Redux (The Variant Series, #3)

by Jena Leigh

  The metal doors emitted an awful groaning noise as Nate struggled to no avail to open them using his telekinesis.

  Masterson smiled in amusement and raised an eyebrow at the rattling doors. He didn’t even need to lift a finger. The strength of his telekinesis so eclipsed Nathaniel’s, that he could likely hold those doors closed in his sleep.

  To Masterson, Nate wasn’t a threat. He wasn’t even a nuisance. He’d be of no help to Alex even if he wasn’t stuck on the other side of those doors.

  That realization caused her stomach to turn.

  Declan had it all backwards when he’d tried to leave her stranded in Seattle in his misguided effort to protect her.

  In truth, none of them were prepared for this. Even with their abilities combined—even with Alex’s own unique power—they weren’t a match for a threat like Masterson.

  She never should have brought the others with her. If he viewed Alex as a pet project, then how must Masterson see them? They were so weak by comparison. How could they possibly hope to stand against him, even working together?

  Before Declan could say or do anything to take charge of the situation and become the new focus of Masterson’s attention, Alex stepped forward.

  “Let her go,” she said, her voice echoing slightly in the cavernous room.

  Masterson tilted his head to one side, as though considering her demand. He walked slowly around the edge of the pool, closing the distance between them by half and coming to a halt midway between Alex and her past self.

  “How about we play a little game, instead?” Masterson raised an arm. “Here. I’ll go first.”

  Two cries of surprise came from behind her, followed by a sickening thud and the sound of water splashing against the wall.

  Alex whipped toward the source of the sound. Her attempt to distract Masterson and keep his focus off the others had failed.

  Using a water-wielder’s ability, Masterson summoned a massive wave from the pool and used it to slam Trent and Declan hard against the far wall. They never even had time to react.

  Declan was groaning as he slowly came to, but Trent…

  A choked cry escaped Alex’s throat.

  Trent lay utterly still in a puddle of water on the tile floor, his neck at an odd angle. He didn’t appear to be breathing.

  “Your move, pet,” said Masterson.

  Declan was half-way to his feet when Masterson sent him flying backward into the wall once again.

  This time, Declan grunted in pain, but didn’t try to get up—and Alex saw red.

  In a moment of fury that seemed to take them both by surprise, Alex threw out her right arm and used the TK and her water ability in order to do to Masterson exactly what he had just done to her friends.

  Or at least, that’s what she’d intended. Instead, the rage flowing inside of her transformed the torrent of water into a block of solid ice.

  Masterson teleported an instant before the jagged hunk of frozen water reached him, causing it to cannon against the far wall, where it did a great deal of damage before shattering into pieces on the tile floor.

  Amidst the crunching sound of the scattering ice slabs, she heard the slow, rhythmic sound of someone clapping.

  Masterson reappeared beside Trent’s prone form.

  His applause stopped. “That was a wonderful attempt, Alexandra. Well done. It’s such an encouraging sight, this glimpse of the powerful creature you’ll soon become.”

  Masterson knelt beside Trent, slowly removing the glove from his right hand. Reaching down, he gripped the younger man by the neck.

  A strangled noise left Trent’s throat.

  He was alive!

  Masterson’s eyes drifted closed—and the strangled noise became a horrifying cry of pain. Whatever Masterson was doing had Trent in utter agony, even in his unconscious state.

  “Let go of him!” she shouted.

  Alex switched her focus toward raising the larger chunks of ice into the air and sent them all spiraling in Masterson’s direction.

  He stopped the icy missiles ten feet away, suspended in mid-air. As Alex battled him for control, Masterson never even opened his eyes.

  Alex risked a glance at Trent. The color was draining swiftly from his cheeks, turning his face a sickly gray pallor. Masterson, on the other hand, now appeared flushed, his normally pale skin turning ruddy from exertion.

  More startling than his rosy complexion was the fact that his body was slowly fading in and out of sight, rippling like a mirage on desert sand.

  He was absorbing Trent’s ability. More than that, Masterson appeared to be draining every last ounce of life from Trent as he did so.

  This was what Aiden and Nathaniel had been so worked up about when she first explained her ability to them.

  This was how Samuel Masterson added to his array of Variant powers—and this was how he killed. By stealing both the life and the ability from its previous owner.

  A deafening crash reverberated through the room. The picture window and the low wall beneath it exploded inward, sending blocks of concrete and shattered glass flying in all directions.

  As the dust settled, Alex’s eyes went wide. She lost her focus and the chunks of ice fell harmlessly to the floor.

  In their desperation to find a way inside, Nate used the Charger as a projectile weapon, propelling it through the weakest point of the exterior wall—the window. He created an opening just large enough for himself and Aiden to climb through around the remains of the wrecked muscle car.

  Distracted by the commotion, Masterson released his hold on Trent. Whether he’d finished the absorption process or not, she couldn’t tell. Trent was utterly still.

  Masterson stood, switching his attention to the new arrivals.

  “Stop!” Alex called to them. “Go back!”

  But it was already too late. Masterson had Nathaniel and Aiden in his sights.

  A sound unlike anything Alex had ever heard filled the air. It took her a long moment to realize where it was coming from.

