A.I.R. Shattered Soul

by Amanda Booloodian

  The understanding went both ways though. We don't kill things unless the circumstances are dire. Things get relocated or sent back, unless they are an immediate threat and there are no other options. He would do it if I asked him, but it also meant that we lost one piece of the puzzle. This creature was not working alone. Someone on this side was helping it, and we needed to know who.

  Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and steeled myself. Opening them again, I looked down at the creature and the Path visible before me.

  “I think there is something I can do.” Rider made ready to say something but I overran him. “It needs to be done right away, so listen closely, because I am not sure how this is going to work.

  “This thing is going to have to stay in my line of sight. I'm too tired to try anything from more than a few feet away. It's also going to take all of my concentration, so whatever you do, don't break that concentration.”

  “Cassie—” Rider started to say.

  “Rider, it's okay,” I said. “I'm going to trap the energy away from it.”

  “If this thing wakes up, know that I will kill it before I let it hurt anyone,” Rider said.

  “Agreed,” I said. “Okay, let's do this. I'll let you know when it's okay to move out.”

  It took more effort than I thought it would. Pulling on my happiest memories, I began to bring brightness to the Path. This creature tried to live on darkness, so I was going to breathe light into its world. Before I moved the lighter Path close to the thing, I altered it. I made it reflect and repel the rest of the Path. The idea came from what surrounded Gran. Like a thin layer of glass, my creation surrounded the beast and cut all ties from it to the pool of dark energy swimming toward him. At some point, I know my feet left the ground, but I trusted that Rider would keep his word. The creature never left my sight.

  Logan carried the creature out, while Rider brought me along. They took us to the ATVs, but I barely registered being placed in front of Rider or the ride out of the sanctuary. My eyes were locked on the creature the entire time, concentrating on keeping the energy away.

  Once we were back at the truck, my concentration wavered.

  Chapter 28

  The moment my focus fell, I could feel the creature pull sluggishly on the energy around us. The clean crisp energy of the Sanctuary didn't flow for the creature like the inky darkness that I had pulled from him.

  Once I snapped the cage of energy back into place, I experimented. It took three tries to lower the amount of energy I used to keep the monster bound, but left enough for me to stay awake.

  The trip back to the office seemed endless. I was bound to the creature but I took some comfort from knowing Rider was nearby. The truck stopped and voices sprang up around us, but no one strayed into my line of sight. When I moved out of the truck, the pain in my leg ran straight up my spine.

  The only thing my mind could comprehend was pain. The enclosure around the creature dissipated. I tried to put it back up, but it was no use. The beast was unconscious, but how long would that last if it continued to leech energy from its surroundings?

  “Move back,” Dr. Yelton shouted.

  I didn't realize we'd gathered a crowd on the loading docks.

  “This should work.” The doctor gave the beast a shot. “Chemical coma. It should keep him unconscious until we are ready.”

  Through gritted teeth, I watched. “It's- I think it's working.”

  “Excellent,” Dr. Yelton said. “Your turn. Something for the pain.” To Logan he said, “Take her upstairs.” He eyed Rider. “You too, upstairs.”

  It didn't take long to diagnose my broken leg. Rider’s arm was on the mend, but he was sent home under doctor’s orders. There was work for a Reader at the office, so I was stuck.

  Once the doctor reluctantly released me, I headed to the control room where Barry, Logan, and I had a short meeting.

  “We have three men from Washington arriving in fourteen hours,” Barry said. “I want this taken care of before that time. I'll be in on the interview. Cassie, do you need to be in the room to see what that thing is doing?”

  I shook my head. “As long as I can see into the room, I can watch him.”

  “Do we know if it can talk?” Barry asked.

  “It can at least mimic,” I said.

  “The chances of this thing speaking a language we know are slim,” Logan said.

  Barry put on a dark grin. “We'll find a way to get something out of it. Be ready in forty. Cassie, oversee the transfer from the doctor to the interrogation cell.”

  I sighed and made my way back to the holding area where the creature was being kept.

  The doctor frowned as I entered. “Are you able to watch over this thing?”

  “We've gotta see if he has any answers,” I said.

  “Maybe we can push the interrogation back?”

  “The guys from DC are coming in tomorrow. We need this settled tonight if we can.”

  The doctor reached for his pocket. “I have something that may help. I really hate to suggest it...” There was hesitation from the doctor. “I think it will help.”

  My eyebrows leapt up when he pulled out a needle. It was odd he had the needle at the ready if he didn't feel good suggesting it. I wasn't in any condition to argue though.

  “What is it?” I asked, rolling up my sleeve.

  “It's experimental. You can say no to the suggestion, but I think it will help you through this.”

  “What's it do?”

  “It will react in your system much like adrenaline, but not as strong. The effect should spread through you gradually and sustain your system for several hours. It's kind of a pick-me-up.”

  “I could use a pick-me-up,” I said.

  Within minutes of taking the shot, I started feeling great. The pain lessoned and I was more awake than I thought possible under the circumstances.

