by Sydney Addae
“Will you call them?” she asked.
“No. There’s no reason to do that,” he said.
“In that case, they will continue looking for you and Liam is their only link.” She met his gaze with an earnest one of her on. “Even if you don’t join them, they will want to know how the experiment turned out. That’s how the Liege operates, the reason we hid for decades. It’s more than what happens on the operating table, the really important information is how the shot or surgery impacts you. It’s data to improve or scrap a project. They will always want to know how the shot affected you, Noah.”
Her words rang true but he didn’t know what else to do. “I don’t have to return their calls or go to see the therapist or report for a physical. The most they can do is stop sending my retirement checks –”
“The moment you do those things, your value rises exponentially because they’ll know that you know you’re enhanced. The question then becomes what to do about it. The others are probably in a training program, someplace far away from society. Can’t let the media or anyone know the government’s giving dying soldiers’ injections that change them into enhanced humans, right?” She looked up at him with a cocked brow. Every word she said made perfect sense
“Worst it may get to a point that they decide to put you down rather than leave you alone. Kind of, it’s with us or no one else,” she said.
“Motherfuckers can try, but I’ll be kicking asses till Sunday if they step to me with that shit,” Noah said, growing pissed.
“Just putting all of this out there so we can decide what to do. I don’t want to put the team in their crosshairs any more than you do,” she said.
He hadn’t thought of that. “I’ll leave,” he said quickly.
“We’ll leave,” she corrected and took his hand. He pulled her close and held her tight.
“No one has to leave the team,” Thomas said. “If they come for you, we’ll deal with it together. If you deviate from normal behavior, you shine on their radar instead of being a blip. We’ll deal with it when we get back to the complex.”
Noah looked down at Mia. These were her friends and family, whatever she wanted to do was fine with him. She nodded and leaned against his chest.
“Okay,” Noah said hoping his cousin would be okay.
CHAPTER 25
“WE NEED A MEETING,” Damali said when they entered the main area of their complex. She spun and looked at Thomas. “We need to correct this right now. I want a meeting.”
Frowning Thomas looked at her. “What’s wrong?”
“Dropping out, quitting should be against the rules.”
No one spoke.
“Things are going to get hard, I get that. But don’t... just don’t break our circle because of that.” She spun and looked at Mia. “We can’t do that, I can’t do that. Anything you need, we’ve got you but to quit, to think of leaving because of potential enemies or problems... no. No.” She inhaled and the room whirled. “No,” she yelled and everyone stumbled forward.
“Calm down, Mali,” Mia said when she could breathe.
Damali looked at her with tears in her eyes. “You would walk away, leave after all these years? Just like that?”
“No. Not just like that,” Mia said moving closer to her friend, seeing the pain in her eyes, she tread carefully. “But I’ll be with Noah wherever he is or goes. The military isn’t going to just let him walk away. We all know that, whether we admit it or not. Eventually, they’ll find him. When they do they’ll discover there are chimeras who aren’t a part of their group.” Mia looked at the others. “That might be a problem.” She shook her head. “That will become a problem, especially if other military people have taken the shot and aren’t on their team. Will they risk exposure? What if one of those enhanced soldiers had blood work done? Or talked to the press? Do you see the fallout? They are going to try and squash this, him to protect themselves.”
“They’re coming after one of ours,” Damali said crossing her arms, glaring at Mia who now stood eye to eye with her.
“Fighting the military? That’s a battle that no one will ever win,” Mia said in a morose voice. “We’re trying for normal, how will that ever happen with them constantly coming after us?” She searched Damali’s hostile gaze, hoping she would understand the risks involved.
“I want a meeting, let’s vote,” Damali said undeterred.
“Mia, if the regular military was coming after Noah I’d concede your point,” Tip said taking a seat on the sofa. “But this is a covert group probably not sanctioned by the Pentagon. They’re operating in the dark, and need to be hush-hush about what they do. As far as living normal lives, we can still do that. We knew there’d be constant upgrades to security to make it happen.” He paused rubbing his chin. “Losing our first mated pair, our princess.” He shook his head slowly. “I’m with Mali. I don’t see it. Makes my stomach twist just thinking about it. You’re our hope deferred, can’t take off now that we’ve just had our tanks refilled.”
“If they bring the fight, we’ll deal with it as a team,” Max said. “I agree with Tip. Stateside, we’ll be fighting military trained chimeras. It’ll be good information to know what they can do, how their training stacks up against ours, that kind of thing.”
Damali moved forward and took Mia’s hand. “I know your heart. You don’t want to draw us into you and your man’s fight. I get that and totally respect the hell out of you for thinking of us. But you’re my sister, used to be my little sister, but now you’re all grown up and setting up house. I’m happy for you but hell if I’m letting those assholes come after you and sitting on the sidelines. Don’t you know if they attack you, they attack me? They attack us all, don’t matter if you’re here or in a damn cave somewhere. We’re family and I’m not losing anyone else.” She kissed the back of Mia’s hand and wiped the tears from her cheeks. “I want a meeting to make this a rule, turn this team into the mafia or something like that.”
