“He-e is one of them. He lied.”
“Who?” Cassiel asked.
“Harmon, Th-Th-The Secret Order of the Illum-i-nati. They’re here.”
“IIlluminati? Where? You’re lying.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Dusty, who else?” Cassiel yelled.
“You’re scaring him. Stop.” I wrapped my arms around Dusty, I think more for myself than for him.
“N-N-Not sure, maybe mil-military. Landson Shaw, I think he’s dead,” Dusty said.
My heart leaped in my chest. How were we going to get out of here without him?
“Cassiel, you read minds. Didn’t you read their minds?” I yelled.
“For one, I have to be in the same room with a person to read their mind. And two, the ETBE’s interference that Harmon was talking about.”
“And they have the grounds coated in boron. I heard them talking,” Dusty said after a long drawn out pause.
“Of course. Boron. It blocks thought waves and refracts radar,” Cassiel said, quite annoyed. “With both, we’re screwed. That’s why I didn’t see this coming.”
He began to pace. Neither Cassiel nor I knew what was coming. I wished his highly intel-ligent alien DNA would kick in soon.
“They took them,” Dusty informed.
“Where?” I asked, looking at Cassiel.
“Took who?” Cassiel yelled.
“Cassiel, keep your voice down. Someone will hear you,” I said, trying not to raise my voice.
He sat down with his head in his hands. Overwhelmed with what was transpiring, I saw a meeker side of Lucien’s brother that I hadn’t seen before. He seemed almost helpless.
“The others underground. I escaped, but my mother is gone.”
“Dusty, I’m so sorry. We’ll get her back,” I said, gazing at Cassiel.
“We will?” he said, mocking me. “How do you intend to do that? Do you have a magic wand hidden somewhere? Apparently my powers have faded here, if you haven’t noticed yet.”
“We don’t know that for sure.”
Dusty hugged me. “They’re coming back to get you, Sam. I heard them.”
“For me?” My heart began to pound harder.
“They want to take you to Dulce.” Dusty started to cry. I held him tightly.
“Shit! I knew it was a mistake taking him. Dusty, think. Where in the underground did they take them?” Cassiel asked, rubbing his brow.
“Beneath the hotel there are tunnels, I heard them say. They’re going to kill all of them. Harmon and the Illuminati are going to t-take the others under the hotel. They have explosives to kill them.”
“The hybrids?” Cassiel said. He grimaced and got up from the couch and pulled back the terrace drapes leading to the balcony.
“Cassiel, can you get word to your brothers?” I pleaded. “They can’t do this.”
He reached into his jeans pocket, taking out his phone. “Samantha, I say we leave before they come for us.”
“Are you out of your mind? We can’t do that. They’re living creatures. What’s happened to you?”
He wasn’t the most compassionate person, but to leave innocent creatures to die?
We walked back into the hotel room. Dusty was shaking from head to toe. He must have overheard Cassiel. I didn’t know what to say to change Cassiel’s mind. He took his phone and started texting wildly. I never saw his fingers move so fast. He paced the floor, deep in thought. Time was ticking away, and that meant the hybrids were getting closer to their fate. I sat on the couch with Dusty, trying to comfort him, but I was failing.
Cassiel’s phone vibrated with a text. He pulled the sliding door open and stepped outside onto the balcony. He looked up to the sky like he was communicating with someone.
When he came back in, he said, “The boron has interfered with my gifts. You were right.” He looked at Dusty. “What about yours?”
Dusty held out his hand, nothing.
“Great. We’re screwed,” Cassiel said. He quickly started to go through drawers, the bathroom, and even the hotel mini bar.
“What’re you looking for?” I finally asked.
“Something, anything we can use to defend ourselves. We’re sitting ducks here. They’ll come for you, Sam.” He stopped searching and stared at me. “If we’re going to do this, it’s now or never.”
I jumped off the couch, Dusty at my feet. “Then let’s do it,” I said. It was the only choice we had.
“I’m not going anywhere with anyone except out of here,” Cassiel said.
I knew we had to go, but I wasn’t willing to leave without the others. “No. We have to help them, Cassiel.”
