Visions

by Teyla Branton

  Let’s go, she signed. More enforcers outside.

  If more enforcers weren’t already outside in the hallway, they’d run into more soon enough. Whoever was in charge would send a team to secure the cells and make sure the Controller was alive.

  She smiled in satisfaction. At least that bit had gone absolutely right. Controller Warrick Ramsey would never again hurt more of her people.

  Together she and Tauri dragged the unconscious enforcer to the door and used his handprint to exit. Only three enforcers were sprinting down the hallway toward their location. They waved in greeting, and Dani responded, motioning for them to hurry. When they were close enough, she took two by surprise with her good hand and a foot before Tauri finished using the temper laser on the other.

  “Stand down,” Dani told him. “We’re friends.”

  “I’m supposed to protect the Controller,” the enforcer said, sounding as if he really wasn’t sure.

  “Right, but now you have a different mission.” Dani marched the enforcer to the elevator and gave him the jammer disk. “Go to the back entrance. Give this to the Special Forces there. You want to do this. You’ll get everything you want if you do. But hurry.”

  The man nodded. “I should use the back elevator.”

  Dani hadn’t known there was more than one set, but it made sense given the size of HED. “The Controller will be so pleased,” she added, motioning for Tauri to give him another dose of the temper laser.

  “Thank you.” Holding the jammer tightly in his hand, the enforcer hurried off.

  Depending on his force of will, he might shake off the effects of the temper before he got to his destination, but hopefully by then they’d be far away.

  EAGLE HAD BARELY made it down the hallway near the auditorium when the doors opened and people began to stream past. The memorial was over then, and still nothing new on Dani.

  “Get out of the way! Get out of the way!” someone yelled.

  Eagle threw himself against the wall as Captain Walsh thundered past, his entourage of Special Forces having quadrupled since Eagle had talked with him minutes earlier. Others coming from the auditorium weren’t as quick, and the enforcers surrounding the captain pushed them roughly aside.

  “Ouch,” someone shouted. “By the CORE. What’s going on? Did you feel that flash of heat?”

  Eagle craned to see the speaker in the growing crowd of enforcers. He had seen the flash but not its origin. Neither of his distractions would have resulted in anything resembling a heat flash, so someone else was responsible.

  “You’re lucky you got out of the way,” a voice said behind him.

  Eagle turned to see Donnel at his shoulder. “Why’s that?”

  “That guy with the captain? Name’s Queran. I’ve worked with him before. He’s . . . he’s . . .” Donnel shuddered. “The radiation must have changed him. He can fry a person’s insides without even touching them. Whatever you do, stay on his good side.”

  Eagle didn’t feel satisfaction at knowing he’d been right about the enforcer coming from Colony 6. “What’s going on, do you know?”

  Donnel nodded. “Some. A notice just went out to every Special Forces here. At least one prisoner has escaped from the fringer holding cell. I’m supposed to help clear the crowd and make sure only valid enforcers leave.”

  “They have a description?”

  “A woman with black skin and white hair. Hard to hide.” Donnel punched his arm playfully. “You don’t fit the description. Better get out while you can.” He winked at Eagle and turned into the crowd.

  “You get that?” Eagle whispered.

  Reese’s voice came over the comlink. “Yes,” she said. “All units confirm. Dani is on the move.”

  Each member of the crew began to check in. The last response was lost to Eagle as an emergency siren blasted throughout HED.

  DANI AND TAURI slipped inside the doors to the stairs as the elevator chimed, warning them of new arrivals. They ducked into the stairwell and ran down four flights, seeing no one until they emerged on the main floor. There, Tauri stumbled over a tall man in a blue lab uniform.

  He stared at the temper laser in Tauri’s hand. “Why do you have one of my ultratemp prototypes? Who gave you permission? And what did you do to the barrel?”

  This made Dani blink in surprise. The temper was a HED prototype? So her flippant guess back in Amarillo City hadn’t been far off. But did that mean the men they’d picked up at the Amarillo City train station had been connected with this man? Or that the weapons had been stolen?

