“Sorry, I didn’t mean to,” he said sheepishly.
“So now you’re all of a sudden being nice to me again?” I snapped. “All of yesterday you and Jonah acted like first class jerks.”
“I know, I’m sorry. It’s . . . you know I like you right?” he said.
“Sure, I like you too,” I said uncomfortably.
“No, you know what I mean. I’ve got a thing for you.” He stared at the ground.
I could tell this was difficult for him. “Yeah, okay, I do know.”
“I got pissy after Jonah told me how he marked up your back. He knew I liked you and he knew he couldn’t really get with a girl and he did it anyway. And then he confessed to me to try and feel better. He’s a dick, but he’s my friend.”
“Fine, I pretty much figured out all of that too. But it’s my fault, how?”
“It’s not. But I wish you liked me back. Or at least that you were still open to suggestions.”
“I don’t know what I’m open to anymore. I can tell you that whether it’s you or Jonah, now is the exact wrong time for all of this.”
I looked at the hopeful expression on his face and I felt my resolve weakening. My eyes must have betrayed me. Sensing his chance, Cole leaned in and kissed me. His arms closed around me and I took my breath away, not by crushing me, but with the shocking softness of his kiss. Cole’s lips brushed mine with tenderness and his grip was passionate, but not painful. I kissed him back instinctively, but I pulled away quickly.
“I’m sorry, but I meant what I said. It’s not just about Jonah.” I tried to push away, but his arms were rigid. I freaked out and he saw the look on my face.
“No, I get it. I’m sorry too. I don’t want to scare you.”
“You don’t scare me,” I said, with a smile. He smiled back at me and we turned to head back to camp. The smell of Mexican food wafted towards us on the wind. Lunch had snuck up on us. I took a deep breath, hoping Cole didn’t realize I’d lied to him.
Chapter 12
A peaceful day became a blissful night as dinner began. The lifestyle we missed out on the night before quickly unfolded in front of us. Hot plates appeared on the shortest table at the far inner edge of the dining tent and several people chopped vegetables and filled skillets. Several more people on food duty were wearing aprons as they set tables and finished laying out buffet stations at the back of the tent. I recognized Vincent’s stringy salt-and-pepper ponytail in front of an armload of headless fresh fish. Still wearing their scaly skin over the distinctive peach-pink of salmon flesh, the stack of bodies glinted in the torch light as he reached the hot plates.
In a few more minutes, all seats in the tent were taken. The work put into daily meals dominated most of the waking hours at this camp. I understood why it was a full-time job to feed, clean, and care for so many people. Dinner wasn’t served quickly, but the simple vegetable stir-fry, fluffy rice, and oil-grilled fresh salmon tasted like a food magazine centerfold.
I’d eaten my dinner sharing a table with Faith, Jonah, and Cole. We had all come a long way since the first time we shared a meal at that artsy seaside diner, although for me, the journey had included two decades of knowledge to catch up on. We each had a glass of red wine to warm us. The artificial warmth kept cold at bay while the wind stayed calm. As the sun set, the light reflecting off the golden ocean made the camp feel nearly tropical.
After the mumble of dinner conversation and the clatter of plates and cutlery died down, the camp band started playing again. Two acoustic guitars, a set of bongos, and a bamboo flute all serenaded with lively, heartfelt music.
As I looked around at the animated conversations and the many cheerful people, I wished I’d found this place under different circumstances. I felt guilty at having brought my problems to them. I knew ‘my’ trouble was really everyone’s trouble, but I felt as though bringing it to light was a curse in itself. Vengeance for my parents’ deaths wouldn’t bring them back, but it could easily ruin, or even cost lives around me. Alternatively, if I had never come to Victoria, would the people at this camp stay here another season? Another year? I contemplated whether or not Ilya’s illusion could hold Rubin and Ivan off indefinitely, and then I heard a squeal in the distance.
