by Smith, Maren
The room grew brighter and she tilted her head again, squinting at the bright light shining from the high ceiling. It was far brighter than any light she’d ever seen. Almost as bright as the sun.
“It’s a simulation, dear,” the voice informed her, as if it could hear her thoughts. “The atmosphere in this room will react just as if you were standing outside. Continue.”
Tearing her eyes away from the fake sun, she blinked rapidly to clear the dots from her vision and looked back at her parents. Still smiling, still holding their arms open, waiting for an embrace. It’s just a simulation. With that realization, the fake sky above her clouded and a soft rain began to fall. The image of her parents blinked away, and they were replaced by a smirking Donovan.
“Hey, sunshine.”
Her heart nearly shattered. She was never going to see him again. Not the real him. She would never feel his arms around her again, or his lips on hers. Even knowing she’d never feel his heavy hand blistering her bottom again made her ache for him.
The clouds in the fake sky turned black. Wind whipped around her, spinning the clouds above her into a funnel. Remembering her lessons with Daddy, she focused every bit of rage and heartache into the tornado. It spun around her, faster and faster, until she heard the spiderweb tinkling of glass splintering.
The alarms began to sound, and the room filled with panicked shouts. The winds lifted her until she was eye to eye with the white-coated people on the observation deck. Most of them ran for cover, but a few stood in place, writing furiously on their clipboards even as the winds pulled at their coats.
Without warning, the winds died, and she fell to the floor of the white room again. There was a sickening crunch and pain radiated through her right leg. The bracelet on her wrist flashed red.
“You’re even more impressive than we’d imagined!” the cheerful voice sounded nearly giddy. “Let’s get you to the hospital wing and get that leg looked at, shall we?”
The wall to her left slid open again, and two burly guards walked in. Just because they’d switched off their fake sky didn’t mean she couldn’t fight. She reached for the lightning, but she couldn’t feel it any longer.
“What did you do to me?” she screamed as the guards hauled her up.
“Naughty girl,” the cheerful voice said with a soft tsk. “Did you think we wouldn’t take precautions against your powers, my dear? Take her to the hospital wing, gentlemen. We need to get that leg looked at.”
At his instruction, one of the guards scooped her up and carried her from the room.
“Let me go!” Lainey screamed and smacked her fists against the guard’s chest. It was like punching a brick wall. “Please! Somebody! Help me!”
“Nobody can hear you down here, girl. So just save your strength.” The guards shared a knowing, chill-inducing look between them. “You’re going to need it.”
* * *
Donovan
Donovan pushed the speed limit as much as he dared, praying the entire way to any god who might be listening that he reached her in time. Ms. Edith had been unusually quiet the entire ride, save for when she was giving him directions.
“Take a left at the next road. Slow down or you’ll miss it.”
Grinding his teeth against an irrational wave of anger, Donovan did as he was told and slowed the car. At the next road, he turned the wheel left.
More goddamned farmland. “Ms. Edith, are you sure this is right? All I see is a bunch of nothing.”
She snorted softly. “It’s not called ‘The Farm’ for nothing, Donny. It’s literally a farm.”
Of course, it was. “How the hell do you know all this, anyway?”
“This is where the church sends the people whose powers put them in trouble with the law or cost them their families. I come out here once a month to talk to them and help put them at ease about the rehabilitation program. That’s what I always thought, anyway.”
It made sense, in a way. The church was practicing what he’d always known: The best way to keep anyone from guessing your secrets, was to pretend like you didn’t have any. The regular members would get suspicious if all these people just disappeared to The Farm and were never seen again. By bringing select people out here to mentor or what-the-fuck-ever they wanted to call it, word of the good works being done at The Farm would spread like wildfire through the church. Which had an added bonus of encouraging the rank and file to try and bring people into the fold, like Ms. Edith had tried to do with Lainey.
“How did you get involved with the church?” It probably didn’t matter at this point, but there was no such thing as too much information in a situation like this.