“Only way out is death? Is that what you’re saying?” Lizzy asked with a slight smile.
“Yeah, exactly,” Damali said.
Mia inhaled and looked at Thomas who had been silent. As their leader, it was his call.
“All in favor of that rule say yeah,” Thomas said surprising her.
Everyone, except Mia and Noah, said yeah.
“Against, say hell no,” Thomas said.
No one spoke.
“It’s a new rule, no dropping out.” Thomas winked at Mia. “We’ve got your backs on this. There are a few ways to handle this. You’ll need to eventually respond to your cousin or he’ll think something bad happened to you. I’ll set it up on the computer so you can’t be traced to here.”
“Liam’s going to respond, I would,” Mia said. “I’d ask questions, want to know if Noah was okay if he needed anything. I’m sensing we don’t have a lot of time before this blows up.”
They all looked at her.
“Imminent?” Thomas asked concerned.
She shook her head slowly. “No, but not long either.”
“In that case, we need to secure the complex and prepare for company,” Thomas said walking out the room.
Mia grabbed Damali and hugged her tight. “Love you, girl.”
“Love you and these blond curls too,” Damali said stepping back. She extended her hand to Noah. “Family.”
“Family,” he said taking her hand and wrapping the other one around Mia. “What can I do to help?”
<<<>>>
The day had been long and punctuated with Noah learning security protocols, accessing the vast training areas equipped with gym equipment and several large private rooms. Mia explained those were the spaces they practiced their gifts.
Mia and Tip prepared dinner while Thomas and Lizzy took Noah through several tunnels and entered his information into their database. After dinner, they sat down to create the first draft of the rules and regulations governing thing.
It was an interesting affair consid
ering they had very few opinions. Basically, Thomas repeated the rules handed down from Hawke, added a few housekeeping rules, and the mafia condition and they were done. Their shared background of surviving the horrors of the Liege coated their regulations and Noah didn’t think they would ever shake it.
Holding hands, Mia and Noah returned to their suite. Neither spoke, their eyes were heavy with fatigue, another side-effect from their recent injection.
Stifling a yawn, she peeled out of her clothes and glanced at his glorious body. “I planned to play with you in the hot springs but...” She yawned again. “I’m about to fall down, I’m so tired.” Her clothes hit the floor and she made a straight line to the bed.
“Same here. All day I kept thinking of all the wicked things I wanted to do to your sweet, luscious body. It’s what fueled me until we sat for the meeting. I’m exhausted.” He crawled across the bed, pulled her close and tucked her head beneath his. “If I see you in my dreams, I promise to take good care of you.”
She chuckled and placed her lips on his naked chest.
Noah woke crouched in the corner of a small, dim room. Confused he looked up at the burning candle in the wall sconces. For some reason, the flickering light captured his gaze and deepened his confusion.
A low keening wail caused him to turn and peer in the direction of the pitiful sound that tugged on his soul. He could not ignore the wretched pain from the voice, it called to him. He stood slowly and looked at the floor of uneven concrete and block. Frowning he watched his step and followed the weeping filled with sorrow.
With each step, he realized differences in construction. High sweeping archways. Cracked and peeling masonry plaster, it all seemed dated, even smelled musty, old. He stopped in front of a heavy wood door and listened.
The wailing and sobbing tore at his heart. What happened? Why was she crying like this? He tapped on the door. “Miss, are you alright?”
She didn’t acknowledge him.
He knocked and spoke harder. “Miss, can I help you?”
It seemed as if her crying and tears increased.
Stumped, he looked around, hoping someone would tell him what was wrong with her. A woman dressed in a long black dress with a crisp white apron and a little cap on her head walked toward him holding a tray. He waited for her to acknowledge him, when she didn’t he realized this was a different kind of dream.
She unlocked and opened the door, Noah stepped inside behind her as she closed the door and placed the tray on a small table. The woman sat on the side of the bed next to a small female curled in a tight ball. Her hair was long, thick and wavy. Her arms were wrapped around her waist and she shook like a leaf beneath the covers.
The nurse? The woman stroked the young girl’s hair and made an interesting cooing sound before speaking. “Now, now, you have to eat and regain your strength. Master’s assigned you to work with me and the others doing cleaning and whatnot. No more working near the labs or... anything. But you must eat.”
Noah noticed another plate on the floor near the bed and moved closer. That’s when he noticed the metal cuff chained to the bed and the other around the young girl’s ankle. “She’s a prisoner,” he whispered shocked and looked around the dingy room.
“You’ll have more wee ones in time. Be patient. Now come, eat a little of the meat and broth I’ve brought you. You’ve got to get stronger.”
“My...my... baby,” the young woman cried as she turned into the older woman’s warm embrace and buried her face into her chest.
Noah froze. Mia. His Mia. He looked around the room, took note of the smallest details so he could tell her about it when he woke up. He moved to the side to get a better look at her.
“Don’t think on it anymore. Time will heal your sorrows.” The woman picked up a hard roll and placed it against Mia’s lips. Eventually, she bit off a tiny corner and chewed.