  Masterson was literally ripping a long band of metal from the hood of the Charger, tearing off a strip that was as long as the charger was wide, and roughly a foot-and-a-half across.

  “Nate, Aiden! Look out!” she cried.

  They didn’t have enough time to react. The strip of metal tore itself in half—one band sailing toward Nate and the other toward Aiden.

  Alex held out her hand and concentrated as hard as she could on the two strips of metal. Her effort slowed both pieces considerably, but it didn’t stop them.

  Each band careened into Nate and Aiden’s upper torsos, dragging them backward and pinning them both against the wall. Alex managed to lessen the force of the impact, and even bent the jagged edges outward, but it wasn’t enough.

  Nate and Aiden were still pinned to the wall like insects on a board.

  “Excellent counter, Alexandra,” Masterson said with a note of approval in his voice. “Even at your current stage of development, you’re already performing admirably.”

  Both Nate and Aiden struggled fruitlessly against the restraints. Alex could feel Nate attempting to help her with his own ability, but it was no use. Masterson was too strong.

  Distracted by what was taking place on the other side of the pool, Alex didn’t immediately register that Declan was no longer kneeling on the ground.

  It wasn’t until she heard a grunt of surprise that she realized what was happening.

  Declan had lunged at Masterson and managed to land a solid punch to the older man’s ribcage as they both tumbled to the ground.

  The metal bands holding Nate and Aiden loosened briefly, but not long enough for them to get free. After a second, they were firmly back in place.

  Masterson retaliated by rolling to the side and landing a knee to Declan’s stomach, dazing him momentarily. Using his opponent’s distraction to regain the upper hand, Masterson raised himself to kneel over Declan and pulled something from the pocket of his coat.

  A h
iss of air echoed in the momentary silence and then Declan cried out in pain.

  Masterson stood with a smirk.

  “Decks!” Alex raced forward and dropped beside his crumpled form.

  In his hand, Masterson held a small injection gun loaded with a glass vial.

  “What did you do to him?!” she demanded. “What was in that thing?”

  “The VX-2, of course.” Masterson shrugged.

  “But I thought… I thought you perfected the serum?” she said.

  A bright, violet tangle of electrical current washed over Declan, cycling from the top of his head to the tip of his boots before fizzling out with a pop. Declan curled into a ball, so overcome by pain that his face flushed and his breathing became labored.

  “I perfected it, yes,” he said. “But what young Mr. O’Connell was just injected with was not the universal serum you’re referring to, it was one specifically tailored to you. You see, your mother rather complicated matters when she injected you with the VX-1 and stripped you of your abilities. I needed to make a few minor adjustments in order to ensure the serum’s efficacy. Thanks to you and the sample of blood you provided to me in Seattle, I was able to do just that.”

  “And Declan?” she asked. “What will this serum do to him?”

  “Well, seeing as how his DNA will inevitably prove incompatible with the drug now pulsing through his system, I rather imagine it will kill him slowly and in the most agonizing way possible. He’ll be dead within days, unless…”

  Alex’s head jerked up. “Unless?”

  “Well,” he said. “It seems you have a choice to make, dear Alex. You can take this younger version of yourself out of here and return her to her home, untouched…”

  Alex held her breath.

  “Or,” Masterson continued, “you could simply do as I ask, inject your younger self with the serum—as was always meant to happen—and I will tell you exactly how you might go about saving your friend. The choice is entirely yours.”

  “You want me,” she said, her thoughts slow to process his words, “to inject myself?”

  Masterson smiled. “I want you to decide, pet. I want it to be your decision to become something more.” He walked slowly over to the younger version of Alex, still seated cross-legged, unharmed and oblivious, at the far end of the pool. “This choice should be yours, and yours alone.”

  Across the room, Nate and Aiden were still struggling against their restraints. When Nate caught her eye he shook his head, but said nothing.

  “Now then, my pet.” Masterson crouched beside Alex’s younger self and carefully tucked a lock of hair behind the girl’s ear. “What will it be? The innocence you seem so desperate to preserve? A life lived blissfully unaware of the extraordinary Variant race that shares your world? The normal life your doting parents always wanted for you?”

  He stood and ejected the used vial from the gun. “Will you choose normalcy?”

  Alex’s chest tightened. What kind of life might she have if she was never injected with the VX-2?

  Masterson took a second vial from his coat pocket and carefully inserted it into the gun.

  “Or,” he said, “will you choose to give it all up, so that you might somehow save your friend? Will you finally embrace your superior nature and become the beautiful creature that you were always meant to become?”

  Masterson spoke slowly, thoughtfully, as though there were an actual choice to be made.

  As though she could say no, and still live with herself afterward.

  As though she could ever take Masterson at his word.

  Alex’s mind raced as she ran down the list of possible scenarios, desperate to find a way to fix this and save Declan, while still protecting her younger self—only to come repeatedly to the same conclusion.

  Even if she could change the past by refusing the injection, there was no guarantee that it would alter their future and save Declan or anyone else they had lost.

  If she chose not to inject herself, there was also no guarantee that Masterson wouldn’t eventually go back on his promise and inject her someday, anyway.

