by Dale Mayer
Her rock.
She recognized the energy she’d woven around it with Remi’s help.
She walked over and, after a questioning look at Matt, picked it up. The men in suits all took a step backward.
In a simple motion, she unwrapped the top layer of energy from the rock. She didn’t remember putting multiple layers on the thing, but the evidence was before her.
“Matt, how much do you want me to unwrap?”
He stepped forward and spoke quietly with a man standing off to one side, who appeared to be taking images and documenting the process as she worked.
After a moment, Matt turned to Genesis and said, “Take another layer off, please. We’re looking through the camera to see the changes in the rock as you work. We need it uncovered enough to study, but not so uncovered as to make the situation unsafe.”
Made sense. But how they’d be able to determine that fine line she didn’t know. She unwrapped another layer and waited. The rock warmed in her hand, and she could sense the energy inside seeking a way out, like a caged animal sensing freedom around the corner.
She pursed her lips as she studied the energy rippling in her hand.
If she unwrapped too much, the negative black energy would easily overwhelm the lab and everyone in it.
But if she didn’t open it up enough, then no one could study it or do any tests on it.
Turning slowly, she studied the contents of the lab, looking for an alternative. And found it in a large clear box with various tubes and pipes attached to it. She walked over to it, checking to make sure that it was empty.
“Can I use this?” she asked Matt.
He nodded in response.
Genesis placed the rock inside the box. Then she closed the lid and lifted the container, moving it onto the table in the center of the room.
“Now if I unwrap the rock, can you deal with it inside here?” she asked. The group of men nodded.
Connor asked, “But how can you unwrap it if there is a barrier between you and it?”
“Watch.” She smiled, turned back to the rock, reached for her energy, and mentally called it back to her.
“Energy has no rules and restrictions, like your mind does,” she said, keeping her attention on the container. “It can go through the plastic if it’s instructed to.” And as she watched, her energy slipped through the cracks, taking the path of least resistance, and settled back around her. Once released, the energy of the rock swarmed around the inside of the container like a swirling angry cloud of black and gray. Gasps and exclamations of surprise echoed throughout the room.
Genesis watched as the blackness tried to slide out through the cracks in the corners like her energy had, but she’d left just enough behind to create an airtight seal.
The scientists and technicians all slowly approached the table.
“What the hell is that?” said one of them.
“No idea,” Genesis said with a shrug of her shoulders. “I think it’s up to you folks to figure that out.”
“How come it’s not able to leave the container?” Connor asked quietly. “Like your energy did?”
She explained the safety precaution she’d made in leaving a little of the energy behind.
As she stared at the swirling morass of darkness, she had to wonder if it was enough. “It’s as if an emotion, a person, is attached to that energy. Because right now, it looks and feels incredibly angry, like it needs something very badly.”
Connor stepped to her side, sliding an arm around her shoulder. “I don’t like the look of it at all. I’m so very glad it’s contained.”
He turned her around and led her back away from the stone. “Now that it’s secured and you’ve done your bit, we’re leaving.”
“Oh, but–” she protested “–there are some great things here. I want to look around.”
He gave a short laugh. “We’d never get you out of here. You can come back. Later. Right now, they have to look after this rock, and we have a full day planned already,” he reminded her.
That brought back the morning’s conversation. Right. The construction and then the proof of ownership. “Tomorrow, then. I want to come back tomorrow.”
On their way back upstairs, Matt smiled at her. “I promise, you can spend time down there. If we can get your membership lined up, then you can be a regular visitor. You have serious skills. We can use you.”
“But not today,” Genesis said in understanding. “We have too many things to do. Right, let’s go.”
Connor led Genesis back outside to Matt’s hovercraft, laughing at her childlike delight when she saw the Razor. Its shiny black exterior and hooked nose gave it a hawk-like appearance as it hummed softly, floating just a few inches off the ground. “We’re going in that?”
“We are,” Matt said, coming up behind them. He tossed Connor the keys.
Connor unlocked the back door and helped Genesis into the backseat. Matt walked around to the passenger side.
As she buckled up, Connor got into the driver’s side. Without warning, he gave the craft more power, and it quickly and smoothly rose into the air. Connor chuckled at Genesis’s shocked gasp.
“Wow.”
“It’s quite something, isn’t it?” Matt twisted to look back at her.
“I’ll say.” Genesis watched the scenery go by below them, too enchanted to say much more. It was fascinating. There were a number of various hovercraft and personal aircraft used on Glory, but Genesis hadn’t had the opportunity to ride in either before.
“Let’s take a look and see if we can spot anything important from above,” Connor said as they headed toward the tree line.
They flew over the forest and made a circuit around the construction area before landing in an open space close to the site.
Connor turned to Matt. “Did you see anything?”
The other man shook his head. “Other than the signs of heavy equipment? No.”
Connor released the door hatch on his side. “Then let’s go take a closer look.”
Genesis unbuckled and hopped out joyfully. “It took only ten minutes to get here,” she marveled, still in awe of the flight. “That was great.”
Connor grinned. “That’s Matt. Got to have the latest of everything.”