My intuition told me the sound came from raw fear. Moments later, I was proven right. Shouts escalated as I saw a wave of dark figures coming up from the beach. I looked over to where Camille stood, shooting glowing balls of I had no idea what into the first wave of attacking bodies. The light from one orb flew past a girl I recognized, the tattooed panhandler outside the bus depot. I hadn’t been imagining the lifelike quality of her tattoos. An illustration of a large spider rippled on her bicep, pushed its way up to a third dimension and in an instant leaped off her arm onto one of the winged platinum girls. Across the beach, her twin’s wings shot into the air in a jolt of pain and she whirled around to head for her sister.
Beside me, Faith and Jonah had started shooting bursts of fire and pressurized streams of water with as much precision as their skills allowed. It was clumsy, but they managed to knock out a few black-clad assailants.
Cole lifted a giant stone seat plank from the picnic table next to us and ran off to the beach to use it as a bat. Variants ran in every direction, some racing into combat while others fled into the woods.
I stood there paralyzed by fear and indecision. I had nothing to offer the fight, but I refused to leave my friends and flee. Vincent had been sitting at the table next to us. I looked over to where he stood and we locked eyes. He stayed frozen too, in spite of his ability to spit something which could definitely do some damage. Suddenly a dart flew into his chest, dropping him to the ground after a few seconds of swaying. Looking for the source of the shot, I turned towards the water and saw a greasy, scruffy head I’d hoped never to lay eyes on again.
At the moment I realized that Rubin led the assault, I felt a choking sensation while being lifted into the air. Hugo! He had me by the hood of my sweatshirt, pulling me up off the ground. Hugo yanked, hoisted me onto his shoulder, and plodded back towards the beach. I bounced seemingly in mid-air as we marched into the darkness. Their boat came into focus in the abyss of night ahead.
The vessel had a flat open deck with high walls either side. It reminded me of the military boats designed to ferry soldiers to beachfront battles. A small pile of unconscious camp residents lay on the deck, some already tied off to railings. Casey, the multi-armed bouncer from The Looking Glass handcuffed and tethered two people at the same time, working twice as fast with his extra limbs unfolded.
A whomping thud hit the mass behind me and the impact travelled through Hugo’s arm as he dropped me like a rag doll. The icy late spring ocean hit my chest with a gigantic punch and knocked the air from my lungs. On all fours in the water, I fought against the cold and the weight of my wet clothes as I lurched up and waded back towards the shore.
Hugo’s body became visible, in a heap several meters down the shore. Cole stood on the sand holding the concrete bench seat in one hand like a baseball bat. The anger on his face sent a rush of adrenaline through me.
“Jonah and Faith are already in the woods. We’re going for my car. Follow me now!” Cole shouted.
I paused, gasping for air, looking around for other escapees.
“NOW!” Cole dropped the bench seat and reached for my hand to yank me forward, but thought better in a blink, jerking his hand back as he saw fear on my face.
I knew we couldn’t save them all. We’d be lucky to save ourselves. Right and wrong would have to come out in the wash later.
“I’m coming. I’m right behind you.” I ran, but Cole scooped me into his arms like a baby. Cradling me, he raced into the woods. I felt like an idiot, but I kept my head shielded. Gratitude and embarrassment swirled in my gut. Cole’s grip on me was painfully strong. His arms felt li
ke dense blanket of hard muscle electrified with panic.
Cole didn’t break stride as the hill got steeper. He ran directly through the brush in a straight line, far from the original path. I felt the terrain level out again and moments later we burst out of the trees onto the road. Headlights washed over us and got brighter as a car sped forward.
“It’s me! Get in!” shouted Jonah.
Cole set me down and stepped out onto the road as his car pulled to a stop between us. Jonah sat behind the wheel with Ilya beside him. We each grabbed a handle on either back passenger door. Cole and I sandwiched Faith in the back seat. Jonah hit the gas again before we had the doors closed and the car shot off down the dark winding road back to Victoria.
