by SM Olivier
Since her revelation, Beth seemed to have a change of heart where children were concerned. She was finally receptive to taking other children into her house. Now that we were aware of Horatio’s activities, we knew the possibility of an influx of children were a huge probability.
Will had a meeting with all his trusted friends and asked them to consider opening their homes to the children, especially since the normal families that took them in, were full. Some of the families had three or four children on top of their own, and although he thought they were perfectly capable of caring for them, he didn’t want to stretch them thin.
Patrick seemed somewhat disgruntled by his parents’ decision, but he also seemed more confident in his abilities. He was thriving under Beth, Steven, and Cora’s care. He seemed reassured that he wasn’t a freak and that there were so many other people out there like him. He and Micah clicked right away, and we could tell they were going to be fast friends.
“Patrick,” Jace said as we were getting ready to eat our cake. The younger children had already run off to swim in the pool. “Do you think you can teach someone how to draw?”
Patrick squirmed for a moment before he looked over at Beth. She nodded slightly. “I don’t want to draw dreadful things anymore,” he finally mumbled.
“Patrick,” Steven said slowly. “We’ve discussed this. The things you draw isn’t coming from your imagination. They come from things that have happened. Terrible things that other people have done. If we work on it maybe we can figure out if the drawings and dreams can help others.”
Cora sighed as she looked at us. “He showed us one of his drawings. The police closed the case thinking it was a murder suicide. Patrick drew another man in the mirror. It was clear that he was also at the scene of the crime. We don’t think it was a murder suicide.” She reached over and hugged Patrick. “You have an amazing gift, even if it doesn’t seem like it. You can help so many people with it. What did you have in mind?” she turned to Jace.
I know I wasn’t the only one surprised by this revelation. I was still new to the gifted community. There was a lot of gifts I had never even thought was possible, but people like Patrick proved me wrong.
“As you know, Ella is a precog. She’s having these dreams, but no way to express them. Accept for with words. I was thinking if she knew how to draw, maybe she can draw her premonitions. She can add details that she’s incapable of communicating,” Jace stated as he took a bite of his chocolate cake.
“That’s a wonderful idea,” Will said clapping his hands. “Do you think you can teach Ella how to draw?”
Patrick shrugged. “Drawing is easy,” he said confidently.
“So, you’ll do it?” Beth encouraged.
Patrick shoved a large mouthful of cake in his mouth. “Yeah, I can do that.”
It was when we started getting comfortable and our guards began to slip, we learned greater things were happening beyond our knowledge.
All our guest had left, and the children were put in their showers, their clothes set out for the next morning, and we were reading them their bed time stories. Jemmy and Gavin had volunteered to read to Ella and Nadia (after much begging, Steven had allowed his little girl to convince him to a sleep over). Rachel, Jaxson, and I were reading to the Micah, Patrick, Chip, and Alex.
Their room had been transformed while we were out. Two sets of bunk beds had been purchased, along with dressers for each boy (save Patrick). Micah said he wanted to be with the younger boys to ‘watch’ them, but I think he secretly didn’t want to be alone. We knew one day, when he was more comfortable, he would want his own space, but for now this worked for all of us. He had naturally protective instincts, and Alex thrived on his new-found relationship with his brother.
Micah and Patrick tried to grumble about being read to like babies, but I couldn’t help smiling as they leaned forward to listen to Jaxson read them Harry Potter- The Philosopher’s Stone. They wanted to act all big and bad, but they had missed moments like this growing up. They were getting into it just as much, if not more, than the younger boys.
When we finished reading a chapter, they all groaned when we told them they would have to wait for more. Despite Micah and Patrick’s protest, I still gave them each a kiss on their foreheads before turning off the lights and closing their door. I pretended not to see a flashlight turn on beneath the door, nor Patrick’s changing voice as he continued reading where we had left off.
Rachel raised an eyebrow, and Jaxson went to reopen their door when I put my hands on his arm and shook my head with a smile. “They’re fine,” I mouthed.