  Tauri was already using the temper, but casually to fool any cameras.

  “The Controller gave it to us,” she said, which in a way was the truth. “We’re searching for the prisoners.”

  “Oh, of course. So that’s what’s going on.”

  “You should go back to your lab,” Dani suggested.

  “I think I’ll go back to my lab,” the scientist wandered off.

  Tauri kept the temper pointed unobtrusively downward at his side as they hurried through the hallway. The crowd of enforcers she’d glimpsed in the camera feed hadn’t thinned at all, and in a few moments, Dani saw why—there was a line to get out. She stepped in line with Tauri, scanning the crowd. They were the only enforcers wearing battle helmets here, except for those checking people through the exits. That might be a problem.

  She made the signs for “fight” and “go out,” keeping her movements to a minimum. Tauri had to understand that she’d need his ability again.

  He tucked the temper under his arm. Can’t. Many people.

  You strong, she signed back and looked away from the expression in his eyes. Maybe his breakthrough hadn’t really been a breakthrough at all. Maybe he was only being strong to get her out.

  Tauri touched her shoulder to make her look at him again. He watches. He jerked his head at a man who wasn’t in the outgoing line, a man who was searching the crowd despite the covering of dark glasses over his eyes. It was Eagle. His movement didn’t change when he passed them, but his eyes met hers briefly across the room.

  Dani felt a distinct sense of relief. Eagle would back her up, even if it meant he’d blow his cover and have to go into hiding.

  Dani didn’t dare make the sign for friend because the cameras were still broadcasting down here, but she turned her back slightly on Eagle. Tauri would understand that sign. It meant she wasn’t afraid of him.

  There were two security counters, but only one was active. Precious seconds ticked by as they slowly approached the counter. When it was finally their turn, the enforcer frowned at the screen. “Why are you wearing Special Forces uniforms? That doesn’t match up with your CivIDs. And you’ll have to remove your helmets if—” he broke off as he looked more closely at them, his eyes widening at the color of their skin.

  “We’re new,” Dani said. “The IDs aren’t updated.” But she knew their cover was blown.

  Tauri shifted, aiming the temper, but already the enforcer and those around him were reaching for their weapons. Their movements were slow to Dani, and she’d have plenty of time to take them all out, or at least those between her and the door. But she couldn’t take on all the other enforcers in the line.

  She whipped her head to Tauri, who seemed frozen like the others. Fear radiated in his eyes, fear that he’d kill everyone here. He was right to be afraid, and where it hadn’t mattered to her minutes before, it mattered to her now that Eagle would also die.

  And Tauri would have more horror to live with. Dani clenched her muscles to act. She’d at least take out as many as she could. Maybe if she moved fast enough, Tauri could somehow get free.

  A shout came from behind them. “Help!” someone yelled. Smoke billowed through the lobby, though Dani hadn’t heard any explosion. Murmurs spread through the crowd as everyone turned in that direction.

  “It’s the prisoners!” The voice came from far behind them, sounding a lot like Eagle. “This way—everyone head them off.” The enforcers in
line behind Dani jumped to obey.

  She snatched the temper from her brother and squeezed the trigger at the Special Forces behind the scanner, sweeping over those in front of the door as well. “You’d better go help,” she told them. “I’ll take over here.”

  Without waiting for a response, she grabbed Tauri with her bad hand and pushed him hard in the direction of the door. A shot slammed into the glass, and Dani turned to see one of the Special Forces stepping from behind the counter. Less than one percent of people were immune to the temper laser, and she’d run into two of them today. It was probably one of the qualities most sought by HED.

  She dropped the temper and sprang for the man, knocking his gun to the floor and slamming her fist into his face. She whirled, grabbing Tauri and pulling him out the door. Bullets sprayed the glass behind them. She risked a backward glance and saw a group of angry-looking Special Forces emerging from the building, pushing people out of the way.

  Was it her imagination, or was heat waving toward her?

  She held on more tightly to Tauri and ran into the street. The sun had set, but barely so, and it was still light enough that it would be difficult to hide.

