by Sue Duff
Sweat had formed inside the thick rubber gloves, and the itch at her wrists and across the back of her hands grew unbearable. “I need to take these off,” Rayne said, and tugged at one of the gloves.
Drake clenched massive hands around her wrists. She whimpered from the pain.
“They will be removed when I say and not before,” Harcourt announced without turning around.
The gorilla of a security guard didn’t let go until the car pulled to a stop and Harcourt stepped out and away from the vehicle. Drake drew a handgun on her as she exited.
Harcourt paused at the warehouse door. “Remove them.”
Drake pulled the gloves off. Tingling swept across her skin and she rubbed her hands together.
Harcourt knocked. A metallic scrape. The door swung open.
Drake pressed a forceful hand against Rayne’s back, and she stumbled into a large warehouse. Harcourt followed a few paces behind.
Shouts came from the center of the wide-open space. Mara and Tara ran to the edge of a large steel cage and grabbed the bars with a clatter from their manacled wrists. Tara’s look of relief countered Mara’s questioning stare as she took in Rayne’s unbound hands and the security guard’s jacket that she wore. It took but a second for Mara’s brows to squeeze together, enhancing a swollen eye.
“Are you all right?” Tara said. A hand-shaped welt covered one of her cheeks.
“Isn’t it obvious,” Mara snarled. She dropped her hands from the bars and stepped back. A blistering pink patch covered her throat. “She’s with them.”
“What have you been up to, scientist?” The voice came from the far side of the warehouse. A man leaned against the upstairs balcony railing with his back to them. A flaming tattoo covered the rear surface of his bald head.
Harcourt removed his tablet’s cover. “She wandered away from them, Ning. I found her and brought her to you.”
“Ah.” Ning cocked his head to the side. “You were being helpful.” He pushed away from the railing and faced them. The man’s tattoos reached up each side of his neck, their tips tickling his cheekbones. The flame across his neck curled up his chin and brushed his lower lip with its sizzling tip. Ning’s eyes darkened with madness like none other.
Rayne grabbed her jacket around her neck to combat the chill that snaked across it.
“You varied from the plan once already,” Ning said with steeled calm. “What assurances do I have you won’t try it again?”
“We’ve found the frequencies to shut down his ability to channel.” Harcourt glanced in Mara and Tara’s direction. The twin’s eyes widened, and they looked at each other. “I’m close to preventing his shyfting. We’ve cornered him in my Acoustics building.”
“You’ve shut down our cell phones, you fool.”
Harcourt looked at the tablet in his hands and swiped his finger across the screen. “An unforeseen side effect. I have no control over which frequencies affect his shyfting powers.”
Rayne wondered if he spoke the truth. A slight tremor shook the scientist’s tablet.
“You insisted he remain mobile during the test,” Harcourt continued. “The speakers had to be scattered all over the cam-pus. Whatever we do affects not only him but the entire facility.”
“Loss of cell phone service will bring unwanted attention.” Ning descended the stairs with slow deliberate steps. “The humans and Pur won’t tolerate it for long. Questions will turn into investigations.”
“Then take out communications now rather than later,” Harcourt said.
“It’s not wise to vary from Aeros’s plan.” Ning’s fists turned unnaturally bright. The man paused and flexed his neck. His fists dulled and his hands relaxed, but the snarl remained on his face.
“Then he should have included variables in the experiment. Science is far from absolute.”
Rayne took a step back and then another. No one gave her but a glance. “What’s going on?” she whispered as she neared the cage.
Tara didn’t respond. She stared at Rayne. “You don’t know, do you?”
Rayne shook her head and Tara’s features relaxed. “Are they talking about Ian?” she asked. “Is he in trouble?”
Mara grabbed her sister’s sleeve. “Don’t, she can’t be trusted.”
“It’s a little late for that,” Tara said.
Harcourt stiffened when Ning headed for Rayne. He gestured to Drake. “Put her in the cage with the others.”
“Wait!” Ning said.
Panic flitted across Harcourt’s face, but he didn’t move to intercept. He stared at Rayne’s hands while beads of sweat appeared on his forehead and upper lip. He swallowed hard.
