Tears rolled down my face as I stared. I felt responsible; he wouldn't have come to Parapets in the first place if not for me. Maybe none of this would have happened if I'd gone looking for him that morning, when he hadn't come out of his room.
Cassandra had said he'd gone back to town, and I'd accepted that. I'd wanted to believe her, and I'd made a terrible mistake. While my back was turned, someone had transformed him into a monster. Someone at Groundswell had done it.
That much was certain. Mahoney and the other Crossbreed were working for Groundswell, patrolling Parapets property. Cassandra had lied to cover it up, and none of her pals had come forward with the truth. They were all in on it.
Now that I let the tune play in my mind instead of shutting it out like I'd been doing, it felt right. Of course Groundswell was bad news; after all, they were the same bunch who'd been pimping Aggie and the nymphs at Secret Valley. Aggie had died in their custody, hadn't she?
And yet, I'd managed to convince myself the people of Parapets were well-intentioned. I'd written off the Divinities escort business as a lapse in judgment balanced out by the good work it had funded. I'd decided Aggie's killer might have passed through Parapets, but Parapets had had nothing to do with him.
I'd pushed all my instincts to the farthest, darkest corner of my mind, in other words, and left them there to rot. All because I'd wanted to believe in this place and these people. Even after Aggie's warning from beyond the grave, I'd still tried to believe in them. I'd tried to hold on in spite of everything. Because I'd needed them to fill a void I'd never known was in me until now.
And poor Mahoney had paid the price.
Looking at him made me feel sick to my stomach. Made me ashamed of myself. Pissed at myself.
Pissed at Parapets and Groundswell, too. Way beyond pissed, actually. As the first waves of shock and sickness and shame faded, rage took hold of me and wouldn't let go. It spread fast as a wildfire through a national park, the kind of fire you can't put out. The kind that has a mind of its own and a power straight out of the Old Testament.
I wiped away my tears. Pushed away from the tree I'd been leaning against. Finally ready to do the job I'd come to Parapets to do. Ready to find whoever had killed Aggie and Owen and Cousin Canyon, whoever was killing Laurel, and bring them to justice, whatever it took. Whatever it cost.
I didn't think it would be easy, what with all the power and resources at Parapets' disposal...but that would be all the better. I was in the mood for a fight, a big one. It was about time I dished out some payback in honor of Aggie. In honor of Mahoney, too.
But first things first. I needed more intel. Needed to see more of the big picture before I went to war.
The biggest question in my mind was, where had these Crossbreeds come from? I hadn't seen their kind before, and they were awfully hard to miss, so they must have been dispatched from someplace secret. If so, where the hell was it? Because if it could pump out more soldiers like these, I needed to shut it down ASAP.
I thought for a moment and made up my mind. Chucked the big rock off Mahoney with a flick of my finger, freeing him. Then zapped him with enough of my power to snap him out of his daze.
As he stirred, I stood over him, watching for a wrong move. The second he rolled off the assault rifle trapped underneath him, I ducked down and grabbed it away. Hurled it into one of the crevices I'd opened. Didn't want him retrieving the gun, and I didn't need it given the amount of damage I could do with my bare hands.
"Hey." I stayed in his line of sight without getting so close he could grab me. "Mahoney." Thought using his name might get a rise out of him. "Listen to me."
His idea of listening was taking a swipe at me with one enormous stony paw. I think he might've broken one of my legs if he'd connected...but I was just out of range.
I tried getting through to him again. "Listen, Mahoney. It's me, Gaia."
He tried hitting me again, too. Lunged from his knees and just about caught me.
"I said listen." No more fucking around. This time, I reached into him with my power and locked onto his rock half. Hooked into the ribbons of stone woven through him and took command of them. Held him steady on his knees, arms clamped at his sides, and tipped his head back. Turned his face to look at me.
Nothing. His gaze locked with mine, but there was no sign of recognition. His stare on the man side was as blank as the one on the stone side.
