it on animals. It's not my intention to harm anyone, only to protect."

  "This conversation is futile." Joseph motioned to Victor to join us.

  "You put most of the pieces together, Cass," Sylvia said. "I have to admit, I was impressed. But what you neglected to uncover was how Victor fit in. Perhaps it was your friendship with him that clouded your deduction skills."

  And then all at once I understood. "He's part of PE-145, isn't he?"

  Sylvia smiled. "He's going to deliver the serum, since he isn't as affected by most powers. That's why I created him. It really is a shame to lose you. But your power..."

  "Your power is the most dangerous," Joseph said. "You could take over the world's finances. Hold us all hostage."

  "Cass would never do that," Victor said. "She is a good person."

  "You don't know that, robot," Joseph said.

  "I am an android. And I do know that." The faintest of smiles appeared on his face, and it warmed my heart. Victor's still in there.

  "This is my point," I said. "People can be good or bad, regardless of powers."

  Sylvia seemed to consider it for a moment, and then shook her head. "It's too dangerous. You're too dangerous. Both of you."

  "Oh, and happy pants here isn't dangerous?" Tyler said, motioning to Joseph. "If it were up to him, he'd round us all up in a cage and let us rot."

  An incredulous chuckle burst out of Joseph, and I wasn't exactly sure what he was trying to convey with that sound. But I was leaning toward agreement.

  "Look, I've spent a lot of time with you, these past few days," Tyler said to Sylvia.

  Her forehead furrowed. "You have?"

  "Yes, I mean, I was invisible and naked, but that's not important right now."

  The horrified expression on Sylvia's face made it very difficult to contain my laughter, but I pressed my lips together and held it in.

  Tyler continued, " I've seen how you interact with people, and how dedicated you are to your work. If you do this the right way, you could help both enhanced and non-enhanced alike—I'm sure there are some of us who'd rather not have powers."

  Sylvia looked down. Is it possible? Are we actually getting through to her?

  "You're seriously listening to this horseshit, Sylvia?" Joseph said. "What about your husband, can they bring him back?"

  Her eyes seemed tired, as she focused on Joseph.

  "One of them killed your husband. We have to prevent that from ever happening again."

  "Of course." Sylvia breathed deeply, then turned to me. "I've got a new formula—it's untested, you may actually survive. I'll know in the first few minutes if your body is rejecting it." She stood. "I hope you do survive. As a normal human."

  Part of me wanted to grab her hair and smash her face into the table. The other part had a smidgen of empathy for her. I mean, yes, her husband was a jerk for cheating on her, but he didn't deserve to die because of it. And she certainly didn't deserve to lose someone she loved. There were some dangerous aspects to being enhanced, but I couldn't imagine my life without my powers. Tyler signaled to me as he stood and walked near Joseph. Somehow, I knew Tyler was going to make a move on him.

  "You want to leave this room right now and stand quietly outside the door," Tyler said to Joseph. To my utter delight, Joseph complied without a word.

  I grabbed Sylvia, and then slipped in behind her to cover her mouth to prevent her from calling out.

  Victor frowned. "This won't work. Joseph has an arsenal of OCEI enforcers at the ready."

  No sooner had he said that, than eight men and women in red jumpsuits filled the room. Four of them started beating the shit out of Tyler—punching his face, then knocking him to the ground and kicking every part of him. The other four pried me off Sylvia.

  "Nice try, but we figured you'd attempt something," Sylvia said. She peered over to where Tyler lay on the floor. "Easy on him, we still need him for testing."

  The red jumpsuits backed away but stayed close. Tyler was a bloody mess.

  Sylvia turned to Victor. "Give them the serum."

  "No," Victor replied. "They are my friends. I will not hurt them."

  Sylvia reached into her pocket and grabbed what looked like a remote. She punched in some kind of code, then spoke into it, "Override autonomy on my command, Dr. Sylvia Rhodes."

