by Sophie Davis
“I’m coming back,” she insisted.
“No,” Brand snapped. “Janelle and Kip, go with Talia. The three of you wait for us inside the tunnel. Don’t go into the facility until I say so.”
“What are you going to do?” Talia snapped back.
“Look for Agent DeSanto. The first wave suggests he might’ve jumped before the hover crashed. Come on, Erik.”
I made the two of us invisible as we set off in search of Miles. The first wave hadn’t been as big as the second. If it was the impact of a person, that person would’ve had to hit the water hard and fast. When I saw the lone figure treading water, cheeks puffed out as though storing a small reserve of air, my heart nearly beat through my chest.
“Miles.” I started for him, but a hand on my shoulder pulled me back. I couldn’t see Brand, though I felt his proximity.
“Not so fast. We’ve got company,” Brand sent.
Sure enough, ten divers armed with spear guns descended on Miles from above. His arms and legs flailed as he looked for an avenue of escape. Without a breathing mask, he wouldn’t last long.
“We have to help him,” I growled.
“We can’t. We’re outnumbered and outgunned,” Brand shot back.
“I’m not leaving him.”
“They won’t kill him,” Brand insisted. “Not yet. They’ll want to interrogate him first. We have time. We’ll make a plan and get him out along with the hostages.”
Logically, I knew Brand was right. Still, I couldn’t just sit by and watch while Nightshade pointed their guns at a man I considered one of my best friends.
“If I can reach him now, I can make him invisible, too,” I retorted. “I can swim us both out of there.”
“No,” Brand snapped. “Too dangerous.”
One of the divers fired a shot at Miles. The spear lodged into his shoulder just above the armpit. His lips parted to scream as a crimson cloud blossomed in the water.
Brand’s grip on my shoulder tightened. “We won’t leave here without him. I promise.”
A second spear hit Miles in the thigh. His body jerked. I yanked free from Brand as a third diver fired on Miles. This time, an electrified net shot out, surrounding Miles like he was a particularly aggressive fish. The Nightshade divers started dragging him away, back toward the surface.
“Come on, Erik. These masks don’t have much air left. You can’t help him if you drown.”
I dropped the invisibility long enough for Brand to get a good look at my face. “If he dies, I’ll kill you.”
Brand’s throat bobbed as he swallowed. “You’re as bad as your girlfriend, you know that?”
“I don’t consider loyalty a bad thing.” With that, I turned and swam back to the tunnel entrance.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Talia
Allowing Erik the day to sleep had done wonders for his mood. Ten minutes alone with Brand had destroyed all of that. The duo emerged from the water and onto pebbled shore inside the tunnel. Both were angry and wanting to hurt one another. Since I always felt that way when I was around Brand, I empathized with Erik. I also knew how much Miles meant to him. They had a cute sort of bromance that I didn’t entirely understand, mostly because I could never decide whether I liked Miles.
But I did know that I loved Erik. If he was determined to make sure Miles made it out of New Mexico alive, then I was going to do everything I could to make that happen.
The tunnel was dank and smelled stale, like the same air had been trapped inside those stone walls for decades. According to Crane, the passage would lead to the housing area and open directly into the room he’d used when staying at the facility. From there, we were sort of on our own. Though it was possible the blueprints were outdated, I’d memorized the location and most expedient path to the Coalition’s holding cells from them. For all we knew, the interior had been gutted and redesigned to accommodate Nightshade’s needs.
A loud groan echoed down the tunnel. We all froze. A few seconds later, an even louder moan filled my ears.
“Maybe it’s Miles,” Kip sent excitedly. “Maybe they’re—“
“It’s not Miles,” I cut him off.
“But it sounds like—“ Kip started again.
“Talia, go. Check it out, Brand interjected.
“Yes, sir.” I gave him a mock salute as I jogged past.
My boots were silent on the wet stone as I darted up the passage. My breathing was quiet and even. From the opposite end of the tunnel, an odd assortment of noises became progressively louder. I picked up the pace, only slowing when I felt a swell of energy behind the stone.