“Ha. It’s not just that. It’s for the benefit of us all. Besides, what if we’ve lost all communication with the other planets – forever?”
“What does that have to do with having a hovercraft?” she said.
“It means we have to develop ourselves and keep on top of the latest technology, and not sit about waiting for the others to show up and hand it over.”
That made sense.
“Well, I’m glad you have one if it means I get a chance to travel in style.” The last words came over her shoulder as she led the way down to the construction area. Matt went silent as the heavy equipment came into view.
*
“This is not good,” Connor said, a tinge of anger in his voice. He stared at the broken trees where the machinery had trampled its way through, the damaged wall where stone had argued with steel – and lost. The clearing that had been created with no thought to the delicate balance of the area.
The place was quiet. It was late morning, but there didn’t appear to be anyone around. “I don’t know if a security guard is on watch today as well,” Genesis said. “The other one wasn’t in this area, but inside, farther down in the caves.”
Matt walked around one of the machines. He pulled out his com and relayed the serial number to someone on the other end. Then he walked to the other machine and reported it as well. After he ended his conversation, he motioned at Genesis. “Which way to where you saw the guard walking around?”
She nodded and took the lead again, heading toward one of the passage entryways. “He was down here.”
They walked down the passage in silence for several minutes. Then Genesis raised a hand in warning. Shadows flickered on the cave walls ahead. Remi appeared in front of h
er, chattering madly. “Remi is warning us.”
“About what?”
It was Matt who answered. “There are men up ahead.”
“Good,” Connor said, striding forward. “I owe someone a knockout blow.”
“Whoa, there could several men,” Genesis said, running to catch up, her voice low and frantic.
“Even better.”
And he took off without looking back.
Connor couldn’t wait to find the assholes that were ruining the forest with their mindless destruction of the area as they opened up access to the sacred pools. There was big money behind this construction. Big money who wasn’t going to take being shut down well.
He wanted Genesis out of this mess, safe and sound. The minute anyone heard she was the owner of the forest, all hell would break loose, even if she couldn’t prove it. Just the hint of her having ownership would put her in danger.
Ownership of the forest was worth so much more than money. And he knew plenty of greedy bastards who would do her in for the price of a coffee. She wouldn’t be safe again until her deed could be legally registered. He had one goal in life right now…to keep her safe.
Chapter 20
Genesis raced behind Connor, concerned about his angry determination. Surely he wasn’t in any shape to pick a fight. One man maybe, but from Remi’s chittering, she got the impression there were several men ahead.
She careened around the corner and Matt passed her with a burst of speed.
Up ahead, she heard voices and slowed, expecting to find Matt and Connor stopped. Instead, there was no sign of them.
Shit.
She barreled forward and came up against Remi, almost screaming in panic. She bent over, gasping. “Remi, what’s the matter?”
Remi raced up one side of her and down the other. She went to take another step, and he jumped on her leg to stop her.
That message was clear. She peered around the corner but couldn’t see anything. Still, she trusted Remi. If he said there was something up ahead, then there was something up ahead.
She took a deep breath and assessed her options. She could hear several voices now, but two of them were likely to be Matt and Connor. She glanced down at Remi and whispered, “Are they up there?”
He didn’t answer. But Remi had known enough for her not to go any farther, so there had to be a reason. And she needed to know what that was. Suddenly, Remi moved, disappearing around the corner. Literally. Genesis watched as his energy slipped away. Hadn’t she wished forever that she could do the same?
Wait. Maybe she could.
She could certainly wrap herself up in energy, weaving a blanket around her. Like the rock, it would likely protect her, but she didn’t know that it would save her in the event of something like a bullet. But could she make the energy hide her? That would be illusion energy. And she wasn’t an illusionist. But Remi could do it. Could he do it while she held him? And would that make her invisible too? No, that couldn’t work. She’d had him on her shoulder when he was invisible before, and she hadn’t been affected.
But what if she wove some of her energy into his aura, would that extend the invisibility? She’d tried when she was younger to do something similar but hadn’t managed it. Her granny had just laughed and said she’d been trying too hard. That it was easy to do but wasn’t something one could be taught. One just learned it by doing.
She closed her eyes and whispered, “Remi, come here.”
A small paw slipped into her hand. She smiled. In her mind’s eye, she wove bright sparkling healthy energy from her aura down into Remi’s aura.
And found her energy was already there. Of course it was. They were already bonded, had been for a lifetime, so of course her energy was there.
She quickly reversed the process and extended his energy that was part of his invisibility, wrapping herself in it. She grinned madly as her feet disappeared under the lower wrapping, until that extended up her legs to her torso, until she was completely covered in a blend of Remi’s and her energy. She was here, but it was as if she were behind some kind of shimmering layer.
It was both beautiful and exhilarating. She’d done it. With Remi’s help.
But having done it once, like wrapping the rock, she thought she could do it again.
Now to see what was going on. With Remi at her side, she peered around the corner again, this time leaning farther out. Matt and Connor were there, surrounded by a group of five angry men.