“Damn human,” he said, shaking his head. “Come on.”
It was the right choice, but it may bring us to an early grave.
67 Splattered Blood
Cassiel, Dusty, and I tore out of the room, heading down the hotel hallway, out the exit door, and down the cement stairs to the yellow makeshift wall. Cassiel paused, putting his ear near the entrance. He opened the door. It was vacant. Cassiel went in first to make sure it was okay before we followed. Only a few maids pushing linen carts could be seen. He poked his head out and gestured for us to follow him. Chairs and tables were knocked over, as if there had been a struggle. Splattered black and red blood was painted on the walls, and puddles decorated the tiles. My stomach churned as I looked at the horrific sight. I covered Dusty’s eyes, shielding him from the sight until we passed. I let go of his hand as he showed Cassiel the doorway leading to the underground tunnel. I was apprehensive, knowing the only thing we could use to defend ourselves was Cassiel’s wit, not his powers.
The tunnel was dark, and the air in it was stale. Cobwebs stretched across the low wooden ceiling. The floors were dirt or maybe clay, reminding me of an old coal mine I saw once in an old horror flick. The only light came from an old-fashioned light bulb that flickered like it would pop any second. Cassiel thought it wise to hurry until we heard voices ahead. He paused, motioning for Dusty and me to hold our breath. The voices became louder. We steadied our steps until we stumbled right into them. The hybrids were bunched in the hallways with the military men and Harmon. Landson was on his knees with his hands tied behind his back, his face covered in sweat and soot, and his eyes swollen shut. Bloody hybrids crouched in the corners of the narrow tunnel leading to a dirt room. Dusty’s mother’s lip was bleeding, but she was alive; and judging by her expression, she was relieved to see Dusty. The military men had assault weapons and were pointing them at the hybrids. We halted at gunpoint.
Harmon was the first to speak. “Foster, you saved us a trip. Well done, Dusty.”
I could feel my jaw drop. Cassiel’s brow furrowed, and his steel-gray eyes met mine before zeroing in on Dusty. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
“He said he would torture my m-m-mother. I just found her. P-Please understand, C-cassiel.”
“Don’t listen to him, Sam.”
“Finn?”
“He’s here?” Cassiel asked. “What’s he saying?”
“He said for me not to trust him.” I looked at Dusty.
“You little sh-shit,” Cassiel said, mocking Dusty.
“Sam, you’re in danger,” Finn said.
“No duh.”
I felt my stomach sink. Nowhere to run, we stood at their mercy. Dusty ran to his mother. I looked at Cassiel, hoping to read his mind if only from his expression. What a joke that was. Finn faded away.
“What are you planning to do with us?” Cassiel bellowed.
Harmon looked at me. “Samantha, you should have died in Pennsylvania with your brother. I hate to be the one to tell you, but you’ve come to the end of the road.”
“And your point?” Cassiel said, standing firm to the ground. I wasn’t sure if he had a plan or not at this point.<
br />
“You know what I am referring to, Mr. Foster.”
The blood transfusion. My eyes met Cassiel’s. He acknowledged my concern with a nod of his head. Doom swept over me. I needed more than a rubber band to fix this one.
“Foster, we can’t take the chance of your type breeding with Miss Hunter, now that you and others know that Lucien’s blood survived in her body, and her biological makeup accepted his DNA. We won’t allow such a travesty. The possibility of offspring that aren’t mutant ever surviving will never happen if we kill Miss Hunter. Do you see that beam from the ceiling?” Harmon pointed to a tunnel to our left. “There are enough explosives to bury you and your friends. We can’t have you or any other half-breed mutant alien freaks survive and risk destroying the human race. You and all of your kind should have never survived. To hell with the alliance and Division Six. We’re going to bomb every underground tunnel, including the Project Blue Book, and MJ 12 Dulce experimental labs.”
“Why?” I finally spoke up.
The look on Harmon’s face was one of disbelief. “We can’t afford to risk of the hybrids reproducing, causing a disruption. That’s why.”
“But….” I looked at Cassiel. He was as confused as I was. “I thought the Illuminati was within the government.”
