“Ah. We will find it, don’t worry.” I couldn’t let her know that I knew the truth. I had to keep the charade up.
“Let’s get to looking at these monitors, shall we?” I asked quickly.
I didn’t see it coming, but the moment her knuckle met my stomach, I was sent flying across the room. Gasping for air on the ground, I could barely raise my head to meet hers.
“I have to do this. You have to stay out of the way.” She said in a hurry. I blinked furiously. She grabbed the chair, and yanked me down in it. She tied the rope around my body until I couldn’t move an inch. She had done it in super speed.
“Lena, why are you doing this?”
“I am not Lena.” She responded quickly.
She transformed herself before me in an instant. Her coat of black hair framing her face once more. I knew she wasn’t Lena, but she still looked so familiar to me.
“Who are you?” I asked weakly.
“I won’t tell you my name, but I am going to clone you.” I pulled against the ropes she tied me in.
“Clone me?” I panicked.
“Stay still.” She said simply, and locked eyes with me. That was when I felt the greatest pain. Like my body was being split in half, and stretched at the same time. When it was over, I was staring at myself. I screamed. I screamed until she hit me upside the head, and I didn’t see anymore.
Chapter Eighteen: Can’t Move With Your Feet Tied
Lena
He was gone. That was all I could think about. For the millionth time, we have been separated. This time it felt pretty permanent. I was getting tired of the back and forth. I was tired of this war. I was tired of fighting for things that would never be mine again.
If Jared was truly gone, then I had nothing left to lose. I had nothing else to care about, and that meant my humanity was in the dust. This meant war. Where was Aiden? I would murder him. He and everything he loved would be turned to ash.
I heard screeches in the air, and turned midair. In the distance, I saw red glowing eyes. All the robots were flying towards me. For once, I wasn’t filled with fear. They were mine to lead now anyways. They were meant to be followers, and followers of mine they would have to be. I didn’t want the power to control them, but I had to do it. I had to defeat Dr. Ravana, and this was the way.
I held my hands out in front of me. By command, they froze in the air. “Who do you listen to?” I spoke directly into my necklace. The necklace was almost a loud speaker. I could hear my own voice piercing the night.
As it turned out, my necklace wasn’t just a cure to being a robot; it was a control device. I was the leader of them all. I had the power that Dr. Ravana so desperately wanted. My father had played him for a fool in the end. Instead of them answering to Dr. Ravana, they answered to me now.
“Find him.” I said simply, I didn’t even have to speak his name. They felt my anger, and they would find him without a second thought. Each one of them turned towards the sand below. One flew down in a swift movement, snatching him up from the sand, and dropping him on his feet. Aiden was in front of me in a blink of the eye. “We meet again.” I said with venom.
He turned to run, but I was faster. I landed in front of him, and the coward turned to run away again. “I can play this all day long if I have to.” I shouted to his turned back. Instead of chasing him back and forth all night, I raised my arms. Every single robot that I commanded was around me in an instant. They each rose into the air. It was a sight to see, I had my arm raised in the air, and a pack of robots rose behind me with one thing on their minds, death. Death of evil. Death of corruption. Death of villainy. It was time. Aiden was dead meat.
I shot my hands forward and in an instant, the robots swarmed past me, all ready to attack. I laughed viciously at the sight of Aiden’s terrified face. When they were moments from reaching him, I yelled. “Stop.” They all stopped, inches from Aiden’s face. He was cowered down. He was even crying.
I slowly walked my way through the rows of robots, some in the air, some beside Aiden’s face, frozen in time. My heels clinking on the ground with each slow step I took. I kneeled down beside Aiden. He shrank away from me, but I jerked him up by his collar to be face to face with me. “You’re free to go.” I whispered and threw him to the ground. He crawled backwards but I kept walking towards him. “Tell them what you saw here. I am the master of these robots. They’re mine, and the next time I see you, you will be dead.”
He scrambled to his feet, running full speed away from me. I cackled into the air. I was a woman unhinged. The robots all went to their manual positions. Surrounding me, their leader.