She buried her hands under her crossed arms and took a step back at Ning’s approach.
“I’ve been looking forward to meeting Daddy’s little girl.” Ning leaned close. The steam from his breath warmed her forehead. He raised his face and inhaled deep. “Such a lovely bouquet of fear,” he said, and ran the tip of his tongue across his upper lip while his chest heaved. He tilted his head and opened his mouth as if to bite her cheek. She turned her face away from spikes of chiseled teeth at the front of his mouth. The man was like a piranha frenzied by the weakness of others. Rayne’s entire body grew rigid, the only way to stop her quaking knees. She held her breath in an attempt to stall her racing heart. “You need a breath mint.”
He chuckled then snapped his teeth at her. “Delicious. I have such plans for you.”
“Get away from her,” Harcourt barked. “I’m cooperating.”
“We’ll see,” Ning said. He gave Rayne a wry smile and backed up. “Two hours and your clock runs out, scientist. When I return, I expect a whimpering Heir groveling at my feet. And your instruments better keep him that way.” Ning made to leave but paused beside Harcourt. “No more variations or she will discover how I like to play with my food.” He exited the warehouse.
The thick metal door shut with a clang.
{48}
The second the pounding stopped, Ian took off for the roof’s door. It burst open and the dislodged metal rod went flying. He snatched it out of the air, dug its tip into the rooftop and swung sideways. His kick landed in the center of the door and it slammed back upon the advancing men.
“Stay behind me,” Ian shouted. He tossed the metal rod to Patrick. “Hold that.”
The door banged open. Ian grabbed the overhead eave and swung, kicking the first man back into the others. He flipped backward and landed in front of Patrick, then grabbed the pole. “Thanks.”
The men rushed out of the open door. Ian took out the first two, uprooting their legs with the metal staff. He twisted it around, then jammed the pole into the gut of the next man. When he doubled over, Ian brought the makeshift weapon down on the head of the fourth with a crack.
One of the men rose to his feet, but Ian pivoted and kicked his jaw. The guard returned to the heap.
Splinters of wood and wires rained over Patrick’s crouched body as a gunshot sang in Ian’s ears. His core ignited. An onslaught of additional guards ran out the door. Ian drew the earth’s energy into his core and tackled Patrick, rolling them both away. He shyfted.
They tumbled halfway across the auditorium stage before coming to a stop in a twisted heap. “Ughhh!” Patrick shoved Ian off of him.
Ian sprang to his feet and frantically checked backstage. It was deserted. “Mara, Tara!” He rushed to the edge of the stage and searched the darkened room. “Rayne?”
“Where are they?” Patrick got to his knees.
Ian’s chest heaved. “They’ve been taken,” he said, riddled with guilt at deserting them. He pulled out a toolbox and removed the inside tray, grabbed Mara’s backup nine millimeter Glock and chambered the round.
Patrick stared at the gun. “What happened on the roof?”
“I don’t know,” Ian said.
Patrick’s eyes creased. “Wrong answer.”
Ian took a second to catch his breath. “One minute, I was searching around fo
r the shooter. The next minute it felt like I suddenly became numb inside. I couldn’t shyft myself, objects, nothing. That’s when you showed up. Then during the fight, my core returned, as if someone switched it back on. That’s when I grabbed you and took off.”
“The girls.” Patrick stood and swiped at his pants. “If Allison got them, they could be on the way to the Acoustics building.”
“We shyfted. No way did she beat us here.”
“What now?”
“We backtrack from here and find Allison and the girls,” Ian said. “Then we’ll figure out who the good guys are around here.”
“If there are any,” Patrick said.
{49}
When the Heir’s group scattered, Jaered hiked to the cliff to get his bearings. That’s when the shots at the Heir took him by surprise. He made it to the cliff’s edge in time to see the rooftop gunman slip back into the building. A few minutes later, the Heir emerged.
The outcropping proved the perfect seat.