  “Run!” she screamed.

  Chapter 24

  “DANI JUST CAME out the front,” Lyra’s voice said in Jaxon’s ear.

  Jaxon engaged his scrambler engine and followed Reese out of the alley where they’d been waiting. The scramblers ran on pre-Breakdown tech that used fuel cells for power. They were fast, maneuverable, and ran for a month without refueling. Riding them always made Jaxon feel powerful.

  “Special Forces are in pursuit.” Lyra paused and added. “On foot for now, but I’m sure that won’t be for long. Oh, no. Looks like Dani’s heading for an alley that doesn’t have an exit. Hurry!”

  He and Reese pushed the scramblers to the max. They ripped past a group of Special Forces, who cheered, probably thinking they were on their side. They looked the part with the helmets, but that would only last until the real Special Forces noticed the black bands obscuring their division patch or checked the camera feed to scan for their now-masked CivIDs.

  “I see the alley,” Reese said. “Wish they knew we were coming.”

  “Dani will be expecting us.” Jaxon rounded the corner a little too fast. For a thrilling and terrifying moment, he thought he was going to lose control. His years in Amarillo City without the daily use of a scrambler had taken its toll. Or possibly his instability was the lingering effect of the juke.

  He recovered as Reese screeched to a stop in front of Dani, who looked ready to pounce. “Get on!” Reese shouted, patting the seat behind her.

  Dani nodded once and pushed her brother toward Reese. Tauri straddled the scrambler and they took off.

  The next second, Dani was climbing on behind Jaxon. “Hold on tight!” he yelled.

  But before he could get the scrambler moving, a vision flashed over him. Nothing concrete, except a man in gray staring down the barrel of Reese’s gun, her lowering it and following him. Numberless other images crowded in after that glimpse, threatening to steal his sanity.

  A sharp dig in his side became noticeable, and Jaxon struggled to focus. Dani had her left arm around him, but it was dripping blood. “Drive!” she ordered. “Or do you need me to do it?”

  “Jaxon! Where are you?” Reese said urgently through his comlink.

  “They’ve got scramblers in play,” Lyra added. “And all the shuttles in the area have pulled to the side of the road. They must have used the emergency override. Brogan said something about your scramblers having extra power, but that only makes a difference if they don’t trap you.”

  Gritting his teeth, Jaxon fingered the power controls, and Dani crashed against his back as they leapt into motion. He skidded into the main street, barely missing a shuttle. Special Forces on scramblers had reached the alley, and he took them by surprise as he roared passed. Shots sounded around them. Dani felt for the gun she must have known he kept in his suit, the one with the disabled fingerprint reader. She returned fire.

  Jaxon spied Reese ahead and pushed his scrambler harder. He concentrated only on her back. He could feel the weight of the cameras lining the streets throughout the city. Until they made it out of town, they couldn’t stop or they’d be cornered. His heart thundered, his breathing was fast and shallow. He kept his eyes ahead.

  She glanced back at him. “Once we leave the city, it’s over the bridge and into the trees,” she said in his comlink. “Ten more minutes. The shuttle from the local Undergrounders will be there.”

  “Okay.” Ten minutes. He could push back the tide of visions until then.

  “Are you okay?” she asked. “Because you’re weaving a lot.”

  “To avoid bullets,” he lied.

  He didn’t dare glance behind him, but Dani had actually stopped firing, which meant she’d taken out those close enough to reach. As if to taunt him, a drone whirred by, only feet above them. It couldn’t shoot, but that meant there was no way to shake their pursuit, even if they left the cameras behind. Reese stayed on the main road and he followed, zigzagging between the few cars on the street that had no automatic controls or Teev overrides.

  “At least they cleared the way for us,” Reese said, her voice mocking.

  “Kind of them,” he agreed.

  An eternity seemed to pass until he spied the bridge. That marked the last of the regular cameras, which meant they’d have to do something about the drones before they made it to the rendezvous with the shuttle.