***
I contemplated my next move. I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I was just waiting for someone to come up on the roof, to face me, but no one came. Were they afraid? Or were they just one step ahead of me?
I had to stay ahead of them. I had to win for Jared. I had to give him justice. My love was too deep for him. I would kill them all, but I wanted to put the fear of God in them first and foremost.
That was when I felt a presence. I found her strawberry blonde hair swaying towards me. Disgusting. She disgusted me now. Jared wasn’t here to make me forgive, or even make me be kind to her ever again. Her face was clear of all disease. It must have been all a sham.
“Well, well, well. What have we here?” She said in her annoyingly cheerful voice. I smirked.
“Holland, enough with the beating around the bush. Why are you here?”
“I am here to get my robots back under my control.” She said simply with a shrug.
“Your control? I think you mean Gabe’s control, right?”
She gave me a dry expression. “Yes, I meant Gabe’s control, but he is too busy to come get them himself.”
“Oh yes, world domination is very burdening. He had to send the helpless liar to get the robots. The whole point of world domination is to make sure things are getting done the right way.”
“I am very capable. Since you scared Aiden, he won’t come near you.” She rolled her eyes, but I felt pleasure knowing I had scared that man. “Gabe had to bring his second hand woman, aka me, to get the job done.” She was so delighted with herself but it was sickening to me.
“Go ahead and try.” I waved my hands towards the robots. They were mine to control. I didn’t want to control them, I didn’t want to be their leader, but I was for now. It was the only way to stay a player in this game.
She lifted a hand. I had a plan. I would let ten robots go to her, so she believed she had control, and then I would have them turn on her. They were under my control, and after I freed them, they would never be controlled again.
I allowed ten to go forward to her. I put on my best face. “Oh no.” I whimpered. I wanted to laugh, but that would blow my cover.
“Oh yes, Lena. They aren’t yours to control. They’re mine, they’re Gabe’s and they are Dr. Ravana’s. This little plot to beat us, would never work. This is child’s play to us.” She was smirking, and I wanted to wipe the smirk from her face once and for all.
She raised another hand, and I let ten more come over. “You’re just so much better than me, Holland.” I cried in false defeat into my hands. She was licking it up.
She froze as if a voice were talking to her. “Gabe is on his way up. You can kiss your mind goodbye too.” Someone did speak into her ear, Gabe. She smiled to me and I waited. I didn’t frown at the thought instead I felt determination. I waited for Gabe. The main event was just beginning.
Gabe finally approached. Darkness circling his face as his red eyes protruded in the shadows. Gloom and obscurity surrounded him wherever he went. Gabe wasn’t even a person anymore; he was a feeling. He was a feeling of hate, anger and sadness wrapped in one.
And boy, was he angry. His hands were shaking in the dim light. His face was red as it often was when he was pissed. “Lena, release all the robots to me, and no one gets hurt.” I heard a scuffle coming from behind Gabe, and saw that he was dragging w
hat looked like a bag behind him. I squinted my eyes until I could clearly see a figure. That was when I saw his squared jaw, and wavy dirty blonde hair. I would find him anywhere. I felt like the world was crashing, and renewing at the same time. I thought I lost him forever, and there he was, looking every bit as the man I loved.
“Let Jared go.” I shouted in shock. At the sound of my voice, his eyes darted open and he reached for me with his spare hand. Gabe quickly grabbed it and jerked him up.
“Release those robots from your control and I won’t hurt him.” By the end of the sentence, he held a syringe right by Jared’s neck. I hadn’t anticipated Jared being here. I had thought he had drowned in the sea.
You are most powerful when you have nothing to lose, and now I had something to lose again. Jared was my everything. He was my will to live, to fight, to try, and now I had to keep him safe once more.
“I will release them only if you bring Jared to my side.” I said through gritted teeth.
“Release them. I don’t make deals with you.” He said simply, pushing the syringe closer to Jared’s neck. I sucked in my breath. What was in that syringe? Could it be the disease?