“I saw a flier for their weekly meetings and figured it couldn’t hurt. Everyone was so nice. And it was nice to be around people who weren’t afraid to show off their powers. It gets old, living in fear,” she finished quietly.
He couldn’t hold that against her. Hell, if it hadn’t been for the information Rico had given him, he might have let Lainey go to one of those meetings at some point. Though he’d have been happy being a bit of a loner, he understood how others might need to connect.
“What’s your power, if you don’t mind me asking?”
With a small, satisfied smile, Ms. Edith tapped her temple. “I know things.”
Donovan glanced over and raised an eyebrow. “You can read minds?”
“No. No visions, either. Not really. I just… know things. I knew you were a Variant the moment I met you. Same with Lainey. Things just sort of,” she gestured vaguely, “pop into my mind.”
“You sure you’re not just your garden-variety psychic?”
Ms. Edith chuckled. “I’m sure. We’re almost there. There’s a sign up ahead. Turn right and let me do the talking.”
Instinct screamed at him to just barrel in, guns blazing. But Edith was his in, and they had a better chance of getting Lainey out safely if they slipped in and out as quietly as possible. He stopped at the heavy iron gate blocking the drive and rolled down the window.
The man who approached the car looked friendly enough, if it hadn’t been for the slight bulge under his jacket giving away the location of his weapon. A genuine smile lit his face when he leaned in and spotted Ms. Edith in the passenger seat. “Ms. Edith! What brings you out our way? We don’t have anything on the books for you today.”
“Ben!” Ms. Edith’s smile was genuine. “How are Sheila and those beautiful babies of yours?”
The man’s own pleasant smile widened into a grin. “They’re great. Sheila’s a champ. The twins are keeping us on our toes, but we’re loving every minute of it.”
“I’m sure. Ben, this is my nephew, Donny.” She smacked Donovan on the arm. “Say hi to Ben, Donny.”
“Hey.”
If Ben heard the barely restrained anger in Donovan’s voice, it didn’t show. “Hey, Donny. Nice to meet you.”
Leaning across Donovan, Ms. Edith dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Ben, Donny here really wants to see our rehabilitation program. He has a boy at work who could really benefit. I know it’s unusual, but could we pretty please take a look around?”
Ben’s pleasant smile faltered. “I’m sorry, Ms. Edith. Planned visits only.”
“Can’t we make an exception? Just this once?”
“Sorry, Ms. Edith. Those are the rules.”
Donovan’s knuckles turned white on the steering wheel, but Ms. Edith just leaned over him and held a hand out to the kid. “Oh, well. It was good to see you again, Ben.”
The kid slipped his hand into Ms. Edith’s – and immediately slumped against the car, passed out cold.
Donovan jumped in his seat. “What the fuck!”
“Well don’t just sit there, Donny. Drag him up to that little box up there and see if you can’t get this gate open.”
He stared at her a moment before shoving the door open. Hooking his arms under the kid’s armpits, he hauled the dead weight up to the control box.
“‘I
just know things’, my ass,” he mumbled to himself. “What the hell else does she have up her sleeve?”
The controls for the gate were easy enough. He flipped the switch for ‘pen,’ then pressed Ben’s hand to the glowing screen for what he assumed was a fingerprint scan. The iron gates slowly slid open and he jogged back to the car.
“How long is he going to be out?” he asked as they drove through the opening.
Ms. Edith shrugged. “Half hour or so.”
“Anything else in your bag of tricks?”
Tossing her head back, she cackled. “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”
He was pretty sure she was joking. But considering she’d just knocked out a full-grown man with nothing but a touch to the hand, he wasn’t sure he wanted to find out. “Noted. Where are we going?”
“Well, how the hell should I know? I thought this was a rehabilitation center, not a test lab.”
Tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, he considered his options. “Any buildings you’ve never been in?”
Ms. Edith snorted. “Plenty. We pretty much only went to the rec center and the cafeteria the few times I’ve been here.”