  The irises of Victor's eyes disappeared, leaving only pale orbs in his eye sockets. She repeated her request to Victor, to administer the serum. He moved in a mechanical fashion, extracting the syringes from Sylvia's bag and then filling them with a glowing blackish blue fluid.

  "Victor, please don't," I begged, as he walked toward me. "I'm your friend, you don't want to hurt me."

  "Manual override engaged. Proceeding with orders," he said, his eyes still that terrifying, empty white. I cried out as the needle pierced my skin. The serum felt heavy when it entered my bloodstream. The red jumpsuits released me, and I slid to the floor and cried.

  "No!" Tyler yelled. "Cass, are you okay?"

  The four OCEI that were beating him before returned to hold him down. He winced as the needle pricked him. When they released him, he curled into a ball.

  A line formed between Sylvia's brows. "Weak already? That's not a good sign." She pulled a stethoscope out of her bag and listened to my heart. It felt like it was slowing down, like my body was losing the fight.

  "Damn." She examined Tyler as well and a disappointed frown appeared on her face. "I had high hopes for this one."

  She packed up everything into her bag and pulled out the remote. "Autonomy restored," she spoke into it.

  Victor's eyes reappeared. He took in the scene and gasped. "What did I do?" He lowered his head, and a tear dropped onto the floor. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

  "Come on, let's let them die in peace," Sylvia said, her frown morphing into a grimace. She sent off the gaggle of red jumpsuits, and then with Victor in tow, she left as well, locking the door behind her.

  The serum burned inside me. It was as if every cell within me ached. Is this really how I’m going to die?

  Chapter 14

  I crawled over to where Tyler lay on the floor. He shapeshifted again, and my jaw dropped at who he became—the son of the man who created the enhanced condition.

  "Jacob Lipman?" I gasped. "Is that who you really are?"

  "Yes," he said. "I don't ever take this form. My father's not exactly loved right now." He managed to chuckle. "Especially here."

  "I can understand that," I said. "Thank you for trying to save me."

  His eye had a huge gash underneath it, I guessed as a result of that first punch from the OCEI henchmen. He sat upright with great difficulty, and then touched my face. "I've never met anyone like you. I feel stronger now, just touching you."

  I buried my hands in his hair, which was a little longer and darker than before, and I realized he was right. As I pressed my lips to his for a brief kiss, I could've sworn I felt a spark of energy.

  "If we're going to die anyway," I said, gazing into his now gorgeous blue eyes, "what's the risk in being with you?"

  "My thoughts exactly," he whispered. Then he kissed me with such intensity, I could feel a thousand little warm pinpricks all over my body. I'd never been so completely into someone in my whole life. It was as if he were made for me, and my body responded with the most delicious of sensations at his touch. We undressed each other in a fever, still touching, kissing, never breaking contact with one another for more than a second. And although my body continued to deteriorate, it was balanced by the peaceful yet excited feelings he evoked in me. I closed my eyes as he kissed my neck, my breasts, my stomach. He plunged his tongue inside of me and I moaned, feeling my first release almost instantly. I slid back and reached for him, stroking his enormous erection. I kissed him once more before sliding his cock inside me. He gasped, as his eyes closed, and his body began to shake. I worried that
he was deteriorating as well, that it may be causing him pain, but he continued to thrust. The sweet, painful pleasure of sex consumed me, bringing me closer and closer to orgasm.

  "I love you," he whispered.

  It was unexpected, but so welcomed, to finally feel loved. I sensed no deception from him, he believed it to be true. "I love you too," I whispered back. It was the first time I'd ever said those words to anyone, and nothing felt more right in my entire life.

  My body reverberated with a peaceful sensuality, and I held on, holding back my climax until he was right on the brink. He flexed inside me and screamed, while I tightened around him. The most intense climax of my life overtook me.

  It was surreal—the pleasure, the release, the feel of him inside me, the weight of his body atop me. All of it was perfect, and I couldn't think of a better way to die. Jacob rolled over next to me, breathing heavily.