Placing my hand on the wall, I closed my eyes and concentrated.
“Did you hear that, Thommy?” a female voice asked.
“You’re paranoid,” a second voice grunted. That one was male.
“If someone catches us in here…,” the woman began.
“No one is gonna catch us, Dory. They just shot down a rogue hover. Everyone’s busy figuring out where it came from. Now come over here.” Springs squeaked faintly. “We don’t get a lot of opportunities to be alone.”
“Report,” Brand demanded.
I rolled my eyes. “Two people. One male, one female. Female is Talented.”
“Armed?” Brand fired back.
“Not that I’m aware of. We’ll have to break through the wall, though. I don’t see an actual entrance,” I sent.
“We’re coming. Don’t destroy anything just yet,” Brand ordered.
The sound of their collective footfalls was faint even to my ears. Still, Dory caught them too.
“Tell me you heard that, Thommy?” demanded the woman.
“I don’t hear anything,” Thommy replied. His tone was soft and soothing, like he was trying to placate her.
“It’s coming from inside the walls,” the woman insisted.
“Hurry,” I sent to my friends.
With Erik in the lead, all four materialized a moment later. Kip was breathing heavily, but the other three had barely broken a sweat.
“I say we bust a hole in the wall,” I told Brand.
“That would draw unwanted attention,” he countered.
“They shot down our hover,” Erik snapped. “They have Miles. It’s a little late to worry about unwanted attention. Our best chance of success is to get in and get out as quickly as possible.”
Brand glanced back and forth between Erik and me, dozens of alternative plans running through his mind. He considered having Kip teleport to the other side of the wall. We could also search for a lever or button that would open some hidden door like the pond. Neither were as fast and easy as letting me blow a hole in the wall.
“Fine. Do it,” he hissed, clearly annoyed.
Before he could change his mind, I concentrated on a section of stone just large enough for us to fit through. The wall blew outward, sending chunks of jagged stone and puffs of dust in every direction. I didn’t wait for Brand’s next order. Instead, I marched straight through the hole and into the bedroom on the other side.
A man and a woman in stages of undress stood beside a cot, frozen in one another’s arms. Wide, shocked eyes turned my way. With a flick of my mind, the pair flew apart like magnets with opposite polarizations. The man, Thommy, landed on the floor in front of a wooden chest. Dory crashed onto the bed.
A maniacal grin on my face, I wiggled a gloved finger at Thommy.
“You really should listen to your girlfriend.” I turned to the woman. “It’s Dory, right?”
“You have no right to come in here. Who are you?” the man thundered, using the chest as leverage to stand.
“I have no right?” I snapped. “You want to talk about rights?”
“Easy, Tals,” Erik sent.
He was just as pissed as I was. Maybe even more so because of Miles. Erik didn’t actually want me to take it easy on anyone; the warning lacked any real heat.
The man’s gaze flicked behind me, where Erik stood with the others. A
sneer curled Thommy’s lips.
“You have no idea who you’re messing with.” Thommy shook his head, feigning sadness on our behalf. “We will kill you.”
Unable to help myself, I laughed. “Do you think we stumbled across your evil lair by accident?”
Erik moved so fast, all I saw was a blur of motion. He twisted an arm around Thommy’s throat.
“What do you want?” The man’s smugness had dissipated enough that his voice trembled.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the woman reach for something. I slammed her hand against the wall and pinned it behind her head. Janelle rushed over and kicked a pile of clothes on the floor toward Dory.
“Get dressed,” Janelle snapped.
“Take us to the hostages,” I ordered Thommy. “Now.”
The slow, satisfied smile that spread across Thommy’s face like an irritating rash wasn’t a surprise. No matter the agency, we’d all been trained to be cocky and defiant. The sinking feeling in my gut didn’t come until he spoke.
“Natalia Freaking Lyons. You are so much smaller in person.”
Erik’s grip tightened. Thommy’s face turned purplish-red as he fought to suck in a breath.
“You’re just as predictable as they said you’d be,” he choked out.