We headed back to see how the girls were doing when Will came running up the stairs. “We need to go,” he said urgently. “We already have four teams out on a mission and three too far away to make it up on time. We have intel that they found one of Horatio’s facilities. There are four women that were abducted from one of our communities out west. Plus, their lead research scientist is there. He’s rarely seen nowadays.”
“Do you think I’ll be needed?” Rachel asked. “I can stay with the children.”
Will nodded and smiled. “That would be great. I didn’t want to call the Karns or Sue to come sit with them. If we need you, it probably won’t be until we get back.”
Rachel nodded. “Okay, let me know.”
“Suit up,” Will said to Jaxson and me.
I realized in that moment that Will and Steven must have found a way to find out exactly what Horatio was working on. If we were to acquire the scientist and his research, we would know exactly what we were up against. I just couldn’t believe how fast they worked.
When I finished getting dressed, I went downstairs to see everyone was suited up. Will, Jace, Jaxson, Jemmy, Gavin, and I jumped into the lead vehicle. Remy, Troy, Noah, Drake, and Collin were in the vehicle behind us. When we pulled up into the parking lot across from the facility, Terrance, John, Michael, Dawn, Ned, and Marcel (our security team) were already there waiting on us.
I was more nervous than I had ever felt. This was not just a mission to get my brothers. This was a mission for people I didn’t know. I still felt like it was my responsibility to help those in trouble, but the stakes were a bit different. Jace must have felt my anxiety because he reached over and grabbed my hand. Feelings of calm engulfed me, and for the first time ever, I wasn’t annoyed that he used his gift without asking.
Terrance, the lead, pulled out a map of the facility. “There are six guards walking the perimeter,” he said pointing along the fence line. “Then two guard shacks here and here.” He pointed to two different points on the map. “There are eight cameras watching the perimeter in these locations. The control room for the outside is here. We’re unsure where the cameras are located inside, but their control room is here.” He continued pointing. “We heard the girls are being held in the basement. The girls are lightly guarded down below; the best point of entrance to get them will be here.” He pointed to a spot on the map. “All the labs are located on the first and second floor. The best point of entry is here. Dr. Neil, the head research scientist, and his team are in his office right now, on the top floor.” He pointed to the one of the rooms on the map labeled Top Floor. “I think if we utilize the rear stairs we’ll have the element of surprise. It’s the first time he’s been seen in months. He has a lot of vital information located on his lap top.” He pointed to the rear stairs he had mentioned. He held up a picture of an older, skinny, pale-faced man with wispy blond hair on top, but cold and calculating chestnut brown eyes.
“Gavin, Jemmy, and John,” Will started directing us. “I need you to disable the outside perimeter control room and cameras. Then I need you to fall into another team. Noah , I would like you to stand back, just in case we need you. Terrance, Dawn, Jaxson, Collin, I want you with me. We’re going after Dr. Neil. Collin, I need you to try and block Neil before he even knows we’re hear; if he vanishes, I’m not sure how long we’ll have to wait to see him again. Drake, Troy, Ned, and M
arcel, I would like you to secure the labs and capture who we can safely. Blake, Jace, Remy, and Michael, I want you rescuing any of the females located in the experiments. Are you okay with this?” Will looked at Terrance. Terrance nodded. “Are the busses on standby?” Will asked.
“They’re down the street, waiting for our call,” Marcel confirmed.
On the way over, I was filled in on how normal operations were done. Generally, two fifteen passenger vans were waiting for the Knights. One van had a medical team member on it and would head to the hospital. The other van generally had a gifted person that had the ability to block gifts. They generally weren’t as talented as Collin was, but for the close confines of the van their gift was sufficient. They commonly headed straight to the mountain facility two hours away from here. It was a high security facility and it had been years since anyone broke out and no one was senseless enough to try and break into it…yet.