She stole a look at Connor’s face and realized he was beyond being just angry. His cold, lean face promised retribution. Matt was trying to talk reason into one of the men, but as she got closer to them and heard the discussion, she realized that no one was budging. The men hadn’t planned on anyone being here.
And they weren’t happy to have company – especially these visitors. She walked right up to the first man and stood in front of him. No reaction. She grinned. She walked up to Matt and Connor and bit back a laugh when she saw Matt’s gaze widen. He opened his mouth then shut it. She nodded approvingly, and he nodded back, the tiniest of motions. Connor, on the other hand, showed no reaction.
His abilities were returning, but it was not enough for him to see her. She slipped a hand into his, feeling his start of surprise. He glanced at his side and frowned.
She squeezed his hand. Hesitantly, he squeezed back. Now that he knew she was there, she searched for a way to change the status quo.
“Quit talking. What are we going to do with them?” asked one of the men behind them.
The man who’d been talking frowned. “We’ll have to call the boss.”
“Better you than me,” snorted another man. “Why don’t we just get rid of them both? Likely get a bonus for it.”
“I’d be careful with that thinking. One is the head of the Paranormal Council and the other is Grandfather’s employee. There will be repercussions if both go missing.”
“So take out one and put the other in a coma.” That brought out several guffaws. Genesis couldn’t believe what she was hearing. These guys were actually prepared to commit murder to get out of this. So no one could know who had been down here. Shit.
She released Connor’s hand and slipped around to the big machinery. Good; the keys were in the ignition. She jumped up and turned the key. She popped the thing into gear and yanked the wheel so it faced the men. The men turned at the sudden noise then scattered, yelling.
“What the hell?”
“Who’s driving that thing?”
“No one. It’s a runaway. Someone jump in and stop it.”
The shouts came at her from all sides. Genesis might be invisible, but she was solid and if anyone hopped up, they’d collide with her.
She jumped down and raced in the direction of the second vehicle, repeating her actions. Once it started moving, she hopped off and raced toward Matt and Connor, hiding behind the third machine.
“Let’s go,” she yelled at Matt.
“Where?” Matt said. “They’ve got the exit blocked.”
Genesis turned to find three men standing in the entrance to the tunnel. But they didn’t know about the other opening. And it was just a little farther down. “Follow me.”
She turned and ran. Matt followed her, with Connor close behind. She dashed into the cave and the hidden entrance behind one of the jutting stalagmites.
Within minutes, she was racing to the surface.
Sunshine beckoned. And at the last minute, it disappeared. She was going too fast and barreled straight into whatever was in the way.
The solid thing gave a grunt and fell to the ground. Matt was on the man in minutes. Connor, the last out, asked, “Genesis, are you okay?”
“What the fuck hit me?” snapped the man, struggling to his feet.
Matt grinned. “A secret weapon.”
The stranger stared at Matt. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“We should be asking you the same thing, Peter,” Connor said, his face thunderous. “You’re
involved in this destruction?” He waved his arm. “You’re the one developing the pools?”
“I might have known about it, and why not?” Peter blustered. “There’s no ownership here. The pools should be for everyone.”
“You might have known about it?” Connor snorted. “And maybe a little more than just known about it, huh?”
“What do you know? You and your cushy job. Go and try to make a real buck in this town. If you don’t work for Grandfather, you don’t work. And if you do work for him, you are only ever going to get paid what he deems appropriate. No one is going to blame me for taking on a side job.” He broke off and narrowed his gaze at Connor. “What’s it to you anyway?”
“This isn’t your property. You can’t just steal it.”
“I’m not stealing it,” Peter protested. “No one has legal rights to it.”
Genesis gasped. This was all about ownership of the forest. She needed to get to her cottage and get the deeds safely into her own hands.
Connor shook his head. “And the goons working down here? Are they working for you?”
Peter shrugged. “Sure. We had to import them though. Good local men are hard to find.” He glanced from Matt to Connor. “Why? Did they rough you up a bit?”
“And on top of that, they were trying to figure out how to dispose of us,” Matt said smoothly. “Thankfully we got away.”
Peter grinned. “They were just joking.”
“No, they weren’t. Likely they know more than you do.” Genesis said, suddenly appearing beside Connor.
Peter glanced at her suspiciously. “Where the hell did you come from?”
“Me?” she asked innocently. “I’ve been here all along. Now if you don’t mind, we’re late. And we have to get moving.” She turned and strode back to the hovercraft. She needed to get home.
With or without her escorts. That damn paperwork needed to be found.
It was the only hope of saving the reserve.
*
Connor had a million questions to ask. Only, Genesis had raced so far ahead he couldn’t ask them. Matt wanted to question Peter, and that was just fine by him. Connor wanted to know who had put those two men into the hospital and find the person who had placed that rock in the pool. He doubted his cousin was capable of that type of energy work, but he couldn’t say for sure. He was a lazy opportunist, but not a hard-ass. And what he’d said about Grandfather was correct. But something was definitely wrong. Peter had no money to speak of, so just who was bankrolling his operation?