Brand groaned audibly. “The hostages aren’t here, are they?” he asked.
Thommy cackled. “You all are here, so the hostages have arrived.” His eyes shifted, trying to find Erik in his periphery. “Now, why don’t you let me go. Maybe we can negotiate.”
It was my turn to laugh. “You’re in no position to make demands. Tell us where they’re holding Agent DeSanto. Maybe you’ll live to see tomorrow.”
“Not gonna happen,” Thommy growled.
“Okay.”
I caught Brand’s eye over my shoulder. His nod was subtle, swift, and entirely for Thommy’s benefit. Never taking his green gaze from the half-naked man, Brand reached for the gun tucked at the small of his back.
“No!” Dory shrieked.
Erik released Thommy and stepped away.
“Last chance,” Brand offered, his tone flat and unaffected.
“He won’t do—“
The bullet hit the man between the eyes. Kip sucked in a sharp breath, the only one besides Dory to show any reaction to the violence. I wasn’t heartless, and I had regard for human life. I just wasn’t in the mood for assholes and egos. When it came down to it, I would do anything to keep my friends and teammates alive.
Arms crossed, I turned to Dory. Her shrieks were becoming so irritating, I made her think that her lips were glued shut. It was the easiest way to handle the situation, though not the most graceful.
“Are the hostages here?” I asked her.
She started to nod. I felt deception and read the real answer out of her head.
“They are,” she pleaded when I dropped the compulsion. “I swear. I’ll take you to them.”
“You sure she’s lying?” Brand sent.
“Positive,” I replied. “We need to get out of here. Now. I don’t know why, but this is a setup. They wanted us to think Amberly’s nieces and the others were here.”
“Not without Miles,” Erik insisted. “I won’t leave him.”
“Please, I can show you where they’re being held,” Dory cried. “And your friend. The one on the hover that crashed in the pond.”
“Why don’t you just tell us?” I said. My tone was sweet, inviting, and impossible to resist.
“Because I don’t know.” Dory slapped her free hand over her mouth, eyes rounded in surprise.
Brand holstered his gun. Under the impression she was safe, Dory sagged with relief. I released my grip on both her mind and her arm. With two steps forward, Janelle punched Dory so hard that the other girl’s head bounced against the wall like a ball.
“Is she dead?” Kip asked, nearly choking on the question.
“She’s fine,” I lied.
Dory was still alive, but we’d be dead if we didn’t get the hell out of there. I turned to Brand.
“What now, fearless leader?” I asked, impressed with my ability to limit the sarcasm.
“Kip, take Talia to one of the escape pods,” he ordered.
“What?” I backed away from Kip, who was reaching for my hand and preparing to teleport both of us. “No. That’s not—“
“Hands up! Now!” someone shouted from the doorway.
My head swiveled, counting the gun barrels pointed at us. They pointed at us from both the real doorway and the one I’d made between in the tunnel.
“Kip. Go, now.” Erik backed his command with so much compulsion, it was a wonder the teleporter’s mind didn’t break.
At the same time, Brand shoved Kip in my direction. The sudden movement made someone’s trigger finger twitchy. Bullets flew. Erik ducked, diving for the Nightshade agent closest to him. Brand’s elbow connected with the nose of the woman behind him. In such a small space, redirecting bullets was too dangerous. Instead, I sent a wave of power in either direction, knocking everyone off their feet.
Kip reached for me as he fell, fingers closing around my wrist. The room vanished. More accurately, we vanished. I materialized an instant later inside the confines of a small escape pod.
“Take me back,” I demanded.
“Talia, I can’t. I’m sorry.” Kip’s expression was so conflicted, I almost felt bad for him. “I promised I’d obey orders.”
“I am ordering you to take me back,” I snapped.
Kip shook his head. “I promised. I promised Brand and Erik I would keep you safe, no matter what.”
“They aren’t safe without me,” I shouted at him.
He reeled in the face of my wrath but refused to back down. “Erik said you—“
I slammed my fist on the dashboard, and the controls came to life with several flashes of light. “I don’t care what Erik said!” I screamed.