His sarcastic response was cut off by a chorus of shouts. Checking the rear-view mirror, he spotted a dozen guards running after the car.
“Fuck. We’ve been made.”
“Turn right.” Edith pointed to a turn up ahead.
Accelerating, he spun the wheel, then slammed on the brakes, stopping just a few inches short of the boy standing in the middle of the road.
“Out of the way, kid!”
But the boy didn’t move. His gaze flicked to the commotion behind them, then back to the car. A slow smile spread across the boy’s face, sending chills down Donovan’s spine. The boy took two steps closer to the car, raised his fists, and slammed them down on the hood. The front of the car crumpled under the boy’s fists. He smashed the hood a second time and the engine died.
“Edith, run!”
The doors to the car were jerked open before he’d even finished the command. They were dragged from the car, with Ms. Edith kicking and screaming for all she was worth. Donovan elbowed a guard in the gut, grabbed a rifle from a second guard and had just leveled it at a third when he heard the soft snick of weapons engaging all around him. He looked around, expecting to see a dozen guns pointed at him. But every single weapon was trained on Ms. Edith.
A tall, thin man emerged from the fray, a small smile playing on his lips. “Hello, Mr. Carter. A pleasure to finally meet you.”
Donovan ignored the cold trickle of panic down his spine. “Who the hell are you?”
“Me?” The man’s eyebrows winged up in feigned surprise. “I’m nobody important. Just a humble servant to a greater cause.”
Donovan snorted. “Greater cause? Kidnapping innocent people and torturing them to death is a greater cause?”
“Science, Mr. Carter. Science is the greater cause.”
“Yeah, well, fuck your greater cause. Let Edith go.”
The man tilted his head to the side. His lips curved in a smile that froze the blood in Donovan’s veins. “No. I don’t think I will.”
There was a sharp prick in the side of his neck, and his vision began to waver. The last thing he heard before the world went black was Ms. Edith’s scream.
Chapter Sixteen
Lainey
The guard carrying Lainey laid her down on an examination table with a gentleness that seemed incongruous with her current situation. Guard number two grabbed her arms and forced them to her sides while the first guard strapped her to the table.
Her throbbing, most likely broken leg was the only thing keeping her from kicking them in the face and escaping. That was what she told herself, anyway. It was easier than admitting she was too scared to fight them. “Please let me go. I won’t tell anybody what happened, just please let me go.” She pulled against the leather restraints, but they barely moved.
Her guards left without saying another word to her. Moments later, a short, fat man with the most horrendous comb-over she’d ever seen waddled into the room. His smile was a little too bright, a little too sharp at the edges to put her at ease.
“You must be Lainey. I’ve heard so much about you. I’m Dr. Smythe. A little birdie told me you fell and bumped your leg?”
“It’s fine,” she answered with a scowl. “Just get me out of here!”
Dr. Smythe patted her foot, sending a jolt of pain all the way up to her hip. “Calm down. You’re not going anywhere, so no use getting yourself all worked up about it. Now, let’s see what’s going on with this leg of yours so we can get you fixed up.”
She flinched when he reached for her, but he didn’t touch her again. Holding his hands out over her injury, a soft, warm light appeared. Her skin began to warm, seconds before there came the most piercing, agonizing pain she’d ever felt. The pain ripped a scream from her throat. Any pretense of bravery fled. Nothing in her life had prepared her for this kind of pain. And just as quickly as it began, it ended, leaving her sweating and trembling on the examination table. “What…” She drew in a shaky breath. “What did you do to me?”
“I fixed your leg. You’re welcome,” he added with a satisfied smirk.
Lainey cautiously moved her foot, shocked when there was no flash of pain. “Holy shit,” she whispered.
Dr. Smythe waved his hand at her and waddled over to the intercom on the far wall. “That was nothing. You should have seen the guy they brought in before you. Poor man was at death’s door, but I managed to pull him back. Shame about his ear, though. Never could get the hang of regrowing body parts.” Before she could respond, he pressed a button on the wall. “She’s all better.”
