by Carly Hansen
“I don’t have to check anything,” Micha huffed. “And you can tell Alda she has to fix that damned vision charm because it’s giving you all sorts of crazy information.”
He is a stubborn one, this Micha Angelo, Fenix thought angrily. And after his display when he had taken an impromptu swim the other night, she was aware of how much he was driven by pride.
Here his pride was at stake, again, because he had kept Baldwin at his side for so long and had given him his total trust. For it to be proven that the person he most trusted was the perpetrator they sought was for his judgement to be called into question.
Fenix saw that she’d get nowhere by trying to challenge him directly.
“Okay, well, help me then,” she said. “Help me get Alda off my back. If I simply go to her and say the vision charm was defective, she’ll want proof before she relieves me of it. Check Baldwin’s records so I can go back to her and say there’s no shadow of a doubt that this vision charm got things all wrong.”
Micha squinted and hesitated. It looked to Fenix like the wheels in his mind were turning. She held him steadily in her gaze.
“Fine,” he said eventually, and then stormed back to his office.
Fenix’s head pounded, her body ached, and she felt exhausted. She reeled back and leaned against the wall.
“He was right,” Gaius said.
“About what?”
“You don’t look too good.”
“I feel like crap, actually.”
“Between coming up against the Chimera the other day, entering the hologravid, and channeling these visions, you’ve got to be spent. Maybe I’ve been pushing too much on you too fast.”
“I’ll be okay,” Fenix said, knowing that was a statement more of desire than of fact.
Micha came storming back in with his phone pressed to his ear. “…and get Dr. Prentice to call me at once.”
He breathed in heavily and exhaled in a low growl.
“What did you find?” Fenix knew that whatever he discovered would point to the fact that she was right about the betrayal, but she took no pleasure in this.
“Not sure yet,” Micha mumbled. “But he’s had some of the top people in the lab working on a secret project I never knew about. It was supposedly under my authorization. No one ever raised it with me because the protocol was to not discuss any aspect of it outside the lab room with anyone, even with teammates on the…”
His phone rang, and he answered. Cradling the device with his shoulder, he moved swiftly about the room, pulling open cabinets, taking down files, and riffling through them.
Fenix took the moment to press her head against the wall and hold herself still as she tried to regain her strength. Micha’s voice drifted in and out of her consciousness as he questioned the caller.
“Thank you, Dr. Prentice. No, simply halt all work, that’s all,” he said finally.
Fenix pushed herself off the wall and held on to a nearby chair. “So?” she said.
Micha let out a sharp breath. “Baldwin was developing his own serum. One that removed the elements that would have brought harmony between the vampire and human populations.”
“You mean one that doesn’t make a vampire sick if it feeds on humans?” she said.
“Yes. But one that still enables our species to overcome traditional weaknesses.”
“Like sensitivity to sunlight, garlic, and holy water?”
Micha nodded.
“That would lead to almost indestructible super vampires, yes?” she said.
“The most terrifying ever encountered.” Micha let himself drop into Baldwin’s chair. He bent forward, propped his elbows on his knees, and covered his face with his hand. “How could I have been so blind? How could I have been such a fool to put all my trust in him?”
Baldwin had played it well. Fenix’s visions had told her he’d bowed, scraped, smiled, and commiserated for years. Even the most cynical of men could have been taken in by centuries of fawning by such a sly con artist.
She suspected, though, that even if she were to have said anything about this, it wouldn’t have gotten through to Micha.
He let his hands drop and stared ahead, shaking his head. “It’s like I’ve come full circle. I destroyed Eurus, with Baldwin at my side, only to find myself fighting against the very same evil agenda.”
“Does Baldwin know the reason you were calling him was to track the vampires holding the girl?”
“Yes.”
“Then he isn’t going to show up to help you with that tracking code, is he?”
Micha exhaled sharply. “Hardly likely.”
“So we have no way of knowing where the girl is being held?” Fenix felt so sick to her stomach she couldn’t help but groan.
“There’s one thing that could work,” Gaius said. He took Fenix by the elbow and led her to Baldwin’s chair.
Gaius lifted his chin as he stared down Micha, who looked at him in return with hard eyes.
“Let her have a seat,” Gaius said.
Micha scowled at him, yet obeyed and rose from the chair.
“Now let’s get everything that Baldwin would have touched regularly,” Gaius said as he lowered Fenix into the chair. “It could be a keyboard, tablet, pen, lighter. Everything we can find.”
Fenix closed her eyes and watched the sickening image of Baldwin feasting on the Birstall victims as Micha and Gaius spent the next couple of minutes gathering up items from Baldwin’s office and placing them in front of her.
When the swish of their footsteps and the thud of items being deposited stopped, she opened her eyes to find coats, gloves, jogging shoes, sweaty gym pants, a stress massage ball, and all manner of electronic devices, from game consoles to step counters piled on the desk in front of her.
Gaius cleared his throat and looked at her with widened eyes.
“I understand how Alda’s vision charm works,” he said. “Because of the charm, this material should give you a powerful insight into the subject’s time-space continuum. Do you understand?”