  But then I realized I wasn't deteriorating any more. At first, I felt a strange cooling sensation inside, and then heat, in my blood. Discomfort followed, similar to what I felt when my power manifested itself, and when I acquired Pete's power. To my surprise, I felt his powers splice with mine.

  Oh shit, did I kill him? I observed him. He didn't appear to be in pain, just winded. "Are you all right?"

  "I think so. But this feels like... when I was with Ella, when I got her powers. Are you okay?" He sat up in a rush. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

  I convulsed as the powers fully activated in me. To my surprise, he convulsed as well.

  "Are you still okay, Jacob?"

  He nodded, a nervous smile on his face. "Call me Jake."

  I looked at the gash beneath his eye and gasped. It looked half the size it was before. I carefully touched it and felt a strange tingle in my hands.

  "Whoa, what is that? It feels hot."

  I watched in amazement as the gash completely healed. Did I do that? What the hell is going on?

  "It's gone, your injury," I said.

  "You healed it?"

  "I don't know, I guess? This is all so weird."

  "Well try it again," Jake suggested. "You still have a bit of a shiner, see if you can heal it."

  I nodded and touched my face, just below my eye. No tingle, nothing felt any different at all.

  "Am I getting it?" I asked. "I don't feel anything."

  Jake gently touched the tender skin. "It's right here."

  There was heat in his fingertips, and the skin he touched felt revitalized.

  "Do you feel that?" he whispered. "It's like it's..."

  "Healing," I finished.

  "We can heal each other?"

  It was unexpected and bizarre, but it did explain exactly what happened.

  "It must be how we survived the serum. I mean, I don't feel sick anymore. At all. And I think I may have acquired your powers."

  "Same here." He grabbed hold of my hands. "Quick, tell me a lie and a truth."

  "I was born in New York, and I'm an only child," I said.

  He smiled. "It's like I can feel the change when you're lying! Guessing you were born in Jersey, right?"

  "Yep. Now it's my turn." I looked into his eyes. "Gather up all my clothes and hand them to me."

  He did exactly as instructed, not even pausing to acknowledge. Using that power was scary, I felt a bit of rush. When he returned with my stuff, I said, "I'm sorry, I wanted to see if it worked. And thank you."

  He nodded and grabbed his stuff too, and then we both started to get dressed. I tested invisibility and shapeshifting too, turning into Sylvia, right as he pulled his shirt over his head. It startled him.

  "Okay, it works! Please switch back," he said and laughed.

  I morphed back into myself and thought about my power. "The technomage ability is going to be a little harder for you to try out. I can walk you through it later."

  "So...does this mean we're not going to die?"

  "I don't know. I mean, what I was feeling before, it's gone."

  "Me too," he said. "Did the serum not work right?"

  "I'm guessing not, since we not only still have our powers but also one another's." I considered it, thinking about what usually happens when enhanced have sex. "Victor mentioned in rare cases, two enhanced can survive sex, they think because of a genetic compatibility. Perhaps that genetic compatibility is responsible for the whole symbiotic healing thing, too."

  "I guess we'll just have to have sex again to know for sure if we're truly genetically compatible." He grinned mischievously.

  "I concur." I grabbed hold of his hand. "But maybe we can wait until we're someplace more hospitable than a dirty cellar floor."

  He laughed. "Agreed."

  I remembered what we said to each other and I wanted to be sure it was genuine, even at the risk of appearing insecure. "What you said before...was it because you thought you were going to die?"

  "You mean when I said I loved you?"

  I looked down. "Yeah. I know sometimes people say it in the middle of sex, and it doesn't necessarily mean—"

  He squeezed my hand that he continued to hold. "I'm still in love with you, Cass."

  I exhaled a sigh of relief and gazed into his eyes. I smiled, content in the blissful peace of his touch.

  "I know this sounds like a crazy idea," he began, "but if you can be invisible now too, maybe we should get naked again? That way we have a shot at escaping when they come back."

  He was right, it would be easier to escape if we were both invisible. My smile changed into a more flirtatious one. "Are you sure that's why?"

