The X Factor

by Bella Street

  C'mon, man, pull yourself together. Trent turned away, wishing he'd gone after Seffy instead of thinking this useless bunch could be of any help.

  Finally Fenn faced them, sweating but at least somewhat composed. “First we need to get the compound back under control,” he said, then coughed. Fenn turned to the others. “Girls, stay behind us. Jared and Malone, take up the rear. We're going to the computer room.”

  Trent felt Garth's gaze on him as they followed Fenn.

  “How did you lose her?” he said in a rough voice, anger throbbing through every word.

  “I didn't lose her,” Trent said without bothering to turn around. “I got her out of guinea pig central to someplace safe. Turns out it wasn't as safe as I thought.”

  “You know if anything happens to her I'll kill you.”

  This time Trent did turn, impaling him a furious look of his own. “Why don't you worry about your own problems. I'm guessing those bullets are still stuck in your shoulder somewhere.”

  “The bullets have been removed,” he ground out. “Don't change the subject.”

  “Then how about this? The next time she needs rescuing, you be the one to get the job done.”

  Gareth's face darkened.

  That shut him up.

  Fenn obviously knew of several shortcuts as he led the group toward the computer room, wherever that was. Trent tried to concentrate on the circuitous route they were taking, but it was difficult to concentrate with Gareth's insinuations coupled with the mumbled complaints coming from the others behind him.

  “Why haven't we seen any more guards?” Gareth asked.

  “My guess is that they're in retreat and regroup mode if they know I'm out,” Fenn said, looking back at him. “They...must've kept my capture a secret.”

  “And it turns out it was the outsiders who did the releasing.”

  Fenn grimaced but didn't reply.

  Gareth snorted.

  They continued jogging down halls silent aside from the eerie buzzing of fluorescent lights above. Trent couldn't tell if this particular hallway was more familiar than the others. Fenn led them to a stairwell. They followed him down the concrete steps and into a room lined with old computers and a bunch of geeks milling around or staring at ancient monitors.

  “Fenn!”

  Trent recognized Eugene from their arrival at the compound.

  “We had a disturbance down here,” he was saying. “Several armed men I didn't recognize.”

  Fenn gripped his weapon. “They weren't ours.”

  Eugene puffed out his cheeks. “So my suspicions were correct.”

  The compound leader took the scientist's arm. “I need to use the P.A.” The two men walked off to a station at the other end of the room. A moment later, he heard Fenn addressing the compound.

  “Attention Fugere residents, this is Fenn speaking. Apparently you were told to stay in your rooms due to a biohazard outbreak. Anything you were told before by anyone other than myself is null and void. I want to assure you that everything is under control and that you can return to usual pursuits until further notice.”

  That's it? Are the residents that stupid to just shrug off what they were told earlier by the rogue faction? Maybe the residents were the rogue faction. All friggin' five hundred of them. And he and the other desert survivors were stuck with a man who made taking control from him as easy as stealing candy from a baby.

  Trent listened to the message overhead, wondering with growing dread how he could find Seffy. Had she been captured? Was she scared? Was she alive?

  “When was the last time you saw her?” Gareth asked, as if he'd read his thoughts.

  Trent schooled his features into disinterest. “A couple of hours ago at the most.”

  “How could you leave her?”

  “She was weak and needed rest. I did what I thought was best.”

  “You thought wrong.”

  “You know, I'd really love to stand here and argue with you about it...but I'm not going to.” Trent stepped further into the room and tried to focus on the the equipment flashing important looking lights. He tried to think of every place she might've gone. Could she have made it back to her room on her own? It was doubtful, but she'd escaped before.

  Fenn returned after several minutes. “I've contacted my personal security team. They were kept in the dark but are now up to speed and taking action.”

  “By who?” Trent asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Who kept your team in the dark? Didn't Fiona alert them?”

  Fenn stared at Trent, his blue eyes barren in his waxen face. “No.”