So I leaned down closer. "I'm Gaia. You remember me. I know you do." Shot a tickle of power through the earthen parts of his blended brain.
He opened his mouth, and for a second, I thought he'd keyed in on me...but all he gave me was a grunt. I felt him straining against my hold, trying to break free and lash out at me.
I gave him another zap, stronger than the first, but that only made him struggle harder. He managed to lurch to one side, and I locked him there, then figured enough was enough. I was running out of options. Time for some more aggressive electroshock therapy.
I really turned up the heat this time, planting my hands on his head and filling him with current. Sending it sizzling through man parts and rock parts alike. Worried I was hurting him but knowing it was necessary.
I think the treatment would have sent Mahoney convulsing on the ground if I hadn't kept control of his Crossbreed body. Instead, he shook and twitched under my hands, making a groaning sound deep in his throat.
"Can you hear me, Mahoney?" Again, I met his gaze, and again, there was no recognition. "Wake up, Mahoney. I need your help!" Still nothing.
So I let him have it again. Poured in as much power as I thought I could without killing him. Let it flow for a good long minute as he twitched and groaned. If this didn't work, I was shit out of luck; turning it up any more would fry him alive.
For a moment after I'd switched off the power, Mahoney gave me the same dull stare, and I thought we were done. His mouth lolled open, and he wobbled in place like a lump of dead meat.
Then, when he did show signs of his old self, I almost wished he hadn't. His dazed human eye finally sparked from within, and I could tell he knew who I was. His jaw worked for a moment, winching up and down, before any sound came out. And then he spoke, his voice a broken rumble with barely any hint of its original sound. "Hurts-s-s." That was what he said. "God...it...hurts-s-s."
I thought he meant the electrical current. "Sorry I shocked you," I said. "It seemed like the only way to get through to you."
"Not-t-t the. Sho-o-ocks," said Mahoney. "Not. What you. Did-d-d to. Me. What they did-d-d."
Mahoney went into such violent spasms, he broke my control of his body. He fell forward, landing facedown in the dirt. Then rolled over on his side, shaking and moaning in the moonlight.
"'They' who?" I reached for him, but he wouldn't give me his hand.
"S-s-scientists," said Mahoney. "Gr-r-roundswel-l-lers."
I hated to push him. I felt as if everything that had happened to him was my fault. But I needed to make up for lost time. Needed to make up for the inaction that had led to this. "Where are they? The ones who did this to you?"
Mahoney sucked in a deep breath, then roared in pain and pounded the ground with his stony fist. "Tur-r-rn me. Off. Again. My head." The ground shook as he pounded it again. "Hurts. Too. Mu-u-uch."
A tear rolled down my face, and I wiped it away with the back of my hand. "Soon," I said. "As soon as you take me to where they did this to you."
"Pain." The human half of Mahoney's face winced. "Want. To. Die. Kill me-e-e."
I couldn't do what he asked, but I wondered if I still might be able to help. Leaning down, I touched his head and reached in, digging deep. Exploring the clashing elements, the earth and flesh commingled in his tortured body. Searching for a way to undo the graft or at least end the pain. A way short of killing him.
And I found nothing. The merger of man and stone was too thorough. It reached all the way to the molecular level and beyond. Every bit of human substance inextricably linked to correspondin
g bits of stone. A real masterpiece, if you wanted to call it that. Don't ask me why they hadn't switched off the agony in the bargain.
"I'm so sorry." I pulled away from him, shaking my head. "There's nothing I can do for you here. Maybe the people who did this to you can reverse it."
Mahoney lay there for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Re. Verse."
I nodded. Hated to give him hope if it turned out to be false, but what choice did I have? "Let's go see them," I said. "Right now."
"Yes." With what seemed like a mighty effort, Mahoney planted his hands on the ground and pushed himself up to his knees. "Right. Now." Groaning from the strain of it, he struggled to his feet.
Seeing him like that was enough to break my heart. "I'm so sorry." More tears ran down my cheeks. "I'm sorry this happened to you."