Aware of Micha’s eyes on her, Fenix nodded.
“The default of the charm is to show you the past. But if you can really concentrate on the now, you’ll be able to reach into the subject’s present, wherever he may be.”
“Will this be anything like it was with the hologravid?”
“‘Fraid so.”
Fenix shuddered at the memory of that torture.
“And I’m sorry to tell you,” Gaius said, “but it’s likely to be worse.”
Fenix’s heart sank. But this was their only hope now of finding Catelyn.
She gritted her teeth, swallowed hard, and rolled the chair closer to the pile.
Every cell in her body was screaming to run away from the pain to come, but she took a deep breath. She closed her eyes and rested her hands on the mound.
“Good,” Gaius said in a soothing voice that was powerless to stop the violent pounding of Fenix’s heart. “Concentrate now. Catch up every bit of energy you feel here and go deep, deep, deep to find your subject wherever he is now.”
Pain slammed into Fenix’s head and sliced through her flesh. Gaius’ voice got fainter and fainter. Her head spun. She felt as if someone was banging a mallet from inside her skull, trying to crack it open. Every inch of her body scorched as if on fire, from her scalp, down through her arms and torso, through her legs and into her toes.
It was impossible to ignore the pain, but she willed herself to push past it.
The darkness in front of her eyes deepened slowly to inky, impenetrable blackness. Then, suddenly, white light exploded in her face. Just as suddenly, all went dark again.
But not completely dark.
Flaming torches dimly illuminate a room. No, not a room, more like a cave, with rough walls. What look like black boulders jut out of the surface. The light shows a sheen on the walls, as if they’re wet.
A man pulls the sides of a thick cloak around him. His face hidden in the shadows, he walks det
erminedly across the room.
As the light falls on him, the cleft comes into focus. It’s Baldwin.
He heads to a circular platform under a high ceiling. After he steps onto the platform, which is carpeted in luxurious furs, he uses the tip of his shoe to nudge a small bundle of fur. Nothing happens, and he frowns. He toes the bundle more vigorously and is angered when nothing happens still.
He bends over, yanks the fur rug away, and…
“Catelyn!”
Fenix opened her eyes and realized that the voice that screamed belonged to her.
She tried to jump out of the chair, but Gaius rested his hand on her shoulder.
“Save your strength,” he said. “What did you see?”
“He’s got Catelyn.” Fenix breathed heavily. “And she’s terrified of him. She’s scared, Gaius. She’s frightened out of her mind.”
“Where’s he holding her?”
“In some kind of cave.”
“A cave?” Micha came to the other side of the chair. “What did this cave look like?”
“I don’t know, like a cave. Low ceiling. Rough walls. Wet walls, with black boulders sticking out. Flaming torches on the walls.”
Micha frowned. “What else did you see?”
“Some kind of circular platform with heaps of furs. The ceiling above it must have been really high because I couldn’t even see it.”
Micha exhaled sharply and pounded a clenched fist into the palm of his hand. “Damn him!”
“Does it sound familiar to you?” Gaius said.
Micha stared at the floor and nodded. “It’s a refuge dug into the hills about twenty miles outside of Tresmort,” he said. “It was built in the old days when vampires in this region attacked humans and needed a safe place to hide from the hunters.”
“You know how to get there then?”
Micha nodded.
Fenix tossed Gaius’ hand off her shoulder. Although it took every ounce of energy she could muster, she jumped out of the chair.
“Let’s get going then,” she said.
Chapter 36
Shelly and her team loaded their dusty, beaten-up Jeep with arms and ammunition, and sped off first.
Micha was broody and quiet as he walked alongside Fenix toward an SUV she didn’t recognize. He seemed deep in thought. Bounding along in much higher spirits, Twain and Java easily forged ahead of them.
“Ready for some action?” Twain said as he bumped Java with his shoulder.
“Yeah!” Java rubbed his palms together. “I’ll enjoy taking out some nasty bloodsuckers.”
They chuckled and marched on.
Micha threw Fenix a sideways glance. “Alda hasn’t let them in on my identity, I see.”
“I guess I’m the only one she told.”
“I’m beginning to wonder whether that’s a good or bad thing.”
“I assume she thought you’d reveal yourself to them if you saw the need. I haven’t mentioned anything to them either.” She nudged her head toward Gaius, who trailed them. “Of course, he’s seen enough of you to know what you are.”
Micha sighed. “The day is yet to come when vampires can be open about our nature. Everything I’ve been doing since I defeated Eurus has been in an effort to get us there. And I hope I can still achieve that…someday.”
There was so much sadness in his voice that, for his sake, Fenix avoided looking directly at him. The discovery of the betrayal by what he’d believed was his closest friend was weighing on him. Fenix imagined he would not be looking his best, and probably didn’t want to be seen that way.
“The question is…” Micha said, sounding a bit more composed after clearing his throat. “Would your buddies be as ready to fight on my side if they were to find out what and who I am?”
“No need to trouble your head on that score.”
“You really think your friends are so open-minded that they’d accept me?”
