Elements of the Enemy (Alliance Society Book 1)

by C. J. Felver

  “You bastard, you knew!” I scream in his face. “You knew and did nothing!”

  Beneath me, the ground begins to shake. A deep rumble sounds throughout the building, killing the rest of the noise around me. Everyone stops, looking around.

  What in the world is going on?

  The floor splits in half. I manage to scramble out of the way as loose earth forces its way through the gap.

  Close by, an elemental stands over the gap, and thrusts her hands outward with an angry yell. Clods of root-strewn earth fly through the air, hitting guards and officers left and right.

  Mayhem erupts around me as more elementals begin fighting with us. Air whips around the room, dirt sprays against walls, water splashes against what’s left of the floor.

  Rowe grabs my face, forcing me to look at him. “You won’t win,” he says. Then he rams his forehead into mine.

  My head lolls back, throbbing with pain. The room around me spins and the noises dull. Everything goes black.

  “I can’t make it work, Dad,” I whine.

  “Think of it this way, Cleo: the water obeys your command because you have a kinship with it, not because you lord over it,” my dad says.

  “I—I don’t understand,” I say, hanging my head in frustration. “You make it look so easy.”

  “Come here, I’ll show you,” he says, reaching for me. I scoot over to him. My hand slips into his, barely the size of his palm. He rests our hands against the surface of the pond. “In order to control it, you first have to respect it. Do you feel it? Close your eyes. Let your mind go blank, focus on the way it feels beneath your palm.”

  “I feel it, Daddy! I feel it!”

  “That’s great, Cleo! Well done. Now, trust in the water. Trust in it and it will never fail you.”

  “Cleo,” someone shouts in my ear. “Cleo, get up!”

  I open my eyes, staring at the floor, blinking back tears. There’s pressure against my legs, pulling me further from my memory. Rowe has me on my stomach, pressing my cuffed hand to my spine. He’s holding my crossed ankles against my rear with his knee. My other hand is still free, but I can feel him reaching for it.

  I’m screwed. Totally and completely screwed.

  With everything I have, I hold my hand steady, not letting him take it. He can’t detain me. That’s a quick way back to the hands of Aulder Harlow—and not in the way I need.

  “Give up, Miss Daniels. Don’t make this more difficult than it needs to be,” Rowe says.

  “Screw you,” I spit the words back at him. “You’re supposed to serve and protect! Uphold the law. Now you’re nothing but a pawn in Aulder’s attempt at mass cleansing.”

  “I swore an oath to serve and uphold humanity. You don’t fall under that bracket.”

  Sweat drips from my nose onto the floor. I grit my teeth and continue to hold my ground. My arm hurts like hell, and I’m sure there will be a five-digit bruise there in a matter of hours. It’ll go perfectly with the ones around my throat.

  Rowe lets out a strangled groan and his grip disappears from my arms. I flip myself over in an instant. Across from me, he’s sitting on the floor. Leafy vines wrap around his body, working their way up to his shoulders. I follow the line of them, looking for the source. They lead back to what was a potted plant I remember seeing earlier. Standing next to it is Mark. I nod my thanks.

  “Lyza, help me with this asshole,” I say through the comms.

  Turning back to Officer Rowe, I kneel in front of him, working water into the locking mechanism on the cuff. It bursts open, freeing my wrist as Lyza jogs over.

  “What are we doing with this guy?”

  “Taking him with us,” I tell her, putting the cuffs on Rowe and pulling him to his feet. “He’s going to help us find Aulder.” He starts to protest, but I place a water bubble over his mouth to silence him. “Think of this as making up for not helping me find my friend last week.” His eyes narrow in Lyza’s direction. “Alright, let’s grab the others and get out of here.”

  Reese is ahead of us, already making her way toward the main entrance. I look back toward where Wren is fighting one on one with the same guard who called him out. Wren is pulling his punches, letting his opponent think he has the upper hand. He glances around the room, eyes locking on me. His opponent lands a punch to Wren’s jaw; his head swings to the side. His jaw works, the muscles ticking as he clenches it. With one step forward, Wren plants a right hook, knocking the other guy out cold.