  "Well it's not like I can lie to you..." He grinned and then kissed me once more. We took our time undressing each other. He started by unzipping my dress and sliding the sleeves off my shoulders until the dress was in a pile at my feet. Then he unclasped my bra, grazing my skin as he guided the straps off. I hardly felt his touch when he slid my underwear gently down my legs.

  His eyes took in my totally nude form. "You are perfection."

  I touched his warm skin as I slipped his shirt off, unbuttoned his pants, and slid my hands underneath his boxers along his hips, letting the last piece of his clothing drop to the floor.

  I wrapped my arms around him. "I like this version of you. The real you."

  He gently cradled my head in his hands. Then he kissed me, slowly at first, but standing so close to him, I could feel his erection grow as we continued.

  "I suppose the table is a bit more hospitable," he said, as he scooped me up in his arms and sat me down on it. I became invisible, and so did he. I felt every inch of his chest, allowing only my sense of touch to guide me. The heat of his breath in my hair sent a wave of warmth throughout my body, turning me on again. He raised my arm up and glided his lips down from my wrist to my shoulder, kissing the more sensitive spots as he moved. He touched my shoulders, so lightly I could barely feel it, which only served to tease me more. The kiss that followed was beyond sensual, calming yet thrilling at the same time. As if his lips were the only lips that could satisfy me. As if the universe itself conspired to bring us together to savor one another, to know what love is supposed to be.

  He hugged me, and feeling his naked body against mine, how perfectly excited he was, lit a fire within me. I slid him inside, wrapping my legs around his waist. He groaned, as he enclosed his hands around my waist and moved me slowly up and down on him. I kissed his neck and chest, bracing the table with one hand and resting the other on his shoulder, feeling his hot skin and reveling in the gorgeous sensation of calm he exuded around me. This time was slower, as we explored each other more, enjoying the buildup and making it last. My whole body shook when I finally came. He climaxed again soon after, erupting inside me.

  I'd never been with a more responsive lover. Jacob was everything I ever wanted in a partner, and for some reason, the universe allowed us this exception—to be with one another and somehow survive.

  He kissed me softly, as he withdrew. "We're both still alive."

  I laughed. "This is a
good thing."

  "Yes, it is." He planted a kiss on my head. "I don't think the serum had anything to do with it. We must be genetically compatible, like Victor said."

  I nodded in agreement, though it left a ton of unanswered questions. But I didn't want to think about that. I just wanted to stay there with him, breathe in the lingering scent of sex in the air, feel his warmth next to me, and bask in both the afterglow and the feeling of total peace only he could offer.

  At the sound of a key entering the lock, both Jacob and I went invisible again.

  "The remote," I whispered. "We have to get that from Sylvia, then Victor will help us. We can't just leave him here."

  "Got it," he acknowledged.

  Joseph entered first, followed by Sylvia and Victor. All of their eyes focused on the two piles of clothes on the floor.

  "Wow, the new serum vaporizes them?" Joseph said. "That's awesome! Now we don't have to figure out how to get rid of the bodies."

  Sylvia rolled her eyes. "No, you idiot, Tyler's invisible. But how could she..." Sylvia trailed off, her brows knitted together. "Unless she has his powers, but then..."

  While she was distracted, Jake carefully open her jacket, only enough to grab the remote in her inner pocket. She looked up, right as he was lifting it away from her.

  "What the..." Sylvia and Joseph gaped, as they watched the remote float in the air away from her.

  "Victor, catch!" Jake said, as he threw the remote to him.

  Victor looked up right in time to catch it. A deceptively innocent smile appeared on his face as he crushed the remote in his hand.

  "No!" Sylvia yelled. She backed away from Victor, her lips trembling, as he advanced toward her.

  "I-I made you," she said. "You can't hurt me."

  She attempted a confident smile, but it was dripping with fear. Without the ability to override, she was helpless to stop him. When she had backed herself into a corner, Victor grabbed her by the throat and lifted her up.

  "You made me hurt my friends. You are a bad person." I watched in horror as his fingers squeezed closer together.