  There was no guarantee that she could ever prevent this trip back in time.

  There was no guarantee that refusing Masterson now would undo what had just happened to Declan.

  There was no guarantee that refusing him now would change anything.

  If all roads potentially led to this moment, no matter the choices she made, then Alex knew exactly what she needed to do.

  She got to her feet.

  Swallowing hard, Alex looked at Declan where he lay crumpled on the ground before her.

  Then she approached Masterson, reached out, and took the device he offered her.

  Moving to kneel beside her catatonic double, Alex nudged up the short sleeve of her t-shirt and positioned the injector against the pale skin of her upper arm.

  “Lex,” Declan ground her name out from between clenched teeth. “Don’t. Not… for me.”

  Alex turned her head and, meeting Declan’s eyes through the tears in her own, she forced a smile. “It’s okay, Decks. It’s gonna be okay. I promise.”

  She pulled the metallic trigger and felt a slight recoil as the gun injected its contents into the girl’s bloodstream.

  Her doppelgänger didn’t even blink.

  As she handed the gun back to Masterson, Alex steeled herself and met his gaze. Lunging forward, she took hold of his wrist before he could pull back, and gripped it tightly.

  “One day, Samuel,” she said, her voice cold. “You’re going to regret giving me this power. I’ll make sure of it.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, Alexandra,” he said, carefully extricating himself from her grasp. “I could never regret bringing such perfection into the world. I’m quite certain that it is you that will soon be thanking me for this gift.”

  Alex scowled. “I did what you wanted,” she said. “Now tell me how to help Declan.”

  Instead of answering, Masterson stepped forward and held out a gloved hand to Alex’s younger self, who mutely accepted his assistance and climbed to her feet, still staring blankly ahead. Catching her under the chin, he tilted her head so that she was forced to look at him.

  “Sleep now, pet,” he whispered. “And forget. I’ll return to wake you when the time is right.”

  Alex barely had time to register that the other girl was falling before she was forced to rush forward and catch her around the waist, tugging her backward and onto the tile.

  By the time Alex righted herself—both of her selves, one of which now entirely unconscious—Masterson had made use of his most recently stolen ability and vanished from her sight.

  “Wait!” she yelled. “We had a deal!”

  “That we did.” The whispered words echoed through the air, seeming to come from everywhere at once. “And I am, after all, a man of my word. The secret to saving your friend can be found in your blood.”

  “What?” she asked. “What does that mean? What about my blood will help him?”

  “Safe travels, my pet. I’ll be seeing you again soon.”

  “Masterson!” she called.

  The only reply was the sound of metal crashing to the ground as the restraints were removed and Nate and Aiden slid down the wall.

  Masterson was gone.

  And Declan wasn’t moving.

  Twenty-Six

  Alex’s first instinct was to run to Declan’s side, but an excruciating pain radiated through her skull and drowned out the intention. A torrent of thoughts and emotions threatened to overwhelm her—but they weren’t her own.

  Alex slammed her mental barriers in place before the voices could reach a deafening level.

  She pressed two fingers against her aching temple and berated herself.

  Alex grabbed Masterson’s wrist for a reason. She should have immediately prepared herself for the potential repercussions. Instead, she allowed herself to become distracted.

  “Are you alright?” Nate asked as he and
Aiden approached her.

  She nodded and Nate squeezed her shoulder. Aiden stepped past her and moved on to Trent. Reaching down, he checked Trent’s neck for a pulse.

  “Is he…?” Alex asked, too scared to finish the question.

  Trent coughed, returning to consciousness with a surprised jerk. He rushed to sit up, only to let loose a frustrated growl as his hands flew to his neck. “Ow. What… what happened? Is it over? Oh, Christ. I think I pulled something.”

  “You are one lucky son of a bitch, you know that?” Aiden said. “How do you feel?”

  “Like the Monday morning after a three-day bender,” he said. “Only worse. What did I miss?”

  “Everything, as usual,” Aiden said.

  “Masterson tried to steal your ability,” Alex said. “If Nate and Aiden hadn’t stopped him…”

  Nate interrupted. “Can you still use your invisibility, Trent?” he asked.

  He held up a hand. It disappeared for a few seconds and then returned to view.

  “He’ll be fine,” Aiden said, blowing out a slow breath.

  “Declan!” Trent said, noticing his friend for the first time.

  “We should get him to a hospital,” Aiden said.

  Nate shook his head. “A hospital won’t know what to do with him.”

  As her friends spoke, filling in Trent on all that had happened, Alex moved unsteadily to Declan’s side and took a mental inventory of the abilities currently surging to life inside her.

  Telepathy. Healing. Telekinesis. Water-wielding. The push. Teleportation.

  Masterson had been busy. She could tell by the way her skin crawled and her insides twisted that there were more abilities there, just waiting to surface. Most were familiar, but some she’d never experienced before.

  She was lucky. The only reason she was able to maintain control now was the fact that the contact had been so brief. She only absorbed a fraction of each ability.

  Had she held on any longer, Alex would have experienced the same explosive breakdown that nearly took out Bay View High the first time their skin touched.