“You are a scientist? I thought you controlled your armor with some form of elemental control? That’s what the media says, anyways.”
“Yeah, they never believe me when I tell them I’m an engineer. But yes, I’m a scientist.”
“She doesn’t have any powers, Teddy. She’s just a smarty pants,” Kate adds.
I stick my tongue out at her before turning back to Teddy. “Well, can you help us?”
“I—I’m afraid my answer is still no. I can’t leave my wife. You see I wasn’t able to get to her in time. The damage done to the city was extensive. People were hurt and with the media blackout, I didn’t know… by the time I found out, it was too late. I failed her once, I won’t again.”
I smile because I’m ready for this. “Teddy, I can have her and you flown privately to Arizona and she can have her own private room with full-time care in our HQ. You tell me the name of the doctor and nurses you want looking after her, and I will get them. You can sleep in the same room with her and spend all your free time with her. And—” I raise my hand to forestall the question I know he’s about to ask. “If for any reason we are in the field or away from Arizona, Kate here is a teleporter. She can take you to your wife in a heartbeat at any moment.” Okay, technically the last part isn’t entirely true. But it will be eventually… I hope. Kate gives me a raised eyebrow but doesn’t say anything.
He looks down at the floor for a second, one large hand rubbing his chin as he thinks. He seems to come to an agreement with himself because he nods just before speaking.
“I guess you’ve got yourself a doctor then. Uh, will I have to wear a costume and have a codename?”
“Part of the job I’m afraid,” Kate tells him.
“Don’t worry though, I have the best costume and name in mind for you. You’re going to love it!”
69
I don’t know about this, Kate.”
The South Dakota UltraMax isn’t on my ideal list of places to visit. Especially without my armor. Kate is nonplussed by it all as she pushes me through airlock after airlock, separating us from the outside world. I had to leave my armor chair behind and use one the prison provided for me. Not to mention Kate has none of her paraphernalia on her. With no real way to dampen powers (and I sure as hell am not sharing my anti-telepathy tech with the government) all they can do is construct special cells designed to resist the powers of each inmate. They start from five hundred feet underground so even if someone escapes they have nowhere to go.
“Tessa Harper is perfect. She matches every criteria Epic has to fill out the team and most importantly, she didn’t escape when Cat-7 opened the doors and shut the security off. Almost every other inmate did. You said it yourself, having a telekinetic on the team would prove invaluable.”
Pouting is not my strong suit, but I do my best. I did say that. I just… she worked with White Rhino and I still have occasional nightmares about the things he said when I locked him up.
“You read her file, Amelia. She never had a chance. Let’s give her one.”
Ugh. I hate it when she’s right. Which is like, all the time. After the sixth entry point we pass, which scans us for everything from metal to radiation, we’re admitted into a sealed elevator. The shaft is a vacuum, even if someone could break into it, they would never be able to traverse it without breathing apparatus. The lift zooms down fast enough to put my stomach in my throat. I wish I could talk to Epic but they block all signals and without my armored chair, I have to do this without him.
Sensing my building panic, Kate puts her hand on me, “It will be okay, hon. Relax.”
As always, her powers do wonders for me. My chest relaxes, losing the tightness of my anxiety.
“Better?”
“Always.”
The doors open, revealing another airlock type station. This time there are four men in tactical gear all pointing hi-tech looking rifles at us. From the way the circular magazines glow I’d say they aren’t loaded with physical projectiles…
“Are those Ion Pulse rifles? You bastards,” I roll forward so fast Kate loses her grip. “You stole my designs!” As one, they take a step back training their weapons on me.
“Halt for scan, ma’am. If you come a single foot closer we will fire.” I slap the wheels and stop the chair. I growl in my head, I’m so angry. Friggin stole my work. Of course.
A speaker clicks on, “They’re clean, let ‘em pass.”
The men all lower their rifles and the leader nods at us, “Ladies, this way.”
“Tell me officer, who made those rifles?” I ask him as I roll by.
“I’m just a grunt, ma’am, I couldn’t tell you that.”