“They know how important this is to me. They’d fight alongside anyone who could help us save this girl. It’s a matter of going along with you just because you happen to be an ally at this moment.”
Micha stopped and turned to Fenix.
The pained look on his face caused her heart to skip a beat.
The question hanging in the air between them, of course, was whether she felt the same way.
There was no way she was going to voice any of her thoughts on that score. They were too muddled in any case. But one thing Fenix was sure about was that she was sorry to have added to Micha’s feeling of friendlessness at that moment.
Apparently irritated by the silence, Micha huffed and walked on. He tilted his head toward Twain and Java. “It’s best their involvement be kept at a minimum.”
They drove out to the mountains, with Shelly and her crew leading the way.
Micha frowned as he checked the rearview mirror for the umpteenth time.
They had long ago left behind all development, and the forested road was in total darkness.
“What’s the matter?” Fenix asked.
“We’ve got a tail,” Micha said.
“I don’t see anything.”
“But I can. I have night vision, and I can see them although they’re driving without lights.”
“Who?”
“My guess is that it’s those federal agents who came looking for you.”
Fenix felt a jab to her chest.
“The last thing we need is nosy lawmen getting in our way,” she said.
“Let me just check on something.”
Micha took out his cell phone and made a call. After a brief conversation, he hung up.
“I’m afraid I was right,” he said.
“The federal agents are following us?”
“Yes. I had Dr. Prentice check on what they were driving when they came to the lab. It’s the same make of car that’s been following us.”
Fenix groaned.
“I thought I’d thrown them off by changing my vehicle,” Micha said. “Guess they’re more persistent than I bargained for.”
“Great. What are we going to do now?”
“There’s a little maneuver I taught these guys,” Micha said, thrusting his chin toward the Jeep ahead. “I think it’ll come in handy right about now.”
He dialed his phone again.
“Shelly,” he said, “seems we have some unwanted company behind me. If you could do the honors, we can get on with this mission without disturbance.”
Immediately, the taillights of the Jeep went out.
Fenix saw the Jeep in Micha’s headlight as it made a U-turn. It then went zooming past in the opposite direction, disappearing into the darkness.
She turned around and looked out through the rear window, but she could see nothing but pitch blackness.
“What’s going on?” Twain asked.
“Nothing,” Fenix whispered.
Suddenly, the lights on the Jeep came back on. The vehicle was in the same lane as Micha’s SUV, going in the wrong direction at breakneck speed.
A third pair of lights soon flicked on. Fenix figured they belonged to the agents’ car.
Tires screeched.
Just as the two vehicles were about to collide, the Jeep swung into the center of the road. The car swerved in the opposite direction, off the road.
The sound of metal clanging told Fenix that the car had gone into the gully that ran alongside the road.
The lights on the Jeep went out.
After a brief moment, the Jeep came rumbling alongside Micha’s SUV. It sped to the front, again, and the lights went back on.
“What the hell was that all about?” Twain asked.
“Nothing,” Fenix said.
Micha looked in the rearview mirror at the car stuck in the gully and smiled. “I don’t think they’ll be bothering us anymore tonight,” he said quietly to Fenix.
A long, winding dirt road took them deeper into the dense forest. The Jeep ahead of them suddenly stopped.
Micha pulle
d up beside it with the engine running. “Good work back there,” he said.
“Thanks.” Shelly tapped her thumbs on the steering wheel and smiled broadly.
“I doubt those two will give us any further trouble,” Micha said. “But to be on the safe side, let’s lose the vehicles so no one will know we stopped here.”
Everyone got out, and Micha and Shelly programmed the vehicles.
“We can call them back when we need them,” Micha said as they watched the empty vehicles drive themselves away.
He turned and looked at the forested slope before them. “Right, it’s all on foot from here.”
The climb over giant boulders took a long while, and Fenix soon felt winded. When they entered thicker woods, Fenix straggled at the back of the group.
Gaius turned around and joined her.
“How are you doing?” he asked.
The question brought her weakened state to the front of her mind, but before she could respond, her legs gave out. She fell to her knees.
“I’m fine,” Fenix said as she struggled to get up.
Gaius knelt beside her and rested his hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he said. “You’re drained. This is my fault.”
“What?”
“I knew entering the hologravid was a bad idea. I shouldn’t have let you do it.”
“I’m fine, Gaius.”
“You’re in no condition to continue.”
“Nothing’s going to stop me from getting that bastard who has my sister and killed those girls.”
Fenix tried to throw Gaius’ arm off her shoulder, but she only ended up falling back and landing on her butt. She bowed her head to hide the tears that were welling up in her eyes.
Gaius sat next to her. “I’m truly sorry,” he said. “Guess I’m failing as a mentor.”
“Don’t blame yourself. I insisted on going in there, remember?”
“But I should’ve done a better job of guiding you.”
“I’m as stubborn as they come, Gaius. There’s nothing you could’ve done to stop me.”
Fenix dried her eyes, and they sat there in silence.
“Let’s get going,” Fenix said after a while. She curled her hands into fists and pressed them into the ground to try to push herself up. Her arms proved useless, and she fell right back down.