We were all handed head sets and mics to communicate and it started to feel more real. The butterflies in my stomach took flight once more. When Jace gave me a questioning look, I shook my head. I instinctively knew I needed the edge. If I was too relaxed, I might drop down my guard and I needed all my wits about me.
I could feel sweat drip down my back as we stood there waiting for Jemmy’s cue to begin taking out the perimeter guards. The guards were ungifted, so they didn’t have any clue what went on in the brick building. We were told to neutralize them without killing them. I was fine with that. When my family wasn’t in danger, my blood lust wasn’t as high.
Finally, we saw Jemmy’s flashlight turn off and on. We all moved with caution but quickly to the fence surrounding the perimeter. I reached out to the closest guards to me and told them to go take a nap, that they were very tired. “Two napping in their shack,” I whispered in my headset depressing the button on my hip.
“One secured,” another voice chimed in.
“Two more secured,” Jaxson could barely keep the laughter out of his voice, so I could only imagine how he secured them.
“Last one, down,” Terrance informed us.
I hadn’t tried all my gifts since my last connection was made, so I was interested to see how this mission was going to be. I imagined the bonfire I once sat around, singing, feeling like a teenager for the first time ever. I remembered the heat and held my hands up against the fence. I almost gasped as the large beach ball size orbs, burst from my hands, melting the fence on contact. I looked over at Troy and saw the cocky little grin he shot me. All the teams squeezed through the two openings.
We split up into our teams once we got through the fence. I fell into step with Remy and Jace and understood now why keeping in shape might be of importance. It was important that we were fast, quiet and stealthy. The whole team could suffer if someone was trailing behind. I noticed Michael was behind us quite a bit. We had to wait for him to reach us when we got near our point of entry.
“I’m taking the door off. Jace, Blake, and Michael, be ready for any hostiles,” Remy whispered to us, taking point, and we all nodded in agreement.
Remy held three fingers up and slowly dropped them. He made a fist and dropped it at the same time he ripped the double doors clear off the hinges, throwing them across the way we had just came as if they were frisbees. My eyes widened, never seeing his gift in action. Jace looked at him with amazement as well; I guess he hadn’t been that strong before. Now I understood what they were saying when they said their gifts had gotten stronger.
Jemmy joined us right before we entered the building. She was a bundle of unfettered energy. She bounced up and down on the tips of her toes like she was chomping at the bit. I could tell the idea of finding the cameras and control room was one huge scavenger hunt to her, so we let her go do her thing.
Upon entering the building, I nearly doubled in pain feeling the pain, despair, and hopelessness.
Jace put a hand on my back. “You have to shut it out,” he said quietly. “Push it away. We’ll get them soon enough.”
As I began to clear my mind and try to push the feelings out, I saw two guards laughing as they rounded the corner. The anger within me rose. These men were laughing and having a good old time while people were suffering nearby. They saw us as we tried to melt into the shadows. They pulled out tasers as they brought walkie talkies up to their mouth. The anger within me wanted to set them on fire, but I didn’t want to make any unnecessary sounds.
“Shoot him,” I commanded them. When they opened their mouths, I knew they were going to scream as the bright bolts of current flickered off the ends of the weapons. “Silence!” I commanded them.
“What did you do?” Michael asked in awe as he looked at me. “You have more than one gift,” he said almost accusingly.
I laughed dryly. “Oh, they didn’t tell you.”
The men were convulsing on the ground at this point, so Remy and Jace rushed over to them and restrained them, stripped them of their socks to stuff their mouths, then dragged them to the nearest utility closet.
We proceeded down the hall where I heard the distinct sound of a woman sobbing. I held up my hand and pointed at the door. Remy put a well-placed shoulder to the door and his other hand on the door knob; he barely flexed as the door came clean off the hinges. He gently placed this one down as Jace ran into the room.
I watched in incredulity as Michael walked through the door across from the other one like he was a ghost, like the door wasn’t even there. He popped back out and looked grim. “We have one in here,” he whispered to me. “We need a key to open the door, it doesn’t have a lock.”