Confused why the Heir chose to take on the guards instead of shyfting, Jaered pulled out his rifle and aimed for the wooden box in the corner of the rooftop. It made for an exploding target and the perfect distraction.
It didn’t take but a second for the Heir to disappear after Jaered destroyed the box. The security guards took off down the stairs when they lost their prey.
He had no idea where the Heir had shyfted to. It wasn’t nearby or he would have spotted his corona. With everyone scattered, it was impossible to keep track of them.
Tingling at his scalp grew fierce. Jaered dropped the rifle, drew his handgun and spun around.
A white wolf stood at the mouth of the cave. Bright-green eyes focused on him.
He returned the stare for a moment, then relaxed his finger on the trigger but kept his attention on the animal. Mangy around its snout and lower legs, he wondered if it lived inside the cave.
“Are you the one that gave me the willies the other day?” Jaered said. The animal didn’t move. Its alert gaze never wavered. He threw his arms up and shouted, “Shoo, go on!”
The animal bared its fangs. It stood its ground and didn’t flinch.
“Okay, I get the hint. I’m the trespasser.” Jaered got to his feet. He threw the pack over his shoulder. “I got better things to do.”
He slowly backed up and the wolf stayed put. Jaered drew energy and focused his thoughts on the auditorium. He counted on the Heir wanting to connect with the Channels.
Jaered appeared on the auditorium catwalk. Voices below spurred him to drop to one knee. A fine mist of dust floated down and he held his breath. The Heir and Langtree headed for the backstage door just as the cloud of dirt draped the stage floor.
{50}
Snarls.
Allison slowly turned around and pressed her back against the Genetics building door. Sombra, Dante, and Amistoso stood not more than twenty feet away.
“It’s okay, boys, it’s just me,” she said. “How the heck did you get out?”
They didn’t back down. Their lips quivered as their snarls grew more vicious.
Unease transformed into terror. She reached behind and felt for the knob. It didn’t turn. Allison tugged on her ID tag, and it stung the back of her neck as it gave way. With one eye on Sombra, she swiped the tag in the security slot. A buzz and then a click. She slipped inside.
The door slammed upon snapping fangs. Vicious scrapes clawed across the surface on the other side. She rushed up the back staircase. The concrete stairwell filled with the echoes of her frantic steps.
She pounded on Orr’s office door. “Doctor, it’s me, Allison, please let me in!”
Footsteps and the door opened. “What’s the meaning of this?” Orr said.
Allison pushed in, shutting the door behind her. She ran across and pressed the security switch under the edge of his desk.
“Have you gone mad?”
She paused. “You don’t know what’s happening, do you?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Dr. Orr, we’ve got to get to the auditorium and find the Channels. The Heir is in danger.”
He didn’t move. “What kind of danger?”
Allison grabbed his arm and dragged him out the door. “Someone shot at him out on the south field. We went to the Acoustics lab to search for the gunman. Security guards are after the Heir. He and Patrick are probably trapped on the rooftop.”
“I don’t understand. No one knows who he is except for you and me.”
“Not anymore.” She stopped in front of the elevator doors. “We have to get out of here, but I don’t know how to avoid them.”
“Avoid who?” Orr swiped his ID. The elevator doors opened and they stepped in. “Really, Allison, you’re not making any sense.”
“It’s the wolves. They’ve escaped.” Allison ran across to the opposite doors. Orr pushed ahead and swiped his ID. The doors opened onto the skywalk.
“Impossible,” he said and stepped out onto the glass enclosure. “I locked them in myself.” Orr stopped.
Allison stumbled into him as the doors closed behind them. All three wolves stood at the opposite end of the skywalk. Their eyes glared a shimmering red. Allison tugged on Orr’s shoulder. “Doctor, come toward me, slowly, please.”
He took a couple of steps back. The wolves didn’t advance.
“What’s going on here?” Orr whispered.
“The Heir thinks the Duach have infiltrated QualSton, and Dr. Harcourt’s building appeared to be the center of the attack a few minutes ago.”
“Benjamin?” Orr shook his head. “I’ve known the man for years. He’s shown such interest in my research.” Orr gasped. “Oh my god, I’ve allowed him unsupervised access to my notes.”