I grumble something incoherent and make a mental note to have Epic find out. If they think they can pilfer my work then they have another thing coming. Another thought stops me cold… what if someone stole more than my IP Cannons? Oh God. What if they have the ZPFM or particle beam tech?
“Amelia, focus, we can worry about this later.”
I shake my head trying to clear away the anger, it doesn’t do much good. Kate pushes me through the door and I just put my hands in my lap white knuckling them together, trying not to scream at everyone here.
“I need you to calm down, hon. I know this sucks, but let’s focus.” I can feel her powers work on me, they don’t really force me to change, just let me get a handle on my anger. They took our phones and all other electronic devices to prevent us from contacting the outside world… but when I get back I am going to sue the pants off these people. Literally.
“I’m good,” I grumble. “Mostly.”
The guard leads us down a nondescript hall barely large enough for my chair. He has to stoop to walk through. They really take their defenses serious and in layers. The final door rolls out of the way. As we pass through it I am amazed at how thick it is. Ten feet of steel easy.
Once past the door, the place looks more like a normal prison. Offices, bulletproof guard stations, the whole bit. The prison itself is built like a rock quarry deep into the South Dakota bedrock. Each layer is open to a central courtyard which is bathed in sunlight. I glance up at the ceiling expecting to see the sky but instead, it is a series of mirrors reflecting light through tunnels.
“Cool trick.” The guard just smiles at my compliment and ushers us into a normal looking elevator. A few minutes later he leads us to a series of isolation chambers. Transparent walls prevent privacy, but the rest of the room is normal. He parks us in the one labeled four.
After he leaves, Kate sits down on the bench built into the floor, “You okay?”
“Yeah. No. Sort of.”
“Wanna talk?”
“Not right now. I’ll have Epic figure out what happened. If they have anything other than my IP cannons though…”
She didn’t need me to elaborate. Anger rolled from me in waves strong enough a non-empath could tell. A beep from the opposite door interrupted us as it slides aside to allow the prisoner in, accompanied by a large female guard. Tessa looks awful. Gaunt to the point of emaciation. Her hands and feet are bound in chains and a collar around her throat blinks.
“I didn’t think there was a way to neutralize powers?” I ask.
The guard just grunts, tapping a black box on her waist, “There isn’t. If she so much as mouths off, we zap her. If she tries to use her powers it zaps her automatically.”
I’d say it was inhumane but so was being burned to death by Frostfire. Tessa shuffles over to the bench, her chains clinking together as she moves. Once seated, she leaves her hands in her lap since the chains didn’t afford her enough room to put them on the table. Last time I saw her she had long, wavy brown hair. Now it was shorn close to the sides of her head. She has scars and more than a few bruises sticking out from under her prison clothes. When she moves, I can see her neck has a blue ink prison tattoo of a heart and someone’s name. That isn’t good; I’ve watched enough documentaries to know what prison-style neck tats mean. She’s someone�
��s property.
“You can leave us,” I say to the guard without looking at her.
“I’m afraid that—”
“I wasn’t asking. If you have a problem with it talk to your supervisor. He will tell you who I am and by whose authority, I’m here. Now leave.”
She scowls before leaving. I figured she’d know I was the real deal just by the fact that I was here.
“I’d say it was a pleasure to see you again, Ms. Harper but the last time we met you slammed my face into the dirt at two-hundred miles an hour.” I try to put some mirth in my voice to lighten the mood. Even with who she teamed up with, no one deserves to be treated like this. And while she hung with some bad people, as far as I know, she’s never murdered, crippled, or attacked anyone other than her father. Mostly petty theft, jewel heists and the like. I had the feeling she was moving up in the criminal food chain when I ran into her.
When she doesn’t respond, I nudge Kate. She’s not wearing her pendant, I asked her not to. As tough as this place probably feels, I needed her full mojo.
“Ms. Harper, may I call you Tessa?” Kate asks. I can’t smell them but I know she’s filling the room with pheromones. Good thing she isn’t a guy. I’d hate to see a man with that kind of power. He’d have to be pretty darn righteous to avoid abusing people.