  Before long, I found myself sitting and watching the creature through glass as it was chained down to the floor. Under the bright light of the interrogation room, I could see it clearly. It was much like the sordis that Logan had found online. Dull black hide with erratic patches of fur covering its body. It had leathery wings, which were now clipped behind it. It looked like bones were jutting out along the edges of the wings. It had stunted legs and feet with three talons. All the details were vivid, but somehow less real.

  Over the next hour, the sordis slowly regained consciousness. It didn't take much from me to keep it from pulling in energy. Whatever the doctor gave me must have helped.

  Logan and Barry were in place when the creature roused. Kyrian leaned forward and watched from beside me. A buzz of excitement filled the viewing room.

  The sordis pushed against its bonds, both physical and those that I had wrapped around its Path. It wasn't able to flex out of the restraints. It hissed and watched the men closely. Barry let Logan take the lead.

  “How long have you been here?” Logan asked.

  There was no answer. Barry grinned cynically.

  “Do you have a name?” Logan asked.

  No answer. Logan tried questions in languages I didn't know and received no response.

  Logan twisted in his chair. “Do you know Cassie?”

  “Cassie,” the creature hissed.

  “Yes, Cassie,” Logan said.

  The creature tried to bat his clipped wings and hissed again.

  “Tell me about Cassie,” Logan said.

  “Cassie,” the monster repeated. “In the way.”

  “In the way of what?” Logan asked.

  “I have a deal,” the sordis hissed. “Deals were made.” He swung his head between Logan and Barry.

  This isn't some monster, I thought as the creature formed his responses. He's one of the Lost. He wasn't some animal that escaped into this world.

  “What kind of a deal?” Logan asked.

  The sordis thrashed against his physical bonds.

  “Deals will get you nowhere here,” Barry said.
/>   “Stupid human,” the demon hissed. “Deals are forged. Fire awaits.”

  Logan's forehead crinkled. It was like trying to piece together a riddle with most of the words missing.

  “Tell me about the portals,” Logan asked.

  “Arrangement. Portals opened and I go free,” The sordis seethed.

  Barry leaned forward at the table. “Arrangements and deals mean nothing here.”

  I pulled open the Path. The raging current pulled me in and I got a good look at Barry. Anger and fear swirled around him.

  There was something else hidden in the Path. The creature gained strength that went unnoticed without reading the Path directly. It wasn't trying to thrash against its prison. It pulled strength from its cage and the air around itself.

  “No,” I whispered. “No, no, no.”

  Kyrian looked at me. Her excitement didn't wane, though it was hidden from her face. “What's wrong, Cassie?”

  I didn't answer. Inside the interrogation room, Logan started eying Barry. The monster's gaze was also fixed on Barry.

  From the Path, I could see the guilt that surrounded Barry was palpable as he faced the creature.

  Panic welled up. I grabbed my crutches and hobbled out of the room as quickly as I could. I shoved the door to the interrogation room open and entered the roaring strength of the Path.

  The air around us popped. Nausea welled up but I pushed myself into the room. The beast pulled together a monumental force. Chains snapped and it jumped on top of the table.

  The sordis stretched up to full height. “You will pay for your broken deals.”

  Wind sped through the room and the beast lunged at Barry.

  Logan tried to block the attack, but he was thrown back. The Path showed the force, solid as a wall, as it struck out against Logan. The demon sunk claws into Barry's arms. It pulled Barry forward so they were face to face. Fear coursed onto Barry’s Path.

  “What did you do?” Logan yelled, getting to his feet.

  “Get this thing off me!” Barry screamed.

  Deep in the Path, the ebb and flow washed over me. Grabbing the energy strung tightly around the beast, I turned it into an unseen rope and tried to pull the creature away.

  It was no use. I wasn't strong enough.

  I wedged air made solid between Barry and the Lost. The monster was forced away, but took a chunk of Barry with him. The beast’s teeth dripped with blood. Barry leaned against a wall for support.

  Logan had his gun in his hand. A shot fired. Screeches from the beast filled the small room. Logan's gun was smashed out of his hand by a force created by the creature. I reached for my own gun. Rough wings slammed into my chest, throwing me out the open door.

  I bounced off the wall, crashing into the ground. My crutch clattered down the hall.

  Roping themselves together, tendrils of energy sprung from the room and flung themselves down the halls in each direction. I tried to break the bonds between it and his feelers, but it was too quick.

  A wailing alarm rang through the building. Kyrian must have triggered the lockdown. The creature’s head whipped back and forth before it darted toward the control room.

  Logan rushed out of the room with Barry following. Blood dripped down Barry's arm and he slunk against the wall. Logan took two steps down the hall before turning on Barry. He pulled Barry out from the wall enough to slam him back into it again.

  “What did you do?” Logan's fierce voice was backed by his alien appearance. His face began morphing into angles and his ears were at their points.

  Logan had Barry by the throat.

  “It's not what you think.” Barry's voice was strained. “We were losing money.”

  Logan balled up his hands in Barry's shirt and lifted him off the ground. “So you sold out the Lost?”

  Barry's face turned red. “No, I was helping. Washington wouldn't listen. Now they're listening!”

