Darkness Shatters: Book 5 (Sensor Series)

by Susan Illene

  He had to be kidding me. “Peace and safety? You’re just like every other extremist out there with ridiculous and unrealistic expectations. You don’t even care who you hurt along the way because it’s all justified as collateral damage. Men like you make me sick.”

  “The feeling is mutual.” Rage filled his eyes. “I will win this fight in the end even if I’m not around to see it.”

  The DHS team I’d met outside was coming up behind me. Their soft footsteps and measured breathing gave them away to my sensitive ears, but Jerome wouldn’t know they were there yet.

  “You say supernaturals are savages but have you taken a good look at the world around you? People of all kinds can be violent. It isn’t restricted to any one race or group. Most of the sups you target would never hurt an innocent human, but you can’t say the same.”

  “That’s what you’re missing, daughter. It isn’t the job of sensors to police the humans of this world. Our sacred duty is to bring destruction on the unnatural races who don’t belong here. The angels themselves have helped us with that before.”

  “That was a long time ago,” I said through gritted teeth. “They stopped and so should you.”

  He shook his head. “If I show them we’re ready for another war, they’ll come back.”

  “If that’s the case then why is it between the two of us I’m the one they communicate with?” I looked up and found the guardian was down to just six lights left. “Kerbasi!”

  He paused mid-flight and gazed down at me. “What?”

  “We’re good on the lights. Can you come down here, please?”

  I caught a flash of his relief. The poor guy was in a lot of pain after all the bullets he’d taken on during his light-breaking mission. Flying with damaged wings couldn’t have been easy. I was actually amazed he hadn’t given up and flashed to somewhere safe to sit out the battle.

  He made his way over and landed next to me, wincing as his feet touched the ground.

  “Now, can you please tell Jerome how inspired you are by his recent activities?” I could only hope he didn’t say anything embarrassing.

  “Inspired?” His expression turned incredulous. “I might appreciate his efforts if he wasn’t risking the entire human population while he was at it.”

  Jerome’s jaw hardened. “I don’t care what he says. He’s not a real angel.”

  “I will have you know…” Kerbasi took a menacing step forward. “That I’m a servant of heaven, the same as any angel. I can assure you none of us approve of your methods.”

  “It’s okay, guardian. Jerome lives in a fantasy world where everything he does makes sense. Even if a whole host of archangels stood here right now telling him to stop he’d convince himself he was still right. That’s what extremists do, twist the truth to fit their false reality.”

  The leader of the DHS team stepped up beside me.

  “We’ve got him surrounded,” he whispered close to my ear. “From the outside, too.”

  I nodded.

  “Now this is what really surprises me,” Jerome said. “You managed to get the government on your side. I’d hoped they’d choose to work with me instead.”

  I snorted. “Because a guy spreading the plague and holding a little girl hostage with a bomb vest looks like a perfect ally.”

  Jerome shot me a scathing look. The only thing I could think of was he had something wrong in his head. Maybe a few wires got crossed or he’d always been crazy. I might have wondered how he got so many people to follow him, but then again why did anyone follow an extremist and risk their lives for them? Sometimes a leader was just that good at selling their Kool-Aid.

  O’Connell joined our party. “Surrender to us and we won’t let her shoot you.”

  “I want immunity if I surrender,” Jerome countered. “I was only doing what I must to protect the human population.”

  The agent shook his head. “We can’t do that. The weaponry we’ve found here alone runs up the charges against you. Never mind the plague bacteria you were growing in one of the other buildings.”

  “Do you even have evidence of that?” Jerome countered.

  He’d have felt the explosion go off as well.

  O’Connell nodded. “We were able to take pictures and collect a few samples before we had to clear out.”

  No doubt with Yerik’s assistance. He could have stayed in there until the last moment.

  Jerome’s gaze raced around. I could sense his desperation as he tried to think of a way out of this. Would he let go of the trigger and kill the humans he’d been so desperate to save just to stay out of prison? We all waited with bated breath.

  “I’ll surrender, but only to you. Keep that vile filth away from me.” He jutted his chin at me.

  I wished I could feel hurt by that, but I was long past it. Jerome was nothing more than a sperm donor. A crazy man who had no compunction about hurting innocent people. It had been my dream to kill him tonight, but letting DHS take him was the next best thing.

  “Will you let us dismantle the bomb?” O’Connell asked.

  Jerome nodded. “It’s a simple one.”

  An EOD guy in a heavy-looking suit moved forward. We all held our breath until the bomb was dismantled and the little girl was set free. They asked about her health while other agents took a handcuffed Jerome through the exit door.

  As soon as they finished I beckoned her to me. “Over here.”

  Her gaze met mine. I probably didn’t look all that great with bullet holes riddling my clothes, blood dripping from my wounds, and my braid coming half undone. Still, someone had to take charge of her and it needed to be a supernatural.

  Hesitantly, she came.

  “What’s your name?” I asked when she reached me.

  “Imara.”

  “Do you know if your mom is here, Imara?” I asked.