  Lyza and I maneuver through the crowd, hauling Rowe between us. We meet Reese at the front entrance. Wren is there a moment later.

  “Are you sure you want to bring this guy with us?” he asks, gesturing to Officer Rowe.

  “More than anything.” We make our way to where Wren’s car is parked. Running while you’re dragging someone is more difficult than it seems. Luckily, he’s not fighting our every move, which I find slightly suspicious. But that’s future Cleo’s problem.

  “I don’t trust him. He’s on Harlow’s payroll, and taking him back to Zander’s doesn’t seem like a smart move.”

  He’s not wrong. That wouldn’t be a smart move at all. Good thing that’s not what I have in mind. “Oh, we’re not taking him back to Zander’s,” I huff out, finding myself short of breath. “He’s going to tell us exactly how to find Aulder. Right. Now.”

  Descending

  “He’s not saying anything, Cleo. We need to get rid of him,” Wren tells me, unease creeping into his voice.

  “Oh, he’ll talk,” Lyza says from the other side of Officer Rowe, who is between us in the back seat of the car Wren borrowed from Zander. She shifts toward him and puts her finger against the center of his forehead.

  The electricity in the air shifts. Whatever she’s pulsing into his head, it’s not much—probably close to what professionals use for therapy—but it should do the job.

  Rowe’s jaw hardens, clenching and unclenching. His eyebrows draw together and his breathing becomes more ragged. Sparks dance in Lyza’s eyes, reflecting the draw on her power as she pushes him a little further.

  Her jaw is set and the corners of her mouth turn down, an exact mirror image to everyone else in the car. The tension is so tangible, it could be cut with a knife.

  My stomach flips again, as if it’s trying to tell me how wrong this is. Is this what we’ve brought ourselves to? Torturing someone for information? I don’t like stooping to this level.

  But at this point, I don’t know what else to do. A part of me is surprised Aulder didn’t show up to his own registration event, but a bigger part of me isn’t surprised at all. He’s arrogant, but smart. Of course he wouldn’t show his face publicly when there was controversy around giving us our rights. Of course he wouldn’t show up at the risk of his own safety. I’m honestly shocked there wasn’t a group of protestors waiting outside the courthouse.

  A small grunt escapes Officer Rowe, bringing me out of my thoughts. Sweat trickles down the side of his face. His jaw is locked so tight, I swear I can hear his teeth crack with the pressure. The air around us is charged and full of apprehension. I’m not sure how much more of this I can take. It doesn’t feel right.

  “Okay,” he chokes out. “Okay, I’ll tell you.” Lyza releases him immediately, side-eyeing me. For a split second, her mask slips, showing her relief. Her eyes turn hard as she stares him down, waiting for his answer. “He’s … at his underground facility,” he says between huffs, his words are clipped and strained. “It’s on the outskirts of town … about a twenty-minute drive. I’m sure he’s already heard about the riot you started back there, so he’ll likely be gone by the time you get there.”

  Underground facility? I have so many questions. Aulder is already running AGAS out of Harlow Scientific Industry Labs. Why does he need another secret place?

  I shrug internally. At least we’re getting somewhere.

  Wren starts the engine, but I put my hand up, gesturing for him to wait.

  “Where is the rest of the s
erum?” I ask Rowe. I don’t want to leave it where anyone else can get their hands on it. It needs to be disposed of.

  Rowe hesitates, pursing his lips. Lyza narrows her eyes toward him and he pales. Hanging his head, he heaves a sigh, muttering something under his breath that sounds a lot like, I hope he’s right.

  What the heck does that mean?

  “It was all brought here, with the exception of enough to replicate—which I have no idea where it’s being kept. Doctor Harlow instructed for the serum to be given to the specific tattoo artists who’d be using it. I’m sure whoever is in your ear can help you figure out where to find it.”

  I reach up and touch the comms device in my ear, then immediately kick myself for it. Not like it matters much. He’s a police officer, he’s probably trained to notice things like this.

  “He’s right. I can help you find it,” Zander confirms.