Tessa glanced up, her eyes opening a little more.
“I know you’ve been through an ordeal here, but we would like to talk about—”
“Ordeal?” She says the words like they’re foreign to her mouth. Her voice is surprisingly high, I didn’t expect it from her.
“By ordeal, you mean ‘effing torture?”
I shake my head. This is all kinds of wrong and I am ending it right now. I put my hand on Kate to let her know I’ll handle this. Inside my coat, I keep the blue piece of paper signed by the president, a full pardon. I pull it out
“Do you know what this is?” She shakes her head. I was really unsure about this, but even if she doesn’t come join the team my heart won’t let me keep her here. “This is a full presidential pardon. You sign this and walk out of here a free woman. Would you like that?”
Hope glimmers in her eyes but the idea of freedom is squashed by the weight of what she’s experienced. “You’re lying. I want to go back to my cell now.”
“Tessa,” Kate says in her honey voice. “This isn’t a lie. It is the real deal. You know who this is, right?” She gestures to me.
Tessa nods, “Arsenal. The bitch who put me in here.”
“No Tessa, you put you in here,” I say. I don’t waiver, I look her straight in her brown eyes.
Both Tessa and Kate’s eyes go wide.
“Listen, I’m not going to lie to you. Not about now, not about then. Your situation sucks. It has since you were sixteen. I get it. Life was hard and you turned to crime. You probably feel like you didn’t have a choice?” She doesn’t answer but I see her head nod imperceptibly. No doubt Kate’s influence. “Maybe you didn’t, I won’t judge you for that. But right now, right here, you get to make the first decision you’ve ever had a choice on. You sign this line and you walk out of here with Kate and I. No going back to your cell, no out processing. They come in here, take those chains off and you’re a free woman.”
Tears well up in her eyes as she looks at me. “That’s not possible.”
“I get that a lot,” I chuckle. “When you save the President’s life, he owes you a few favors. This is mine.”
“Why? Why would you do this for me?” Silent tears spill down her cheeks.
“I told you I won’t lie to you. I need you on a team I’m putting together. I can’t tell you for what—” I hold up my hand to explain. “Not here, they’re listening. But I can promise you everything you’ve ever wanted. A home, a job, safety, and a chance to do some good. Remember, all I offer is the chance. The rest is up to you.”
Her eyes track back and forth between me and Kate. I hope she can see the sincerity in them.
“Do you have a pen?”
I smile, pulling out the pen I had with me and click it open. “Welcome to the team.”
As Tessa signs the document the guard bursts through the far door, a cruel gleam in her eye. “Times up,” she says marching toward Tessa.
“I don’t think so.” I point to the paper. “That is a full Presidential pardon. As of this moment, Tessa Harper is a free woman. Remove her chains and please escort the three of us back to the elevator.”
The guard laughs.
I don’t.
“You’re delusional. No one can do that, I don’t care who you say you are.”
I was ready for this; I do plan ahead on occasion. I wheel myself back and turn to face the guard. Opening my purse I take out a business card with a handwritten phone number on it and hold the plain white card to her.
“What the hell is this supposed to be?”
“That is the private number of your warden. As you can see, he was a dear and wrote it on there for me himself. Please call him and ask him what to do. He’s expecting you.” She doesn’t move, just glares at me with her beady eyes. I’m sure most prison guards are honest, decent folks just trying to make a living. But this one… this one’s just pissing me off. “I’ll wait. If you don’t hurry though, I might have to mention your name next week when I have lunch with the governor.” I don’t take my eyes off hers, but I can sense Tessa’s shock and Kate’s reassuring smile.
70
The jet lands so softly we wait for Epic to let us know we’re safe to depart. The suspension sinks down to the ground, letting me roll off safely. Kate and Tess come behind me. As we circled the building, I see government SUVs parked out front, which means Monica’s here. Surprisingly, Tessa was harder to spring than Glacier was.