“Doctor, please. You have to help me.” She tugged at the restraints again, but they still refused to give. Desperation welled up inside of her until it threatened to choke out every last bit of hope she had left. “Please, I don’t want to die.”
Dr. Smythe glanced back at her, one eyebrow raised. “Die? You’re not going to die.”
Shocked, she stopped pulling at the restraints. “I’m not?”
“No. Well.” The doctor shrugged and hit a button to open the invisible door so the guards could enter. “Not for a long time, at least. You’ve made quite the impression. I’m sure we’ll be keeping you around for a bit.”
“What? No, don’t touch me!” The last words she screamed at the guard unbuckling her restraints. As soon as her arm was free, she swung her fist up, but he countered and caught her fist in the palm of his gigantic hand.
“Calm down, girl. We have a surprise for you.”
Guard two chuckled and released the second restraint.
“The only surprise I’m interested in is you letting me the fuck out of here!”
Each guard gripped one of her arms and hauled her up off the exam table. Lainey went limp between them, hoping they’d stumble and let her go. But they never even broke their stride as they carried her out of the room and down the hall. To another room much like the first with high ceilings and a ring of windows. Dozens more men and women in white coats were crowded around the windows, and fear sat like a ball of ice in her belly. The guards shoved her inside and the opening in the wall whisked shut before she’d even turned around.
“Welcome back, Lainey! I trust you’ve recovered from your little tumble?”
It was the same cheerful voice from earlier. “Fuck you!” she screamed.
“Tsk Tsk. Such a dirty mouth for such a pretty girl. Don’t you want to know what we have planned next?”
At his words, the far end of the room lit up. An opening appeared and a young boy, no older than twelve, was shoved inside the room. He looked around, terror etched into his features.
“Miss?” The boy’s voice shook with fear. “What’s going on? Where am I?”
Lainey took a step forward, then hesitated. Was it a trick? Was he going to morph into some kind of monster as soon as she got close enough?
/>
“Lainey, meet Ralphie. He’s your opponent for this evening’s test.”
Ralphie’s eyes went wide at the announcement and his head whipped back and forth frantically.
Lainey looked up at the observation deck. “I’m not fighting a child!”
“We thought you might say that. Lucky for us, we found some encouragement for you. He walked right into our backyard, as it were.”
Another opening in a wall appeared, revealing a wall of glass. A light behind the glass flipped on, knocking the air from Lainey’s lungs. “Daddy,” she whispered.
He was strapped to a metal cross, his bare chest shining under the harsh lights. But other than being half-naked and chained up, he didn’t look hurt. He looked pissed. And when his eyes met hers, the anger gave way to a mix of relief and terror.
“Lainey!” He fought against the restraints, screaming at their faceless captors. “Let her go, you sons of bitches!”
A bright, cheerful giggle filled the room. “I’m afraid we can’t do that, Donny-boy. The party’s just getting started!”
A man stepped out of the shadows behind Donovan and held up a large knife. Terror froze Lainey to the spot as the tip of the knife pushed into Donovan’s side.
“No!” The word was ripped from her throat on a scream. “Don’t hurt him, please!”
“We won’t. If you listen to our instructions. Now, fight.”
The bracelet on her wrist blinked back to green. A sudden rush of power made her head spin.
Focus. She needed to focus. Needed to focus so she could make a plan and get them all out of this place.
They wanted her to fight. Her attention shifted back to the boy. He’d taken a few steps closer to her and was watching her with an expression she couldn’t quite place.
“Lainey! Lainey stay away from —” Donovan’s warning was cut short when the guard rammed the knife into his gut.
The terror that had rendered her so helpless before now fueled the winds swirling around her. She let the fear fill her, alongside the anger and the hate. The room darkened, then lit up bright as day with the bolt of lightning she aimed at the glass.