  Eugene cleared his throat. “Have you accounted for everyone?”

  They all turned to him. He stood smiling, with his hands behind his back. With his heavy black glasses and slicked, parted hair, could the guy be any more stereotypical? Like a bit part actor in a low budget film.

  “We are missing someone,” Gareth said, grabbing Eugene's arm. “Do you know anything?”

  “I may have come across...well, allow me to show you.” After easing his sleeve from Gareth's fingers, he walked down a darkened hall toward a large metal cabinet. They all crowded after him. Trent's heart sounded like a nine pound hammer as he brought up the rear.

  Eugene leaned down and slid open the bottom door.

  Through a gap in the bodies ahead of him, he saw Seffy scrunched in a ball in the cramped space of a large storage cabinet, fast asleep.

  ***

  Found out!

  Seffy held her breath. Maybe they'd think she was dead. She'd rather be dead then dragged back to that room with the cold metal table and leather straps and ice picks and cravings for things she shouldn't be craving.

  “Seffy!”

  Recognizing the voice, she gasped and opened her eyes. “Gareth?” She peered up at the group clustered around the cabinet staring at her. With as much grace as she could manage, she clambered out of the cabinet and launched herself into Gareth's arms. She acted before thinking through her actions, but he didn't push her away. He held her tight, burying his face in her hair.

  God, he felt good.

  “Are you all right?” he whispered. “I was so worried.”

  She closed her eyes, hating the thought of letting go. “I'm better now.”

  He groaned a little so she pulled away and noticed his bloody shirt for the first time. “Trent said you'd been shot! Are you okay?”

  “I'm fine.” He scrutinized her face, as if searching for injury.

  Seffy returned his look for a moment before averting her gaze, worried she'd see something in his eyes she'd rather avoid. Instead, she took in the faces surrounding her. Tears welled up. Even Malone was here. She saw Trent at the back. “You're okay?”

  His blank expression confused her. He looked away.

  She saw Eugene. “You knew I was down here?”

  He pushed up his glasses. “I saw you sneak in and remembered you from the first time we met. Since you apparently just wanted a place to hide, I figured I'd let you do just that and see what transpired from there. Besides I didn't see why unfamiliar guards would be chasing you.”

  “So you didn't know anything that was going on?” Fenn asked.

  Eugene shook his head. “My only indication was the announcement you just gave.”

  “You haven't heard anything about a bio-threat?”

  Eugene's eyes darted from person to person from behind the thick frames of his glasses as if trying to figure out who was the threat. He stopped at Seffy, and took a small step back.

  Fenn straightened. “You did the right thing, allowing her to hide out.”

  Instead of satisfaction, Eugene blinked myopically as if he regretted the notion.

  “God, Seffy, you look like you've been through a meat grinder,” Addison said.

  “She has,” Trent said in a low voice. He turned and headed away from the group.

  Seffy wondered where he was going. She hadn't had a chance to thank him for his
rescue. Her attention drifted back to Gareth. Would he mind too much if she hugged him again?

  “Are we gonna stand around talking all day? I'm filthy and hungry and I want to GO HOME NOW!”

  Seffy glanced at Cynthia, for once agreeing with the woman. Gareth did too, then noticed Jared standing with his weapon pointed at Seffy. Glaring, Gareth shoved down the barrel.

  “Oops,” Jared said, his face reddening.

  Seffy turned to Addison and Lani. “Hey, guys.”

  Addison's fierce visage softened for a moment, while Lani's bright blue eyes filled with happy tears. She pressed her hands together. “We're so glad to finally be out of those cells!”

  “S...Seffy.”

  Hearing Fenn's voice, she turned to him. His blue eyes seemed to burn with some inner torment. “I'm going to make sure you all get medical treatment and anything else you need.”

  She didn't know why he looked so agonized, but she nodded. What else could she do? Anyway, he'd said it all before, so it was probably meaningless.