I held my hand out to the door knob and imagined it melting. The metal became a gelatinous mess as I heard the distinct click of the lock unengaging. Michael gingerly kicked it open, so he didn’t get burned and give away our location.
I proceeded into the room, and the woman lying there looked like she was approximately four or five months pregnant. She also looked like she was high on something. She barely acknowledged us as we came into the room.
I moved to her bed and placed a hand on her arm. She was unrestrained. I looked everywhere, mystified. I shrugged and allowed Michael to lift her up. It wasn’t until we neared the exit that she started screaming like a wild banshee.
“No, no. Can’t go!” she screamed.
I held my hands on her back and thought calm thoughts. I could feel her fighting me, but finally she calmed down.
Jace came running out of the room and sighed in relief when he saw us standing inside the door. “They have implants in them. It has a dual purpose that can work independently of each other or simultaneously. It works like a shock collar with an electric fence and releases a drug into their system. They become nearly catatonic with it, and facilities like this also have boxes that activate if they move too far from them. If they get too far, it releases a poison and kills them instantaneously.”
I looked at him in shock. “What do we do?”
“The girl in the other room is too strong for the implants to last long, she knows where the units that trigger the poison are located. At least they can’t be poisoned. We just need Jemmy to fry them.” Jace explained. “Jemmy, come in,” Jace talked into his mic.
She was silent for a few moments before she said, “The eyes are off!” I can hear the giddiness in her voice.
“Great,” Jace said with amused dryness. “Now, please return, and if your team is available, we need your assistance.”
Jemmy, Gavin, and John made quick work of frying the units. Remy had secured some of the metal balls that they implanted in the girls so we could have someone dissect it and figure out how they worked. He also grabbed the syringe-looking instruments they used to implant them.
In the end, we were able to locate a total of twelve females ranging from 16 to 28 years of age, from our estimation. None of the females had names or records that we could find.
The other two guards were dispatched with no problems. I was taking one of the last girls out to
the waiting bus when I heard the alarms from the building go off.
“He is running,” a voice full of frustration filled my ear.
“I just lost him on the stairs.” I heard someone else curse.
I didn’t think as I ran towards the building, not believing that not too long ago, I was laid up in a hospital bed, sick. Maybe it was the adrenaline of the night that kept me going. Jace and Remy fell into step beside me.
“They took those steps up,” Remy stated as he pointed to the stairwell to the far side of the building.
As Jace ripped open the door, bullets whizzed towards us. I knew none of our guys carried guns, so I immediately threw up a force field to protect us. I could see our guys taking out our threats from behind.
“Where did he go?” Terrance called down to us. “Did you see him?”
“He’s using his gift.” Jaxson sighed as he ran a frustrated hand through his hair.
“He threw off my block,” Collin said as he entered the stairwell. I could see the self-doubt in his eyes—he had thought he was powerful. I was able to throw off his block, and now, so had Dr. Neil.
I dropped the force field and grabbed Jace’s hand. “He’s invisible, right, but could we still feel him?”
“If he bumped into us,” Remy said slowly as realization dawned in his eyes.
“Maybe we can feel him,” I whispered urgently to Jace. I imagined the picture of the man I had seen. I imagined feeling him. I imagined how he may be feeling.
With our hands connected, our gifts’ energy started wrapping around us. I could feel it. I could almost hear it as it buzzed with intangible vigor. Physically, I wasn’t aware of moving, but mentally, I felt myself moving, continuing my hold on Jace. Instinctively, I knew with our hands linked we were more powerful. We were both the positive and negative energy to jumpstart the gift within.
We moved as one unit up one set of stairs and opened the door. My senses picked up distant yelling, but the panicked beating of a heart drew me. I was oblivious to everything else. It reminded me of the rapid heartbeat of a cornered rabbit. It was him. I recognized it without a shadow of a doubt. We opened a door to the left and the sound got louder. I almost had to cover my ears at the intensity.