  She nodded her head. “Yeah.”

  Kariann walked over to us. “How about I take her to her mother? You should take care of your injuries.”

  I glanced down at myself. Most of the bullets had hit my vest, but a few had hit my arms and legs. Those had gone straight through. The wounds were slowly healing, but they could use some staunching in the meantime.

  “Yeah, maybe you have a point.”

  “Get the guardian tended, too. He looks like he’s about to pass out.” She took hold of Imara’s hand and walked off.

  “I’m not going to pass out,” Kerbasi said, wavering on his feet.

  “Sure you aren’t, big guy.”

  A DHS guy with a med kit came over and started helping us get bandaged up.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Vehicles were everywhere when we stepped outside, blue and red lights flashing against the warehouse walls. I glanced at Kerbasi and he let out a heavy sigh.

  “You sure do know how to make a spectacle of things,” he said.

  I pointed at what was left of the warehouse at the far end of the complex. “The explosion took out over half that place.”

  “I’m not surprised. I nearly fell when it hit.”

  Lucas and Yerik came walking up to us. The daimoun’s kilt had a few holes in it and quite a bit of ash and soot. He’d probably have to replace it. Lucas didn’t appear to have any wounds, but there was some ash in his blond hair.

  “Sensor, can’t you go one battle without getting shot?” He ran his gaze down me, pausing at each bandage.

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “I didn’t get shot in Purgatory.”

  “You were the only one with guns in Purgatory,” he said, dryly.

  “It still counts.”

  I turned my attention to Yerik. “Is Honor okay?”

  “Yes. She’s helping keep the children calm. There were about a half dozen of them hunkered down in the warehouse they’ve been using for living quarters.”

  The poor kids. “What are they going to do with them?”

  “Find suitable homes for them I suppose. Honor has promised to keep track of that end for us.”


  Some of the mothers could be innocent in all this. Hopefully after questioning them we could narrow down who needed to be confined and who could be set free. It would probably take a while before families could be brought back together, though. With DHS involved, they wouldn’t make snap decisions based only on my lie detector abilities. I’d already gone over that with them during the planning stage and accepted there were procedures that had to be followed.

  “What about the lab?” I asked, nodding at the ruined building. “How much were you able to recover from it?”

  He frowned. “Not a lot. A few samples of the bacteria and some paperwork. They destroyed their computers as soon as the first DHS agents pulled up and set timers on the bombs before I could stop them.”

  “How long did you have?”

  “Five minutes.” He ran a hand through his tangled hair. “Derrick and the EOD man we brought with us did what they could to dismantle the bombs. I took out as much evidence as I could before relocating them to safety, but it was hardly enough time. The sensors were prepared for this eventuality.”

  I’d assumed Jerome would be. That much didn’t surprise me.

  “Any chance there was a cure in there?”

  “If there was, I didn’t find it.” His expression turned regretful. “There were some rats in cages with fleas infesting them in a back room, but by the time I discovered them there wasn’t enough time to get them out.”

  I’d suspected that’s how they started things. Sneaking the rats to places where they were sure to run into the targeted supernaturals. They could have used the rodents to test cures and vaccinations as well. It was too bad Yerik didn’t find them in time for experts to check them out.

  “They must have inoculated themselves as a precaution, especially since a regular plague vaccine won’t work against this strain.” I rubbed my face. “They can’t have just trusted it would never break out among the human population.”

  Lucas nodded to a spot over by the fence. “They’re rounding up the group members now. We’ll be able to question them soon enough.

  “About that,” O’Connell said, walking up. “Under the circumstances we’ve decided to take the entire group—minus the critically wounded—straight to our facilities in New Mexico. With nearly sixty of them to handle and their proclivity for violence my superiors think it’s best to get them to a more permanent location rather than impose on local authorities.”

  New Mexico was the main place where they handled supernaturals. It was supposed to have very high security. While that was a good thing for holding Jerome and his people, I didn’t know how to find it. We’d be left in the dark unless we found a way to track DHS and break into their place. It wasn’t impossible but made things a lot more difficult.

  I glared at him. “I told you from the start they were dangerous and you knew their potential numbers. Why change the plan now?”

  “To be honest? They didn’t think you’d really give us something this big on our first operation together.”

  “But all the support?” I waved my hand around at all the agents and crews working around us.

  He shrugged. “It would have been more if they’d taken the gravity of the situation seriously.”

  “So what are you telling the emergency crews?” They’d been arriving steadily since before I came outside.

  “We’ve mostly stuck with the truth—aside from the supernatural element, of course. They think we’ve just shut down an operation for a dangerous terrorist group. Your friends here have promised not to do anything that would make them think otherwise.”

  In other words, they wouldn’t be flashing around or performing magic.

  I glanced at Lucas. “You did?”

  A lot had happened while I’d been in the warehouse.

  He gave me a blank look. “It is easier than compelling all of them and it’s not as if we walk around making spectacles of ourselves normally.”

  “Okay, fine.” I returned my attention to O’Connell. “But you still have to let us question members of the group.”