  “And we're back where we started,” Addison said.

  Seffy inwardly echoed the sentiment.

  Fenn's cheeks flushed. “I understand how you feel and you have my personal guarantee that we'll make this right.”

  “I hope you don't just mean her,” Eva said with a petulant tone to her voice. “She wasn't the only one mistreated, you know.”

  Seffy moistened her dry lips. “How about we start with food.”

  Chapter Eight

  Seffy braced her hands against the tiles of the shower in an effort to hold herself up. Great, shuddering sobs wracked her body as the warm water sluiced down her frame. She wasn't even sure why she was crying. Were her mood swings due to whatever concoction had been in her I.V. or the humiliating medical exam she just endured that left her feeling more violated than before? She'd been conscious through the whole ordeal unlike her strapped-down adventures on the exam table.

  Or maybe it was because she feared all was not well with Gareth. After their initial embrace in the computer lab, Seffy sensed him distancing himself on some level, despite keeping his arm around her all the way back to their rooms. His touch had been warm, but his eyes cool. Was he afraid of her germs? He hadn't even given her a brotherly kiss on the head when he'd left her room.

  So maybe the nightmare was real. Gareth wanted nothing more to do with her. Even if his reticence was due to her infection, it made no difference. He'd always wonder if the virus was there, lurking in her veins, poisoning her kisses.

  Her lips trembled as she struggled to control herself. Seffy had always looked down on those girls who couldn't imagine life without a man, and yet here she was, eating her heart out over him. But there was a lot to lose; their friendship went long and deep. He'd always been her rock. Why did it seem like he was crumbling beneath her grip? Even if Gareth never saw her as a girlfriend, she still needed him close by. What was life without him?

  After her shower, Seffy wrapped herself in a towel with shaking hands. Her puncture wounds needed tending to, but she could only doctor the ones within reach. Trent had dabbed the ones on her back with antiseptic last time.

  Trent. He seemed upset with her too. She must have some reverse mojo going to alienate every male in the vicinity, including Fenn and even the science guy.

  Once she was dressed, Seffy put on a little makeup, attempting to cover the ravages of her weeping. Baxter had promised hot meals and her stomach ached at the thought of food. Maybe once she had something to eat, she could get perspective on her situation.

  As if being in a hidden Montana compound twenty-six years in the past was something that could be dealt with.

  That and Gareth.

  ***

  Fenn looked over his shoulder then knocked on the door he hoped belonged to...Seffy. When he heard movement on the other side of the door, he used his arm to swipe away perspiration.

  Hurry.

  It swung open. Seffy's face went through several shocked contortions at the sight of him.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked. “This room doesn't have a glassed-in observation window. If anything, I'm even more contagious.”

  “I know,” he said, clearing his own expression. He heard the worry mixed with sarcasm in her tone. “Can I come in?”

  She moved away from the entrance without speaking. Fenn quickly stepped inside and pushed the door closed. He turned to face her, resisting the urge to wipe at his dripping brow again. Seffy stared at him with eyes darkened by shadows having nothing to do with physical illness. “How are you?”

  She smirked. “Not so good. You sure you're willing to take a chance with me? I might bite.”

  He looked away from the accusation burning in her eyes. “I'm here because I needed to speak to you on my terms.”

  “One would assume that was a given, you being the leader of the compound and all.”

  He felt his face flush when he met her gaze. “Seffy, I understand you're confused and upset—”

  “When can we leave?”

  He shook his head, not surprised when fury flared in her dark eyes. “Right now our priority is getting you...healthy. And there's obviously still some rogue group at work in the compound—”

  “The one you got under control?”

  Fenn took a deep breath. “Yes. It's more extensive than we thought.”

  “We, being you and...?”

  He licked his lips, wondering why he felt the need to explain. “I just want you to know we're trying to help you. I'm very concerned about how you've been treated—”

  “I believe the term you're looking for is abused.” She lifted her chin. “And if you're so concerned, call off your Haz-Mat team.”