“He had his reasons,” Allison said. “Doctor, I don’t think these are our test subjects any longer.”
“Cooper tried to convince me something was wrong with them. I thought he took off because he was angry at me,” Orr whispered.
She removed her pass from her pocket, slow and deliberate. “I’ll unlock the doors behind me. Get ready to move.”
The scientist scraped one foot back.
The pass slid out of her hand, skidded across the walkway floor, then came to a stop several feet in front of Sombra.
“Why did you do that?” Orr hissed.
Warmth drained from her face, and she trembled. “I didn’t.” Orr’s pass flew out of his hand and fell next to hers. They stared at the wolves. Sombra took a step and snarled.
{51}
Ian stopped in the middle of the path. Allison and Orr were in the skywalk. She was on her hands and knees crawling to-ward something on the transparent floor.
Sombra crouched a few yards away and had her in its sights. The beast coiled, as if to strike.
Ian drew the Glock, aimed, and fired at the base of the skywalk. The bullet struck the glass tube in between the wolf and Allison. The wolf sprang backward and howled.
“You weren’t even close,” Patrick said. “I thought you were some kind of marksman.”
“Oh, ye of little faith.” Ian extended his arm and sent a volley of shots at the base of the skywalk creating a circular pattern around the first impact, then waved. “Get back!” he shouted to them.
The wolves turned frightening eyes on him. Sombra’s snarl flung saliva against the glass. It whipped its head around, and the animals lunged at Allison.
She jumped back into Orr’s arms and he dragged her away from the snapping fangs.
A drawn-out creak and the floor under the wolves’ paws splintered. The center of the skywalk crackled into a mosaic masterpiece. The massive beasts scrambled to get away, and the base crumbled in a deafening roar of shattering glass.
Ian pulled Patrick out of the way as shards struck the turf in front of them, some as large as crackled windshields. Several smaller pieces stood up on end.
Patrick stared with a gaping mouth.
Ian scanned the wreckage at their feet and t
hen overhead. The wolves were gone. “Are you two all right?” he shouted.
“Yes, thanks to you,” Orr said with his arms wrapped around Allison.
“Patrick, help them gather as many Pur as you can. Have everyone rendezvous in the conference hall.”
“How are we supposed to know who’s who?”
“Dr. Orr can help identify them against the list that the Syndrion gave me. Mara stuck the file in your briefcase. It’s under the front seat. Figure out a way to defend yourselves.”
“What are you going to do?” Patrick said.
“Find the girls and put a stop to this.” Ian opened his thoughts to reach out to the girls, desperate to connect. When it didn’t work, he checked his cell, but No Service continued to flash. He started down the path that led to the opposite side of the campus.
He hadn’t gone far when his head cleared and the muted buzz vanished. A second later his cell vibrated in his pocket. He paused, relieved to see Rayne’s name on the screen. “Where are you? Are the girls with you?” he said.
“Were you expecting the student reporter?”
Ian stopped cold. “Where is she?” He looked around at the deserted campus.
“Here with us, hoping you will cooperate.”
“Who is this?”
“Let’s do introductions face-to-face, shall we?”
“Don’t hurt her.” Ian grabbed the back of his neck. Could they hear his pounding heartbeat over the phone?
“We have no intention of it. She is merely a means to an invitation.” The caller paused. “Continue along the path you are on until it forks, then turn left. Follow it to the edge of campus.”
“You’ll let her go?”
“That depends on what you do in the next sixty seconds.” The line went dead at the same time the buzz returned and throbbed at his temples.
Ian took off running down the path, then turned at the fork. A large warehouse sat where the path ended. A man stood near the door. He held Rayne by the wrist. Ian hid the gun behind him and approached cautiously, then stopped with several yards between them. A ray of sunlight illuminated both of the figures in the doorway. It took but a second for Ian to connect the face.
“Dr. Harcourt, I presume,” he said. The man offered only a pained smile. “Are you okay?” Ian asked Rayne. “Are the girls with you?”