Mahoney stared at me like he'd never seen tears before. Reached out as if to wipe them away, then stopped himself. Took a long look at the ungainly rocky paw that had taken the place of his human hand.
And then he grunted and made a fist. "Make. Them. Re. Verse." He nodded. "Let's. Go."
With that, he lumbered into the woods in the direction of the Great Hall of Parapets. I pulled myself together as best I could and followed him, wondering if the Parapeople could reverse his transformation. Honestly, not holding out much hope that someone who'd do this to a person in the first place would ever be humane enough to undo it. Not willingly, at least.
*****
Chapter 52
Mahoney led me through the woods along the mountainside, following a track that paralleled the Great Hall snaking atop the ridge. The whole time, we were hidden from the view of those in the Hall by the trees and brush...as well hidden as we could be, considering one of us was a half-man, half-rock behemoth.
As we marched onward, I tried to prepare myself for action. In other words, tried to shake off the emotional roller coaster and get my head in the right place. Also gave the power piggy bank a shake, if you know what I mean. Got a feel for how many pennies were still in there...and the numbers were good. My power levels were recovering fast from the fight with the Crossbreeds and my ride in Ayan's draining device. It was hard to be exact, but I had a sense I was close to being all the way back up to speed.
I also had a sense that being up to speed might not be enough. Whatever twisted amalgam of science and magic had produced the Crossbreeds, it might be too much for Mahoney and me to handle on our own. If we were up against all the resources of Parapets and Groundswell, we were definitely screwed.
So tonight, I decided, would be all about recon. Get in, take a look around, and get out. Avoid contact and conflict in spite of my craving for revenge. Come back later with a solid plan and strong support—a small army of Laurel's Landkind allies, maybe. Then tear the mother down. So much for my wonderful new home...the one with the mutant crossbreeding factory right under my nose.
It wasn't exactly right under my nose, but it was close enough...halfway back to the terraces, maybe. A door disguised as a giant slab of rock under a craggy outcropping. Mahoney clapped one stony hand against the surface, smack in the middle, and the slab swung inward.
Lights winked on as we stepped inside. They revealed a corridor stretching off before us, wide enough for two or more giant Crossbreeds to pass through side by side.
"This-s-s. Way." Mahoney gestured with one hand at the corridor.
I nodded. Fell in step alongside him as he trundled forward. Behind us, the door swung shut with a thump.
More lights flashed on ahead of us as we proceeded. Looking back, I saw the ones furthest behind us going out. There were motion sensors in place, no doubt, thought I couldn't see them.
Couldn't see security cameras, either, but that didn't mean they weren't in place. In other words, somebody somewhere might already be spreading the news that I'd arrived. In which case, recon might turn into Defcon awfully fast. Maybe letting Laurel know where I was wasn't such a bad idea.
Laurel had said we could communicate through the mountain. She hadn't taught me how to do it, but I knew I had to try.
I ran my fingers along the wall—a cross-section of dirt and rock cut perfectly smooth, same as the floor and arched ceiling. Focusing my will and power, I reached into the ley line network, aiming for Parapets. Searching for Laurel.
I found what felt like her energy signature on the top terrace and sent a message in her direction...data on my status and location, warnings about Parapets and Groundswell, instructions to wait for my signal. All compressed in a packet and shot through the ley network like a bullet. Just in case there was a hiccup.
Moments later, Mahoney and I came to huge double doors at the end of the corridor. When I read their composition, I could see they were made of solid granite, three feet thick...and something else.
Moving closer, I spread both hands on the doors and dug in, mining for answers. Quickly realizing what made the doors feel so strange to me.
They were alive. The stone was meshed with human nerve and muscle fibers, intimately intermingled. Held together with some kind of unidentifiable field that could have been high tech or magic-based or both. Like Mahoney, the doors were half-human and half-rock, wired up the same way.
And on the same wavelength. When Mahoney touched them, they warmed up and blushed, suffusing with rose color. They played a little welcoming tune like notes on a flute. When Mahoney pulled his hand away, they opened onto a new scene.