“Kate, would you introduce Tessa to Milton? I’m sure he can arrange some new clothes for her and give her the tour.”
“Sure. Where are you going to be?”
The time on my glasses reads almost six, I’m starving and an hour late for the dinner Luke is planning. “In my quarters. I’ll see you both tomorrow morning for our first official team meeting.”
The building has two side-by-side lifts. One for general use and one for me. I roll into mine and don’t even have to tell it where to go. The metal cylinder hums along to the very bottom floor. Only Luke, Kate, and I have access to my quarters. Well, housekeeping too. I’m not about to start doing my own laundry now.
The door swooshes open. My stomach growls as I roll down from the lift into the living room. I built these rooms around my old ones, what can I say? I’m not a fan of change. I have one large central room with a TV, the latest version of the Xbox, my favorite couch and a small fridge. The bedroom is down the ramp past the living room, the kitchen is off to the right. The only new feature is my massive bookshelf. Eye level for me is a pristine copy of John Steakley’s Armor.
One pull of that awesome tome and the whole shelf will spin depositing me into the lab. I mean seriously, why the hell would I custom build my own HQ and not have a secret passage?
For now, I just roll past. I’ve been in these clothes since five this morning and I need pajamas and food. Despite the bone-weary exhaustion I’m fighting, I manage to pull off my formal clothes and slip into pink sweats with, Property of Starfleet Academy.
I spin around and push toward the living room. I don’t smell any food but I’m sure I heard Luke in the kitchen. The kitchen isn’t the biggest but it’s big enough. The only downside for Luke is that the counters are all chair height so he’s constantly stooping when he cooks.
He is in the kitchen, resting against the counter while he sips the beer he keeps in the fridge for visits. His eyes light up when I roll in but turn to confusion just as fast. I think I missed something. Luke is dressed to the nines, well the nines for him. He has his cowboy chic going on, and he fills out the clothes perfectly. His face drops as he looks down at me.
“Uh, you’re not ready,” he says.
�
�Ready for what? Dinner? Heck yes, I am, where is it?” I’m not blind, he isn’t cooking anything. Delivery?
“At the restaurant…”
“Oh.” Oh indeed. The thought of going back out twists my gut. I don’t want to go anywhere. I’ve traveled from DC to North Dakota and back to Arizona in one day. That should be enough. “Maybe we could order in? I’m beat.” I open the fridge and grab a Coke in a bottle, the kind from Mexico with real sugar in them. I close the fridge and he’s still standing there. He’s still got a goofy grin on his face.
“Amelia, we always order in. The incident was four months ago and you’ve left your lab twice. Neither time with me, I might add. We’ve spent enough time watching TV and eating delivery. I have a real meal planned and—”
Clearly, this is important to him but I really don’t want to go anywhere. He isn’t the one who spent all day outside. I hate outside. “Luke, I’m sorry but I really, really don’t want to leave. Let me put on a movie and order some pizza and—”
“Amelia, I need us to go out. I’m sick of pizza and watching movies. I have a fun evening planned, you’ll have a good time.” He finishes by walking behind me and grabbing my handles and pushing me toward the bedroom. It’s not that he’s never pushed me before, heck, he does it a lot even if I don’t ask him too. But he’s never pushed me in a direction I didn’t want to go.
“Luke. Stop.” I raise my voice to let him know I’m upset. Clamping one hand down on the wheel I spin around glaring daggers at him. “Don’t ever do that again.”
He takes a step back, confusion, fear, and yeah, anger on his face.
“What’s wrong with you?” He asks.
“Me? You’re the one who just started moving me along like I’m your own personal pushcart.”
“Right. ‘Cause I’ve never done that before. I get you’re upset about something, what is it?”
“I’m upset because you think you can just manhandle me around. Well, you can’t.” It’s irrational… I know it is irrational, but I’m angry. Why did he have to do that? Why couldn’t we just stay in and cuddle the way I wanted to? I glance at the elevator and my heart sinks at the thought of leaving. It sinks and something else… fear.
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