“They’re puppeteers who run the government,” Cassiel said.
“Which government?” Harmon laughed. “Silly girl. You have no idea. The government won’t allow you to live either. It’s only a matter of time before they come for you too. This way, we will save them the trip.”
“So you’re going to kill us all?”
“Why kill them? Make them your slaves. I’m sure their lives are of some value,” Cassiel said, not paying attention to my glare. Was he serious? The hybrids listened; obviously they had tried to use their powers. Dusty must have been telling the truth about the boron coat-ing the bunker.
“The guards are going to risk their lives to make sure no one gets out alive. And of course….” Harmon paused as if he had forgotten something. “Men, show Mr. Foster how dedicated you are to our cause.”
The two armed Illuminati opened their jackets, showing wired explosives neatly ar-ranged across their chests and stomachs. Great, suicide Illuminati.
“Bon voyage, Foster. Sorry, Samantha, you were in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Harmon smiled, hurrying into the tunnel.
“There has to be a way out of here,” Cassiel said under his breath, giving Dusty the evil eye. He sat among the hybrids with his mother, fidgeting with his hands.
“Maybe we can attack them. I can help. Come on, Cassiel. We can’t die down here.”
“Who said anything about dying?”
68 Minus Twenty-Four Minutes
We huddled far enough away from the others to brainstorm, but nothing we could think of seemed feasible. The clock on the explosives was ticking away. I couldn’t stop looking at the digital numbers passing by.
“Sam, do you think you could make a run for it while I do my best at disarming the two goons?”
I looked up at the counter on the bombs— “T minus twenty-four minutes”—and then back at the goons with the explosives strapped to their midsections. “What if you trigger their bombs?”
“Well, I’m not going to trigger anything Sam, after all we’ve been through, do you really think I’m going to die down here in a dark tunnel with a bunch of half-breeds? I have no idea what planet or galaxy their race is from. They’re lab rats. Believe me, I may be from another planet, but this is not how I intend to leave Earth.”
“I didn’t think so,” I said, agreeing with him, my words thick with gratitude.
“Well,” he said, looking back at the goons with the bombs, “they mean business. Are you ready?”
Was he asking me for permission?
“I dunno, I guess I have to be,” I said in a shaky voice. Cassiel nodded. I looked at Dusty one last time before I mentally prepared myself. All at once, Cassiel went up to the men standing with their jackets open and the bombs in clear view.
“Fellas, do you know where I can get a good sandwich?”
Before he got the “wich” out, he kicked one and head-butted the other. I hesitated, staring with wide eyes at Cassiel. My feet wouldn’t move.
“Sam, move!”
At that moment, I turned and ran down the ominous tunnel as fast as my feet would allow. As I ran, I still couldn’t grasp why Harmon had done this. There must be a mistake. I could feel my heart race in my chest and the thought of those bombs going off and being killed overtook me. I would never be able to tell my dad I loved him again. What about Lucien? Then my despair turned to fury. With only a trickle of light as my guide, I hesitated, holding my breath. My legs gave way. The ground shook, and a loud clap of thunder rang through my ears. Debris and dust fell from the ceiling. I covered my mouth as I ran hunched over.
This time I fell, spitting dust and clay from my mouth. I halted, looking back. I could hear screams. My gut told me to continue. Cassiel had to be okay. He had to be. I started out again, but terrifying images of Cassiel and the hybrids dead clouded my thoughts. Not far behind me, another explosion pierced my ears and filled the tunnel with a dust cloud. I cringed, traveling the narrow tunnel as fast as I could. Not paying attention to my footing, I went flying right into the arms of Nathan Moore with Michael Foster right by his side.
“Nathan, Michael, thank God!” I screamed.
Nathan wiped dirt from my face. I let go of his hold. “We have to hurry,” I yelled.
“Cassiel? He’s back there?”
I held back tears, nodding. The tunnel filled with more dust and smoke. “He told me to make a run for it. But I heard the explosion,” I said, hating the fear in my voice now. I took a breath and wiped the dust from my eyes and coughed, trying not to breathe. I covered my face with the bottom of my shirt and looked back as the dust was enveloping us.