  “Uh-oh,” Reese said. “Looks like TAD found someone to head us off.”

  A silver enforcer shuttle had appeared at the far end of the bridge, obviously having been out of the city on some other business. But the solitary vehicle couldn’t block the entire bridge. Already the enforcers were running to the open space next to the shuttle, kneeling down and bringing up their assault rifles.

  Jaxon grinned. “Let’s show them how we sixers do this.”

  “Sixers?” Reese asked.

  “Us,” he supplied. “People with abilities from Colony 6.”

  She laughed and ducked behind the bulletproof plexiglass rising in front of the handlebars. Jaxon also hunched and felt Dani press her helmet against his back. They careened toward the enforcers. A battery of shots crashed against the plexiglass. It splintered but held, the bullets suspended in spiderwebs of damaged glass. Both he and Reese plunged on ahead, their scramblers dangerously close at this velocity.

  More shots hit the glass, and a shard flew up and banged against his helmet. At the last second, the enforcers dived to the side and the scramblers sped on through.

  Jaxon couldn’t tell if the sigh of relief was his or Reese’s.

  “You guys okay?” Lyra asked. “That was an awful lot of shooting.”

  “We’re fine.” Reese sounded tough and determined, and Jaxon was sure he was the only one to hear worry in her voice.

  “Good. I’ve got Eagle with me,” Lyra added. “We’re heading back to the C-lodge.”

  “I’m already at the C-lodge,” Lyssa said. “I’m following the pursuit on the enforcer feed. They aren’t saying much, though. Just that a fringer was spotted in town. Nothing about an escape from HED. Watch for police shuttles on the outskirts of the city. They’ve called in everyone.”

  “We’re out of camera range,” Reese said, “but we still have a drone on our tail. No, make that two.”

  “Pull over,” Jaxon said. “We have to take care of them now.” They skidded to a stop and he, Reese, and Dani started firing at the drones. Jaxon’s hand shook but he emptied his clip, satisfaction spilling through him as one of the drones burst into flame. The second followed in a brilliant fireball.

  “Let’s move,” he grunted.

  The landscape around him sped by as they pushed the scramblers to the max speed. He could see a sparse forest ahead now. At the thought of the forest, his vision abruptly clouded, showing him another momentary flash of the man in gray. Just
as fast, it was gone.

  “Reese,” he said, “Be careful.”

  “You see something?” She glanced backward at the sky, presumably for drones.

  “Maybe. But not up there.”

  Her resulting “Oh” was loaded with . . . something, and he was glad he couldn’t see her expression.

  Less than a minute later, they turned off the main road onto a narrow trail leading into the trees. Slowing their speed considerably, they bounced along. It was darker here, but not dangerously so. At this point, darkness was their friend.

  They’d been inside the tree line for only two minutes when a figure stepped out in front of them. Jaxon slammed on his brakes and swerved to avoid hitting the man. Dani cursed as their scrambler crashed into a tree.

  By the time Jaxon and Dani were on their feet, undamaged but rattled, Reese was already confronting the man, her gun drawn and pointed at his heart. “Why are you following us?” Her voice was harsh. “Come to finish what you started seven months ago?”

  The man blinked slowly. His eyes were dark and his hair even darker, cropped short like an enforcer’s. He was still wearing the fancy gray pants and high collared shirt that opened in a deep V, topped now by a long black jacket. Jaxon glimpsed a handgun in a holster under his arm. A gun he hadn’t drawn. He had the kind of handsome face that made women swoon and men want to punch him out. Smooth and confident, not the kind to dirty his hands but capable of finding someone who would.

  “I’m Xavier,” the man said. “And I’m not sure what you mean.”

  Reese pulled off her helmet. “What about now?”

  The man started noticeably with recognition. “I heard you were in town, and I did see you outside HED, but until this moment, I didn’t know I would be meeting you. I assure you, I’m here only to collect the scramblers and to provide a shuttle that will allow you to get wherever El Cerebro is sending you. But we need to hurry. After the attack on HED, the Controller will be out for blood.”