“Talia?” Penny’s voice was coming through the onboard comms. “Oh, thank the heavens! Where are you?” She sounded frantic.
“It’s a trap, Penny,” I cried. “The hostages aren’t here. Erik and Brand and the others are—“
“We’re under attack,” she interjected.
All the blood drained from face and my head started to spin.
“Wh-wh-what?” I stammered.
Surely, I’d heard her wrong.
“The Privileged. They’re here,” she hissed.
“Alex?” I asked, afraid of the answer.
“He’s safe. For now.” Penny’s voice tremored. “Gretchen’s people haven’t breached the house yet, but it’s only a matter of time. We can’t hold them off much longer.”
I took a deep breath.
Think. Be logical. Be rational. Think.
I couldn’t think straight. Hell, I could barely see straight. We’d walked into a freaking trap. Erik was in Nightshade’s hands. Crane, Penny, Emma, and the Clearwood children were fighting for their lives in Virginia. And Alex was in the thick of it all.
My entire body trembled. This was why Gretchen had made sure to feed us false intel. To divide our resources. To separate us. She’d made it easier to take us down. Nightshade had Erik. If the Privileged made it inside the presidential estate, they’d capture Penny and Phi. They’d kill Crane. I had no idea what they’d do to Alex, but I didn’t want to find out.
“Talia?” Penny’s voice was quiet but firm. “Don’t come back. You can’t. Brand is right. With Erik and me, Gretchen can make more Privileged. That’s bad enough. With you, she can control the world. Do. Not. Come. Here.”
I looked over at Kip. Tears pooled in his eyes, and his expression was pure disbelief.
No, don’t lose your nerve now, I thought.
“Can you get out of there?” I asked Penny. My gaze never left Kip.
The explosion was deafening. Static crackled over the comms system.
“Penny? Penny?” I shouted.
“I’m…here…fine…. Don’t worry…you…
safe.”
The line went dead.
My hands shook so badly, I sat on them so Kip wouldn’t see.
Get a grip. You can’t panic now.
Easier said than done, but I was the only one of my friends not in immediate danger. I was the only one who could see the bigger picture and make somewhat reasonable decisions. Alex was my highest priority. Where would he be safe?
Then, I realized. The best chance would be to take him to the place that was already attacked. The Sons of After already destroyed most of the school, there was no reason to target it again.
“Look at me, Kip,” I demanded.
His teary gaze met mine.
“Take out a booster shot and use it. Now.”
Without hesitation, Kip followed my instructions. Maybe it was wrong to use so much compulsion on him. Later, I would probably feel bad about my actions. In that moment, I didn’t care. Alex was in danger. Nothing had changed to alter Epsilon’s vision, and I’d been naïve to believe otherwise.
“You are going to jump to Crane’s home, get Alex, and then jump to the McDonough School.”
“Okay,” Kip replied robotically.
“The moment you drop him off, you come back here,” I continued. “You will get me and take me to him. Finally, you will get our team out of that mountain.” I inhaled deeply and closed my eyes. “You will not tell anyone where you took me and Alex. No one, no matter what.”
“Okay,” he repeated.
I knew that I might be walking into a trap. I knew that I might be turning myself over to a woman who wanted to use me to control the world. I also knew this was the way it had to be.
I didn’t have a plan beyond reuniting with Alex. I didn’t know whether I’d live to see tomorrow. I did know this was my fate. Alex needed me. The next fight in this war would be a battle of wills. Gretchen was smart. She was calculating, and she knew me better than I knew her. But I had an iron resolve.
Can you say the same, Gretchen? I wondered. Guess we’ll find out.
Chapter Thirty
Cressa
The rest of the hover fleet veered to the left, leaving a single plane behind. Cressa watched through the window, wondering why theirs wasn’t following the others. Peeking down the aisle at the other passengers, no one else seemed alarmed by this development. The Dame’s posture was straight, though her eyes were closed. One palm rested atop the hand propped on the armrest beside her.