We were standing on a ledge overlooking a cavernous chamber. The chamber was filled with transparent cubes, hovering in midair, turning and shuffling in a constantly changing orbit. Each cube was tinted with rippling rainbow colors and held something different: stacks of high tech equipment; men and women in white coats working in labs; cages full of dogs and rabbits and monkeys; and row after row of Crossbreeds. I counted dozens of Crossbreeds in one cube alone, and dozens more cubes just like it, packed with still more Crossbreeds.
And at the center of it all, around which all the cubes orbited, a shaft of golden light stabbed the ceiling, rooted in a pit in the middle of the floor.
It was amazing. For a long moment, I just stood there on the ledge with Mahoney and gaped. Felt alternately awestruck and dizzy. This place put the Great Hall, with its ever-shifting kaleidotecture, to shame. I'd never seen anything like it.
I touched Mahoney's arm. "This is where it happened? Where they changed you?"
"There." Mahoney pointed at a passing cube that housed a laboratory. It looked to me like another transformation was underway inside—men in welder's masks running a device throwing off blinding sparks the size of apples. A humongous body thrashing in restraints on a rack, seared by cherry red instruments on robot arms, giving off smoke.
"I'm sorry you went through that," I said. "It looks terrible."
"Hur-r-rts." Mahoney groaned and shivered. "Re. Verse." He pointed again at the lab as it spun past.
"Soon." I was sticking to my plan. Recon now, revenge later. "We need information first."
"Re. Verse. Now." Mahoney sounded angry.
"Not yet," I said. "I'm sorry."
"Now." Suddenly, Mahoney leaped off the ledge toward the lab. Instead of sinking fast, he sailed through space like an arrow, bound point blank for his target. The altered gravity enabled him to fly.
I guessed it would do the same for me, but I hesitated to follow him. Taking action now, without backup, could kill my plans for stopping Groundswell. There was no doubt in my mind that the smart play was to leave Mahoney to his own devices and get the hell out of that place.
Torn, I stepped to the edge of the ledge, watching Mahoney swoop after the lab cube. They were both racing away from me; if I was going to get involved, I knew I'd better jump fast. But once I jumped, I'd be bailing out on the smart play.
I leaned forward, tipping over the edge. Wishing I had backup right now, because there really wasn't any choice with Mahoney in danger. I had to go after him.
Just then, I heard a voice behind me. "
Gaia, wait!"
Pulling back, I turned to see Laurel standing in the doorway. "Laurel!" So I did have backup, after all. I hadn't asked her to come right away, but I was glad she had. "I have to help Mahoney!"
Laurel stepped toward me. "Hold on, Gaia. We need to talk."
Looking over my shoulder, I saw Mahoney and the lab cube getting farther away. "No time for that! You got my message, right? You know we're in great danger!"
"Gaia." Laurel took another step closer, bringing us face to face. She reached out and dropped a hand on my shoulder. "You're missing the big picture."
I looked at her like she was nuts. Wondered if my message had gotten garbled in transmission. "Look, I need your help! Cover me while I go after Mahoney!"
Laurel looked sad. "This is for your own good, my friend." Her grip tightened on my shoulder.
"What the hell?" I tried to shake free and couldn't.
Suddenly, a warm wave rippled through me, starting at her hand on my shoulder. Flowing through my mind and body like a stream through a moonlit meadow. Instantly relaxing me.
It took me completely by surprise. I didn't even think to try and fight it. But as I melted into Laurel's open arms, I was haunted by a terrible realization.
"Shhh." Laurel held me and patted me on the back as if I were a child. "Everything will be all right now."
I realized Laurel had betrayed me.
*****
Chapter 53
Aggie was waving at me. I saw her smiling face, surrounded by lush, dark hair and a nimbus of light. It was the photo of her from the Divinities flyer, the one Briar and I had found in her apartment. The one with the sequined black evening gown and the silver brooch like the Greek letter alpha.
Earthshaker Page 25