  He gave me a condescending look. “Speaking of group members. It might have been nice to know your father was the one who ran it.”

  I’d been waiting for that shoe to drop.

  “If you’ve looked at my records then you know I was adopted. It wasn’t until recently that I discovered the identity of my real father. But…” I pointed a finger at him. “It only proves I don’t let my personal relationships get in the way of taking down dangerous men.”

  I wasn’t above twisting the facts to suit my needs.

  His expression was unfathomable. “That point has been noted already. While we will need to speak with you further about that relationship, my superiors have agreed to allow you and three others access to the New Mexico facility. That’s the best I could do.”

  I searched for Kerbasi and found him sitting against the building with his eyes closed. There were several bullets lying on the ground in front of him. He must have dug them out. I’d have to take him no matter what, though it looked like he wouldn’t be causing much trouble.

  “Then Lucas, Yerik, and Kerbasi will be the three I take,” I replied.

  Mr. Brown walked up. “We’d assumed that’s who you would choose.”

  There was something about him that bothered me. He just seemed a little overeager to make things work between his agency and supernaturals. Maybe I’d grown too paranoid in recent years, but it didn’t hurt to be cautious.

  “You’re not planning to hold us as well are you?”

  He shook his head. “I’m not sure we could.”

  “That’s not an answer.” I put my hands on my hips. “Try again.”

  His expression turned impatient. “I assure you that we will not hold you in our facility against your will. You will be free to come and go. We only ask that you follow some basic rules while you’re there and not reveal the location to anyone.”

  “Fine, but while I’m visiting I want my pixies back. You’ve held onto them long enough.”

  O’Connell had claimed he had no say in the matter when I first asked for them back. DHS had kidnapped them around the same time they tried to take my mystic friends. Now that I had a little more clout I was going to use it.

  Brown gave me an apologetic look. “You’ll have to discuss that with my superiors.”

  “Believe me, I will.”

  Chapter Twenty

  I stared through the Plexiglas window, seeing one of my brothers for the first time. A man who was about six years older than me at thirty-four. He had brown hair like Jerome but was slighter than our father with a medium build. A set of cracked glasses rested on the edge of his nose. He lifted his cuffed hands from the table where he sat to push them back up.

  This was the chemist who’d engineered the plague bacteria before the demon added its magic. Not only did I have to live with a demented father, but a brother who was apparently just as corrupt. I half expected people to start casting wary glances at me. Not that I could blame them.

  “Are you going to talk to him?” Lucas asked, coming to stand beside me.

  He’d just come from interrogating Jerome—with little success. I’d let him have first crack at my father because I wanted to see what I could get out of my brother first. Plus it would make Jerome squirm a little, wondering when I’d visit him.

  “Yeah,” I answered. “I just wanted to study him a little before going in there. He’s got his emotions closed off like his father.”

  Lucas gave me an amused glance. “Stubbornness seems to run in the family, but perhaps we’ll get lucky and Brennan will be more forthcoming.”

  Lucas had tried all sorts of tactics to make my father talk—short of outright violence since we’d promised DHS to not abuse their detainees. Jerome had refused to say a word. There were a few tricks to get around that if we had a few days to play them out, but we had less than one.

  The plague was still spreading and we needed to return to Alaska. I also wanted to get
back to Emily. Cori would be taking good care of her, but I hated to leave her for long. Tomorrow was Monday and she’d have to go to school.

  “Wish me luck.” I reached for the doorknob.

  “Give him Hell.”

  I stepped into the room and Brennan looked up. There was instant recognition in his expression. At least one of us could recognize the other.

  “So we finally meet face-to-face,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “The photos I saw of you lying tied to a bed didn’t do you justice.”

  No way was I going to let him see that comment hit its mark. That had been one of the worst experiences of my life and I had a lot to choose from. The fact our own father orchestrated it only made the wounds that much deeper.

  I took a seat across from him. “Wish I could say it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  He cocked his head, studying my face. “You look like her.”

  “Like who?”

  “Our mother.” He gave me a malicious smile. “I guess I had a little more time with her than you did.”

  I lifted a brow. “Maybe, but it’s interesting she left you behind when she took me.”

  According to Jerome, she had wanted to give me a different life. A life that didn’t involve giving birth to as many children as possible in the name of propagating our race. She’d run and managed to give me up for adoption before Jerome caught up with her and killed her.

  Brennan flinched. “One point for my little sister. It’s too bad you’re batting for the wrong side. We might have learned to like each other.”

  “I doubt it.” I held his gaze, keeping my emotions in check. “You get along with Jerome and I never could.”

  “That’s what you say, but it would have been different if you’d been raised with us.” He jiggled his cuffs as he scratched his hands. They were irritated and red—probably from wearing latex gloves so much in the winter.

  “Speaking of family, where is our other brother?” I asked.

  I’d checked every member of the group that had been present back at the hideout—those who survived the raid and those who didn’t. He hadn’t been there and Honor, our spy, said she hadn’t seen him return.