“What the fuck was that!” Cole screamed at everyone in the car.
“How the hell would we know?” Jonah shouted back.
Faith wept, wedged between Cole and me in the back seat.
“Ivan sent them. Cole, Rubin saw the beach in your mind last night when you went to move your car. His mind hovered around all of you waiting for some sign. When you left the protection of the shield I had around the beach, he found you in minutes. I heard his thoughts back there. He was really pleased with himself - when they arrived, that is,” said Ilya from the front passenger seat.
“I’m glad you decided to come with us,” I said to Ilya, and then to everyone else, “So, I take it Ivan and Rubin are super pissed that there’s a group of variants who isn’t into voluntary testing anymore?”
“No, it’s more than that. Ivan did want the camp broken up, but he wanted as many taken prisoner as possible. He plans to resume testing; there’s even a priority list. Irina, you were at the top. Rubin is furious that Hugo lost you because Ivan is going to rip a strip off him for coming back without you. Psychics really are that rare and he invested in you,” Ilya said.
“Sonofabitch! I’m sick of this hidden agenda double-talk bull crap. We have to get somewhere safe.” Cole cradled Faith with one arm. “Our aunt and uncle live over by University Hospital. It’s not far from here. Jonah, do you remember how to find Liz and Bert’s place?”
“Yeah, I think so,” said Jonah.
“It’s not great, but it’ll have to do,” said Ilya.
“Have you got something better, telepath?”
“I did, Cole, until you showed it to that creep Rubin,” said Ilya.
“Did you really think that hippie camp was gonna last? What were you planning to do when the weather turned? More plastic tarps? How long were you going to live like that? Were you waiting for Ivan to forget about you, his own son? I seriously doubt you were ever going to actually make a move on your old man.”
“Look, arguing is pointless now. We all had a sweet deal with Innoviro and it was Ivan who ruined that by treating people like guinea pigs. Do I really have to remind anyone here that I just lost my parents to this psycho? It’s Ivan’s fault they’re dead as much as Rubin’s for botching whatever mind-melt he attempted.”
Even as I choked back tears, my gut churned with fear of the threat still hovering over us. My conversation with Ilya merely scratched the surface of what Ivan could do with his research–and why. Whatever made his eyes glow like coals wanted to cause as much pain and suffering as possible.
The rest of the car ride back to the city was taut with anger and frustration, but everyone kept silent. All we had was each other. If any other variants escaped, they probably weren’t in a position to help us. Having spent time with those people, I sensed how being visibly ‘different’ left you living in the shadows, ready to bolt if someone flicked on the light. We were not a group inclined to band together and mobilize for more than a meal or a party.
Jonah slowed to the speed limit once we came off the highway. I was glad that getting a speeding ticket wouldn’t be added to our list of problems. I’d found my bus depot locker key, so we took a brief detour to pick up my bag and more importantly, my laptop. Then we backtracked down Douglas Street, past the turn towards my place, and veered right onto a sloping hill heading east.
We drove in the direction of the University of Victoria. I’d been meaning to go up there and tour the campus at some point. I’d daydreamt on and off over the last few weeks that in a few years, I could save up my wages from Innoviro and study psychology part-time on the evergreen-lined campus of UVic. If the actual campus lived up to the promises made by the photos on their web site, I wanted to convince my friend Bridget to relocate too. I even imagined transforming my role at Innoviro into a research position, qualified enough to call my coworkers peers. Now the idea of my going back to school was so utterly ridiculous I nearly laughed out loud.
We turned off the hill and continued south until I saw the lights of what must have been University Hospital in the distance. Jonah turned sharply and pulled the car into a gravel driveway little bigger than a parking spot. We were outside the picket fence of a small and charming, not-quite-heritage home with wood siding. I couldn’t tell what color in the dark.
“Okay, my aunt and uncle are probably asleep. They’re an older couple and we’re going to freak them out if we show up all together. They don’t know about our variations. They think we’re troubled kids,” said Cole.