“I won’t release them until you let him go. Now.” I screamed in anger.
“When will you learn that I don’t give a shit about what happens to you? I don’t care what you think you have to offer me, because the truth is that you have nothing to offer me, Lena.”
“I have everything to offer you. You think I will give you these robots. You are full of anger. You are a scared little boy on the inside, and I hold the power over you now.” I screamed.
“Oh, you hold the power. I think I hold the power in between my hands right now. I hold the man who holds power over you.” He said simply. He was right, but I was right too.
“I hold your entire plan in my hands right now. They don’t answer to you, try to command them, they won’t listen.” I smirked.
“You’re right.” He shrugged, “then I have nothing to lose.” He said as he pushed the syringe into Jared’s neck, he whimpered in response.
The scream that erupted from me was inhuman. It was eerie, loud and chilling. Gabe covered his ears, while releasing Jared until he fell to the ground, grabbing his neck.
I was full of anger and fury. “What did you give him?” My voice bombed over the alarms. I was the only sound you could hear anymore.
“The disease, Lena. You have lost. Now give me my robots.” Gabe said. He wasn’t even frightened, but he would be.
“You think you’ll get a single one of them now?” I screeched, as I flew in the air. I whipped my head towards Holland.
“Leave her alone.” Gabe said. Ah, first ounce of fear, and it was for the witch with strawberry blonde hair. I struck the nerve.
I ordered the robots beside Holland to yank her up. My twenty robots, that I had let Holland think she had, flew to my side in an instant.
“Let her go.” Gabe’s red eyes glowered but I wanted them to feel pain.
“Hold her over the ocean.” I said simply, and my robot held her by the neck. She chocked in his clutches. “I will kill her and feel absolutely nothing. That is what you have done to me.” I screamed into the night. “You have made me lose everything humane about myself. Everything good about me has disappeared because of your selfish need to rule. To rule what?” My shouts intensified with my anger. I heard Holland’s gasps for air as I made my robot release some hold of her neck.
“I will kill her. I will kill you. I will kill anything that stands in my way. They deserve to be free. Free of you, and your malicious ways.”
He didn’t say anything but smiled darkly at me. I continued my speech.
“They are mine. They will kill you, and then I will set them free.” I shouted. Every robot rose up with me and I felt my eyes burning into Gabe’s. He didn’t look frightened anymore, and that unsettled me.
That was when robots rose behind Gabe. Where did they come from? And how were there robots not under my control? “I don’t need them. You can have your pathetic bunch of robots. I have more robots in my control, and they’re stronger.” Gabe shouted, getting level with me in the air.
I would have to find out, it was either fight or die. I choose fighting. “Attack.” I screamed to my robots, as I flew my hands forward. This was war. I ordered my robot to drop Holland to the sea, and she flew down in a crash. She landed on the side of the wall, holding on for dear life. I wished the bitch had fallen in.
The sound of a thousand car crashes erupted in the air between us. Metal clashed, metal burned. There was not one person who wasn’t in a fight.
I was about to join, when I remembered Jared on the ground. I rushed to Jared’s side on the ground. He was heaving for air. There was already rot along his arms, and I held my breath. How the tables had turned. “I have you. I will keep you safe.” I whispered. I brought my lips to his. “We got this.” He heaved. He couldn’t even speak. “Stay here.” I stood quickly; my Jared should have just drowned in the sea because this pain was too much to see.
I searched amongst the fight to find Gabe. Of course he wasn’t fighting, instead he stood still, watching me from afar. His red eyes bore into mine and I into his. I was going to kill him with my bare hands. “Jared, I will be back.” I whispered without looking back.
I shot over to him, but before I could mark him, Holland stood before me. “I see you made it, what a shame. Now get out of my way, bitch.” I taunted. She smiled simply and punched my stomach. I laughed viciously. “You’re a tiny little human, I can kill you with one look.” I said as I met her eyes. I was so angry that I knew the blast would be painful. She crumbled before me, and I cackled. “See what I mean. You’re weak, Holland.”