  “So, it sounds like we need to split up,” Lyza states. “You need to be on your way to find Doctor Douche, like twenty minutes ago. Reese and I can go find the rest of the serum. You and Wren can go get the dude.”

  As much as I hate to admit it, she’s right. I hate to think of what’s going on inside the courthouse right now. I pinch my eyes shut and take a deep breath. When I open my eyes again, I look at Reese. “Don’t let her do anything too reckless.”

  Lyza laughs. “I wouldn’t hold your breath on that one.”

  Reese rolls her eyes. “Trying to keep her from being reckless is, like, a full-time job. But I’ll do what I can anyway.”

  She and Lyza get out of the car and disappear into the parking lot. Reese is pretty good at keeping Lyza in line when she needs to. I have faith in her.

  Wren backs the car out of the parking space and pulls onto the street. Buildings and vehicles fly past, blurring together. The sound of the engine is just loud enough to hear each time Wren shifts gears. Beside me, Rowe shakes his head, no doubt disapproving of the speed we’re going. I raise a brow at him. How funny he has morals now. He can disapprove of Wren’s speed all he wants. I’m past giving a shit.

  Inside, my stomach is fluttering and flipping. My nerves feel like they’re operating on rapid fire, making my body tingle. The tingling works its way down limbs, giving me the urge to shake them out. I shove the urge down, hard. There’s no time for that crap right now.

  This is it.

  We’re heading straight for the end of this, toward the finish line of the last week’s worth of chaos. Everything we’ve been through started at the hands of Aulder Harlow, and I’m going to make him pay.

  Which actually makes me wonder …

  “Hey, Rowe. You’re an officer of the law, right?” No matter how much of a stretch that may be, it’s still true. “How is it that AGAS is able to get away with as much crap as they do?”

  He avoids my gaze, staring ahead through the windshield.

  “Nothing to say?” I try again. If he thinks I’m going to settle for his silence, he has another think coming.

  “Oh, I see. So, how much are they paying you? I mean, it would have to be a lot, right? Enough for you to look the other way when people go missing.” The words spill out now and I make no effort to stop them. Days’ worth of pent-up stress is ready to be unleashed and Rowe is the target. “Do you remember that day in the station? I do. You told me kidnapping isn’t in AGAS’s repertoire and the most trouble they cause is some brutality during rallies. You knew, though, didn’t you?”

  White hot anger burns through me, pooling in my stomach. I’m working myself up by broaching this subject, but I want to know. I need to know.

  Rowe lets out another sigh, dropping his gaze to his lap.

  “Yeah, a few of us were on AGAS’s payroll.” Hi lips curl back in a sneer. “We usually handled the disappearance cases, making them look like dead ends or using the government’s status on elementals as an excuse. We knew where each victim was.”

  My stomach heaves. All those families—wondering where their loved ones were and what had happened to them. Needless suffering for the gains of others. I choke down the urge to retch in Zander’s car. My hands shake.

  “So much for your vow to serve and protect, huh? A lot of good that did.” I shake my head at him. How disgusting. I know not all cops are this way, but it really makes me sick. You never know who you can trust, I guess.

  He falls silent again. I turn to face the front of the car. Mentally, I put up a wall between us. It helps to block his presence, but only a little.

  In the rearview mirror, Wren’s gaze catches mine. I know he already knew what Rowe just told us about Aulder having cops on his payroll. He told me before, and I believed him, already suspecting it myself. But hearing it straight from the source is different.

  Outside the window, buildings fade into trees. We’re on the outskirts of town now—in the opposite direction of Wren’s place, though the areas look similar. He must be speeding quite a bit to have gotten us here in the time he has.

  “Not too much further. The building should be coming up on your right,” Rowe says.

  Sure enough, less than half a mile down the road there’s a drive leading into an empty parking lot. A group of three industrial buildings stand beyond. Every single one looks abandoned. In fact, this whole place looks like it’s been vacant for years. Talk about hiding in plain sight.

  “Pull around to the service bay, behind the far left building. There’s a parking garage under the structure.”