“I’ll go knock on the door and ask for the key to the shop. They still haven’t converted it back,” Faith said. “I used to live here for a while when I had a bad patch with our parents,” She approached the house while we all waited in the car, sitting on our proverbial hands.
“I feel bad coming over here suddenly. We ought to visit more often that we do, even I know that,” said Cole. “Since our parents moved back to Toronto, Auntie Liz and Uncle Bert are more like a mom and dad. Well, no, they’re more like grandparents. They’re in their late sixties already and they’re not exactly night owls.”
A light came on and Faith disappeared inside the back door. Cole told us that she’d have to sit through a cup of tea and make up a story before their aunt would let Faith come out to go to bed.
The shop had to be the small shed-like building at the far end of the property, adjacent to where we sat in the driveway. It wouldn’t have been much in the winter, although better than a tent. It was about the right size for one bedroom, not a safe house for five people.
Faith emerged from her aunt’s back door after about ten minutes. She trotted directly to the shop and beckoned at us to come over, which we did immediately. In spite of the warm late spring days, Victoria still had a chilly wind at night, even in the suburbs far from the ocean. Combined with the scare I’d had, I found myself shivering as I left the car and hefted my backpack onto my shoulder.
Inside the little shed held little more warmth. Cole fiddled with an oil space heater while Faith fired up my laptop. I sat on the bed with Ilya and Jonah, feeling utterly useless.
“I may be a low level tech, but I know several network passwords from Innoviro. Among many other things, it was my responsibility to transfer test results to other offices via their FTP server. Irina, I’m counting on your laptop having access to the network because I don’t think Ivan would have had them changed yet. I don’t think anyone there will get around to that until Monday morning. Not if they’re detaining test subjects somewhere, knowing we’re on the run.” Faith’s eyes didn’t leave the screen as she clicked away on my laptop.
I had given my laptop to the IT department for access to the network after a conversation with Ivan about my working from home some days, in case of illness. I hadn’t been excited about it at the time. If I made the decision I couldn’t come into work, I wouldn’t be in a fit state to do anything at all. Now, it was a concession that might just save our collective asses.
“What are you looking for? Irina’s already got codes for several high-security doors,” Ilya said. “All she had to do was touch them and I’m sure she could do it again.”
; “I’m looking for anything I can find. Details on the other Innoviro office locations, records of experiment results, anything contextual. I know it’s a long shot, but it’s worth looking while we still have access.”
“True, but shouldn’t we try in person too, before they ramp up security?” said Ilya.
“Won’t Rubin be listening in on all of this?” Jonah glanced around the room, eying each of us. “I mean, if he was ready to pounce on Cole, won’t he be tracking our minds like a hawk now?”
“No, I’ve kept a shield up around all of us since we left camp. The only drawback is that I can’t look into Rubin’s mind while I’m keeping him out. It’s hard to explain, but if I make a connection, it’ll go both ways between two telepaths,” said Ilya.
“Fair enough,” said Cole. “So if we go back, he won’t know we’re there.”
“Not from reading our minds, but the thought will cross his mind anyway, won’t it?” asked Jonah.
“Probably. He’s not Ivan’s head of security for nothing,” said Ilya.
“Is it really worth the risk? Why don’t we let Faith do her thing here and trust what we find? Maybe we should give this up anyway. Maybe we should run,” I said.
“You’re not backing out now!” Cole glared at me.
“Irina, I believe you’re onto something, now more than ever. The images I saw in Rubin’s mind are dark and aggressive. The people he captured–plus the ones brainwashed into staying willingly–are all in for more experiments that aren’t in their best interests. Some of them will be subjected to pain, and some to permanent damage.” Ilya looked squarely at Jonah.
“Well, when you put it that way,” said Jonah.
“I’ll go,” said Cole.
“I think I have to go too,” I said reluctantly.
In Irina's Cards (The Variant Conspiracy #1) Page 17