Before I could do more, I felt a knock on the back of my head. I turned quickly to see Gabe behind me. He held a gun. He must have pistol-whipped me, and I didn’t even feel it. “That was a very futile attempt,” I said as I met his nose with my fist. The blood pouring from his nose was very satisfying.
“You won’t survive a shot to the head.” he said simply, and I giggled.
“Try it.” Before the words were out, he fired. I felt the slight knock. I groaned in annoyance. I felt the bullet in my forehead, my skin already closing around it. I tugged on the shell until it landed in my palm.
“Gabe. Oh, Gabe.” I mocked as I walked towards him. “You made me, and you couldn’t remember that you made me indestructible.” I shouted to him, but he was in shock. His whole body was shaking, and he backed up with each step I took towards him.
“No. Shots to the head are your only weakness. No, there must be a flaw somewhere in your system.” He was at the edge of the building now, two more steps and he would be toast. He stopped moving, and stared down my neck. I would have been convinced that he was staring at my cleavage but then I remembered my necklace was there.
He lunged forward, jerking my necklace. “What the hell?” I screamed. The robots fighting in the air stopped slightly.
“No, keep going.” I yelled towards them and they continued on.
“Holland.” Gabe screamed. “Help me get this necklace off her neck. Now.”
Holland jumped into action, jumping on my back. She clawed at my neck, scratched at my face, pulled my hair.
That was when the weight from her dropped finally. “Well, this fight is certainly not fair.” His voice whispered through the air and I felt chills. I knew that voice anywhere. It sent my heart into overdrive every time. It was buried so deep inside my heart that I would never forget the sound even if I tried to.
I whipped around quickly to meet his face. Jared held a gun to Holland’s head. He had rope around his wrists. What was that about? Gabe let go of my necklace, and backed away holding his hands up.
Where rot had been leading down his arms just moments before was clear. He was still in his jeans, combat boots and white bloody tee shirt, but something was different. Jared’s body was free of all rot. He was back to normal, but how
?
“How did you get better so fast?” I looked towards the ground where Jared had been laying. There was no one there.
“Lena, what are you talking about?” He looked slightly irritated, but his eyes were still full of love for me. I didn’t answer, but nodded for him to continue.
“How are you disease free?” Gabe asked in awe.
Before anyone had time to respond, I felt a whoosh behind me, and turned quickly away from Jared. Theo came up behind Gabe in a headlock. “Theo.” I said with a sigh of relief.
“Was waiting for the perfect moment to make my grand entrance.” He said with a smile. I felt nothing but relief, my two main men, and they were both okay.
All of the sudden, I was coughing and gasping for air. There was a thick layer of black smoke all around us. I couldn’t see a thing, but I needed to feel Jared to know he was still here. “Jared.” I cried as I reached for him and felt his familiar hand on mine. I lunged forward for Theo, gripping his hand in mine too.
The smoke made it hard for me to breathe. I felt the smoke filling up my lungs and deeming my efforts to breathe useless. I searched my eyes around, but I was coming up short. There was nothing I could see. I only held Theo and Jared’s hands as if they were the only thing keeping me alive. The smoke began to clear, and I saw a man approaching us. Careful in his movements.
He spoke crisply, sounding out every syllable. “I think it’s time to stop this parade, Lena. You and your band of robots have killed enough of mine. Release them to me.” It was Dr. Ravana. His voice was spooky against the smoke. That tumble in the hallway must not have stopped him for long.
I gasped for air, but I spoke against the heaving in my chest. “This isn’t over. This is just the beginning.” I felt both of my hands being ripped away from my men, as I felt two hands jerk me up.
“Lena.” I heard Jared gasp. He had been holding on to me as if I was his lifeline too, and now I was gone.
“This is over, Lena.” He spat in my face as he said each word. He jerked my necklace from my neck. I felt my power leaving my body as he threw me to the ground. My salvation was gone.
Antidote Trilogy: The Complete Box Set Page 42