  Logan dropped Barry and pressed an arm against his throat, pinning him to the wall. “And Cassie? What about trying to kill Cassie?”

  My concentration broke. The Path fell away.

  Barry's face turned blue. He tried to pry Logan's hand away. “I just wanted her out of the way. Not dead.”

  My face felt flush. On the other side of the hall, I used the wall and one crutch to get back on my feet.

  “Why?” Logan yelled.

  “I thought...” Barry struggled to talk through Logan's chokehold. “I thought she would see what was happening.”

  “And my grandmother?” I asked through gritted teeth.

  Barry shook his head and didn't answer.

  Logan made a sharp hissing sound that made my skin crawl.

  Barry sputtered, “She would see the portals coming. I needed more time.”

  Logan drew back and let Barry fall to the ground.

  “You ran this?” I asked, sneering at the man on the floor. “This whole thing. For money?”

  “We needed the money,” Barry said raising his voice. “We have to keep the secret and that costs money. A big case gains attention.”

  “Hurt a few to save the rest,” Logan said, shaking his head.

  “My intention wasn’t to have you killed,” Barry said.

  My lip curled back and I felt compelled to back away.

  “Not killed, no,” Logan spat, “but out of action.”

  “I knew she would tie me to the case,” Barry said.

  A scream rang through the hall, closely followed by a man running at full speed. He tripped over my crutch and fell. He didn't even seem to notice us as he jumped back to his feet and started running again.

  “He can't get out that way,” I said, watching the man's retreating back.

  Logan moved away from Barry and put his back to me. “There's no way out right now. The doors will be bolted and anything glass will be shuttered. Full containment.”

  Gunfire came from the control room.

  I pulled out my gun and started to hobble forward.

  “Not so fast,” Logan said.

  “We've got to get in there,” I said.

  Logan turned to me and looked me over. “Are you good for this fight?”

  One leg broken and leaning on a crutch. I could feel bruises and pains from the long night.

  It didn't matter though. We had a job to do and we knew what we were up against.

  “I'm ready,” I said.

  Logan nodded and turned toward Barry who flinched. “We'll be right behind the boss man.”

  Barry stood a moment looking toward the control room. Then he pulled out his gun, checked his clip, and started down the hall.

  “Let's get 'em, partner,” Logan said to me.

  We headed straight towards the gunfire.

  Chapter 29

  The door to the control room had been ripped off its hinges. As we approached, the alarm died away. Barry peered around one side of the doorframe and Logan and I looked in from the other.

  The room had normal lights on, but blaring safety lights also lit the room like a stadium. The large computer screen on the wall was black with a green command line flashing, waiting for instructions. Muffled sounds came from behind desks. In the middle of the room, stalking in a circle, the sordis clawed at the floor.

  Under the harsh glare of the lights, it looked unreal. The leathery skin looked like dull black latex pulled across a grotesque frame. The movements were jerky as the thing widened its circular movements. It barely paused when a desk blocked its way. A skeletal wing pushed into the metal frame. For the amount of effort the beast displayed, he might have been pushing a feather. Power surged and the desk flew up, crashing into another desk.

  “How much power are we dealing with here?” Barry asked.

  With the power flowing around, finding the Path wasn't difficult.

  “He's gathering everything he can around him, but it's coming out of him as fast as he's taking it in,” I said.

  Shots erupted from somewhere out of sight. One bullet struck home, ripp
ing through the thin skin of the creature’s wing. Without looking, the creature made the air around him solidify. When the noise stopped, the wall of air dissipated. Tendrils of pure energy rippled out, latching onto a chair, which was hurled across the room toward where the shots came from. Guided by the creature, the chair moved in arcs until it crashed down into someone. They cried out as the chair ground down into them, and then there was silence. The sordis lost interest and started circling.

  Barry let out a shaky breath. “Where's the energy going?”

  “Down,” I said. “He's pouring everything down, probing...” My voice died away as I watched the creature claw at the floor again. “He's reaching for the portals.”

  “They're two stories below,” Barry said. “He can't do much with them from here.”

  I shook my head. “I think he can reach them from here. If he taps into it? I'm not sure what will happen, but I don't think it'll be good.”

  “Time to put a stop to him,” Barry said. “I'm going to run in and grab his attention. I'll head to that desk,” he gestured toward a random desk.

  Logan picked it up from there. “There's an office a few yards from this door. I’ll go there, and Cassie, you stay here. Wait for my signal and we'll attack from both directions.”

  Barry didn't reply. He slipped into the room.

  “Hunker down here and stay safe,” Logan said.

  After that, I was alone. There is something unsettling about being alone with a brightly lit monster.

  I concentrated on the flow of the Path. Wisps of smoky gray shimmered and whipped around the room while a large flowing trunk drove itself into the floor to grasp around in the unseeable floors below.

  Stop the flow, stop the flow, I thought. Maybe when the distraction started? I readied my gun and aimed, waiting for someone to make a move.

  Barry. It was hard to believe that he had sunk this low. Dealing with monsters to try to make Washington sit up and pay attention. In a twisted sort of way, it had worked, but how could he not see the price? How many did he hurt? If this got out, how would the Lost react to agents?