We headed back to where Cassiel and the others were. The further we went, the more debris came between the hybrids and us. With only a few more yards to go, we could hear shallow moans. Ceiling beams, rocks, and clay covered everyone. Michael and Nathan scrambled to help the injured. I looked feverishly for Dusty and his mother, surveying clothing and lifting bloody limbs. I was just about to give up hope when I saw Dusty and his mother come from within the rumble. Fear painted their faces.
“Sam, stay back,” Michael said, wiping the smudged soot and dirt from his face.
Nathan looked away. The hybrids coughed. Dusty climbed over rocks and wooden beams that had fallen and hurried next to me. His glare was no better. It was like he was trying to tell me something. I stepped forward to get a better look. I felt I had to. Nathan climbed over the rocks and stopped me.
“What is it? Is Cassiel okay? How bad is it?” I said, running my hands through my hair. I steadied myself on the rubble. My hands were clammy.
“Sam, just stay back,” Nathan said warily.
I watched Michael hovering over Cassiel.
“We have to get the hybrids out.” Nathan untied Landson Shaw. “Do you think you can lead them out of the tunnel?”
He nodded and started to gather the wounded. “I can show them the way out. Get your brother to safety,” Landson shouted, taking Dusty and the hybrids through the tunnel. I felt hopeless watching them leave.
“Nathan! Sam!”
We hurried to Michael’s aid. Michael and Nathan lifted and pulled rocks until Cassiel was unburied.
“Cassiel,” I said, losing hope that he was still alive. And then there was a glimmer. Michael noticed a boot and then a leg.
Another explosion interrupted—this one worse than the first. I dove over to where the boot was. A beam fell, knocking Michael to the ground. Nathan tumbled over. I crawled over to see if Michael was all right. I checked a pulse. He was alive. “Michael? Michael?”
No answer.
I took a breath and crawled to where Nathan lay.
“God damn, how many bombs did they have?” he groaned. A beam was on top of his legs. “I’m okay. Can you lift it?”
I looked down. His legs were bleeding. I found myself pushing, trying to free him. I wasn’t strong enough. I pushed my hair from my face. Nathan closed his eyes in pain. I shrugged almost in an apologetic way.
“Go to Cassiel,” he said.
I nodded my head. I could barely lift my legs out of the debris. Frantically, I started clawing at the dirt and rocks to uncover him. His face was buried beneath the dirt.
“Cassiel,” I said, my voice more of a choked sob. I dug around him, trying to lift his head from the rubble. “Cassiel, answer me!” His face was on the ground as he lay on his stomach.
I could hear Michael coughing. He slowly stood and brushed off his clothes and held his head in his hands. His eyes spotted mine. He tilted his head in acknowledgment. Michael lifted the beam, freeing Nathan’s legs.
“Nathan, we have to get Cassiel out of here now,” Michael said, his eyes lingering on mine with anguish.
Nathan returned to his side. I looked at Cassiel and crouched close to him on my knees. Michael shook his head, looking down at the ground.
Is it too late? I started to question why we were here. We risked so much bringing Dusty. What was the point?
I looked at the tunnel’s exit, contemplating what was happening. With Michael at my side, we both crumbled to the ground, trying to figure out how we could turn Cassiel over without more rubble covering him. I was just about to pick up a rock that was covering his back when he moved.
“Michael, he’s alive!” I wailed.
His somber expression was short-lived when Cassiel coughed. The more we removed, the more he coughed. With all my strength, I pulled his arms free. Michael braced himself on a loose beam with one foot, lifting and turning Cassiel over in one movement. I rushed to Cassiel’s side, kneeled by his face, and wiped away the dust and dirt that was covering it. I picked sand from his hair. His eyes flickered at that moment.
Something wasn’t right. His hair was long and wavy. Not like Cassiel’s. There was a notch deep in his chin, and it was filled with sand. I blew it away. My heart skipped a beat. My hands began to tremble as I held my breath. He slowly opened his eyes and spoke the words in a voice I thought I’d never hear again.
Equinox (Beyond Moondust Trilogy Book 2) Page 19