  Wren pulls around and follows Rowe’s directions. I resist the urge to roll my eyes. When he said it was underground, I kinda figured he meant in the figurative sense of the word. This feels so cliché, it’s almost ridiculous.

  As Wren parks the car, I get the feeling we’re being watched. No doubt Aulder has cameras all over this parking garage. I’d put money on it that he knew we were coming here even before we did. Or he was preparing for us to.

  I slide across the seat and lean into the front of the car, lowering my voice. “What are we doing about …?” I trail off, nodding my head toward our new friends beside me. Wren follows my gesture, pausing on the officer for a moment.

  “We can’t leave him in the car alone, I don’t trust him. He’ll have to come with us.”

  I shrug. Fine by me. We can always find a place to cuff him to and leave him there to deal with later, if need be. I have a feeling Aulder won’t be too happy with him for giving up this location.

  “Alright, Rowe, how do we get into this place?” I ask, scooching back to my spot in the back seat.

  “Since you don’t trust me to leave me alone in the car, I can just lead you there,” he says. I’m not naïve enough to think he hadn’t heard us talking—I know he did—but he looks all smug about it anyway.

  When I turn toward Wren, he’s dropping his communicator device into the cupholder in the center console. My head tilts to the side and my eyebrows pinch together. What is he doing? If we get separated, won’t we need them to communicate?

  “We’re out of Zander’s range. Besides, we’ll be fine on our own.” He gives me a wink, and I’ll be darned if my body doesn’t react with a giddy squeeze in my chest. Looking back at Rowe, Wren asks, “How can I trust that you won’t run off?”

  Rowe sneers at him. “I’m still cuffed. How far will I be able to go?”

  He has a point. But still … something seems off about this. I don’t trust him. Unfortunately …

  “It looks like we don’t have much of a choice here, so let’s just go,” I tell Wren. Hopefully, between the two of us, we can manage anything this guy decides to throw our way.

  I take a good look at Wren, noting the beginnings of new bruises on his already bruised face. The courthouse took its toll, for sure. No more than the last week already has, I guess. We’ve fought more AGAS members than I care to count. I can only imagine how many are holed up in this place.

  A shudder threatens to creep its way up my spine, but I squash it. Now is not the time.

  This is it.
r />   Time to make Aulder Harlow pay.

  The car door slams shut and Wren walks around the back of the car tugging Rowe by the shoulder of his shirt. It’s odd seeing someone holding a cop—in uniform no less—this way.

  He deserves it.

  “Alright,” Rowe says, nodding toward the end of the garage ahead of us, “up ahead, there’s an elevator. We’ll take that to the floor Doctor Harlow will be on.”

  We stalk off in the direction he indicated. The parking garage is dimly lit. There’s only a few lights marking the garage’s exits, casting all sorts of creepy shadows around.

  I don’t know how many floors there are to park on, but there’s only one other vehicle here besides ours. Does that mean there aren’t many people here? Or are they parked on another level?

  If Aulder already has any idea we’re coming his way, I’m sure he hasn’t left himself defenseless. I can’t decide if that makes him smart or cowardly. Either way, it doesn’t matter to me. He’s already shown us he’s capable of being a monster, I won’t underestimate him again. We’ll go in here expecting the worst from him—or at least I will, anyway.

  At the elevator, we push the call button. I hold my breath, waiting for a siren to go off somewhere, but it doesn’t. Huh, that’s surprising. The doors slide open with a ding, illuminating the space around us with a bright white light. I release my breath as we step in and, after indicating which floor we need to go to, the elevator lurches into motion. And not in the direction I expect.

  “Are we moving down?”

  “Yep, we’re descending. Doctor Harlow wanted to keep this place off the radar. Harlow Scientific Industries draws a lot of publicity and he needed somewhere more discreet for his practice.”

  Hold on a second.

  Okay, number one: this is far more cliché than I initially thought.

  Number two: that in no way explains the entire wing of HSI Labs devoted to his twisted focus on elementals.

  Number three: what else is he “practicing” that he doesn’t want out there for people to see?