Noah moved to the end of the bed and watched. She was smaller, younger with long hair but she was Mia and in pain. The baby. The Liege had taken her child at birth. He would find out what happened to the child for her.
Armed with determination, he placed his hand on the door, realized he could walk through it and left the room. “Take me to Mia’s child,” he said.
Nothing happened.
“I want to see where the infants are kept in this place,” he said hoping that would work. Immediately he stood in a room almost as dim as the room he had just left. The sound of crying babes marked the difference. Small metal cribs line the wall. Women with white nurse’s hats, long white dresses, and aprons in the same color, interacted with the infants, either feeding, changing diapers or simply holding them.
How would he ever find Mia’s child? Did they keep records? Of course, they did, the Liege would insist on it. He looked at a chart of the infant nearest him and frowned. There were no names, only numbers, and initials. He had no idea how he would keep his promise to find out what happened to the child.
Mia might know. Where was she? Why hadn’t they met in the dream like they had before? “Mia?” he called. “Mia, I need your help. If you hear me, I need your help.”
“Where are you?”
Should he tell her? Of course. He explained his location and problem.
“How do I find you?”
“Think about me, reach for me mentally and I’ll connect with you,” he told her. A few seconds more she stood next to him in the nursery. He took her hand.
She shuddered. “I swore I’d never step a foot back here again.”
He wrapped his arm around her waist. “I know. We can leave if it’s too much.” He rubbed her shoulder to help stop her trembling.
“I hate this irrational fear of being caught and locked up again. This is a dream, they can’t see us, and I’m still scared. Shaking like a leaf,” she said in a harsh, brittle whisper.
“Let’s go. This is too much for you,” he said.
“No. Give me a minute.” She took a deep breath and coughed a few minutes. “This place smells like shit.”
He waited until her breathing slowed and she could stand without leaning completely on him. The trembling hadn’t stopped, but she moved toward the crib and read the notes. “Look for the number 0217JG, that was me.” Her voice sounded off, sad by recounting the sole identifier for finding her child lay in six digits.
“Have a seat while I look,” he said concerned by how drawn her face had become. The vibrancy he equated with her had fled and a left a pasty flush on her complexion.
Thankfully, she sat in a hard-wooden rocker, eyes closed and rocked gently. He moved quickly, searching all the charts for the alpha-numbers she had given him. By the time he searched most of the floor, he grew worried. He hadn’t found the baby and prayed for the best. Occasionally, he glanced at her and his concern grew. She hadn’t rocked the chair or opened her eyes in a while.
At the last crib, his heart dropped. Not one infant bore the number or alphabets she gave him. When he looked over at her, she met his gaze.
“He’s not here,” she said.
It wasn’t a question, more like a statement of fact.
“None of these babies have those numbers you gave me,” he said rather than agree with her correct assessment. He didn’t want her to give up hope.
“This is where they bring all the infants. Doesn’t matter if they’re sick or healthy, this is the only place,” she said staring at him.
Noah realized she was dangerously close to the edge as she wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand. “We have to check the log to see if he or she died.” She pushed up from the chair and he hated ever bringing her back here.
“I’ll do it,” he offered, softly. “Sit back down or –”
“No. I need to know what happened.” She looked up at him. “Can we go back a little further? To when I had the baby?”
He could but didn’t think it was a good idea. “I won’t handle hearing you in pain well.”
“They gave me a shot right after, knocked
me out. Take me to the time right after that so I can see the child, see what happened to him.” She pulled and clutched his arm. “Please. I need to know, Noah. It’s been driving me crazy for years. No matter what, I need to know.”
Unable to deny her, he asked a few more questions to get the timing close and moved back in time a little more. They stood in the back of an extremely, crude and bloody operating room as a doctor wearing thick glasses worked feverishly on an infant. Mia’s inert body was on the table nearby. The child’s piteous cries pierced his heart.
Mia stood next to him, tears running down her cheeks shaking so hard he was afraid she would fall. Her hand covered her mouth as if fighting to hold back a scream or shout.
Her legs gave out and she hit the floor, but her eyes never left the doctor as he worked on the child. In a heart-wrenching situation like this, there was nothing to say. He had never experienced anything remotely close but he could wait by her side to give her closure. Good, bad or ugly, she wanted to know if she gave birth to a son or daughter and if that child survived.
He moved closer to the table, looked at the child in the doctor’s hands and stepped back. Noah didn’t have Mia’s abilities to read emotions, but the doctor didn’t look optimistic.
“Suction,” the doctor snapped at the nurse. She moved to the other side to obey his request.
“Come on, come on,” the doctor murmured.
Noah’s heart ached as he looked at Mia. Her expressionless gaze remained on the doctor as if willing him to perform a miracle.
“Bah,” the doctor muttered, took a deep breath and backed away pulling off his bloodied gloves. “What a waste,” he said with another glance at the infant lying on a small metal table, eyes closed and chest still.
Mia stood, walked closer and stared down at her daughter for several moments. The doctor left the room, leaving the nurses to clean up and dispose of the child. Mia turned and looked at Noah, with puffy, sad eyes and tear-streaked face. “Get me out of here.”
CHAPTER 26