  Fenn blinked. “What?”

  “Those guys in the silver suits who were in here earlier adding insult to injury.”

  “Ah, that I can't do. It's part of getting you better. And some of the medical staff is still nervous about your...condition. By allowing them to wear the suits, I'm able to get the best possible team to work on your behalf.”

  She looked away, unconvinced.

  “I just wanted you to know we're doing what we can.”

  “Which is nothing.”

  He compressed his lips, knowing she was baiting him, but unable to blame her. “We're doing everything we can,” he said quietly.

  Before she could deepen his humiliation, he nodded and let himself out her door. Thankfully the hallway was empty.

  ***

  Counting to a hundred to get her temper under control from Fenn's visit, Seffy went to the door and looked out into the hall.

  Good. He's gone.

  The first time she'd laid eyes on him, she'd been frustrated by his non-answers—despite being distracted by his dreamy blue eyes and inky black hair. She'd quickly learned he couldn't seem to handle Fugere with all its commune-type, peace-loving residents.

  Yeah, right. More like shoot-first-and-don't-bother-to-ask-questions-period residents.

  Either way, when he sought her out it was to give yet another excuse. Then at the same time put the kabosh on letting them leave. She'd heard it so many times, she had his regretful apology speech memorized.

  Maybe hanging with her friends would alleviate the hopelessness dogging her steps. She headed to Lani and Addison's room. They came out at her knock, giving her careful hugs and murmuring words of comfort. A portion of her apprehension eased. Even Addison seemed to have shelved her angst for the time being. The usually sharp-tongued redhead seemed rather subdued. A week's confinement had honed the lean lines of her physique even more. Leave it to Addy to actually improve under suffering.

  “How are you, guys?” Seffy asked, realizing she'd been so consumed with her own misery, she hadn't asked earlier.

  Lani touched her arm. “We were worried about you.”

  “Yeah, you screamed. A lot.”

  Seffy frowned. “You could hear that, too?”

  “Faintly, but yeah.”

  “T
hat's what Trent said.” Seffy quickly turned her mind from the experience. “But I'm more or less okay.”

  “So he's the one who got you out?” Lani asked.

  “Trent? Um, yes. He said he was sick of my screaming.”

  “That sounds like him,” Addison said. “Are you ready to head to the cafeteria? I'm starved.”

  They had no idea. “Should we let Gareth know we're going?”

  Addison and Lani traded looks. “He's already down there.”

  “Oh.” The word did nothing to sum up the thoughts going through Seffy's mind. Why didn't he wait? It wasn't like him to not wait. She followed her friends down the halls, along the route that led to the cafeteria, where the lunch ladies were afraid of them.

  When they arrived, Gareth was sitting with Malone and Jared. The other girls ignored them, picking fretfully at their lunch. Trent apparently hadn't gotten the memo as he was absent.

  Gareth looked up from a half-eaten sandwich. “Hey.”

  Seffy tried to discern any meaning in his dark eyes, but finally sank onto the bench, too exhausted to remain standing.

  “Can we get you anything?” Lani asked.

  Seffy peeked toward the food line. “A sandwich or something. It doesn't matter.”

  “Okay, be back in a minute.” She and Addison headed toward the lunch offerings.

  Gareth cleared his throat. “I was in Medical longer than the others, so I came straight here.”

  “Oh. Are you going to be okay?”

  “Yeah, just a little infection from the bullet wounds. How are you holding up?”

  Not sure how much to reveal, she shrugged. “I've been better.”

  He winced. “Seffy, what did they do to you? Or were you screaming from the effects of the virus?”

  Shadows flickered in her mind. “I don't remember much. There may have been drugs in my I.V. I had a lot of weird...thoughts. And they did some experimentation. I have holes and incision marks all over.”

  “God, how can you not remember that?” he asked, his nostrils flaring.