Enlai flew up higher. “From here, you’ll break most of the bones in your body…you might survive or you might not,” Enlai bit out, rage in his every thought. That he’d been betrayed by one of his closest friends. “How could you sell out to them? How could you sell out to China, Dayton? I trusted you, you fucking bastard!” He said, before flying downwards swiftly, Dayton before him, his hands grasped on the front of Dayton’s leather motorcycle jacket, slamming him into a tree as Dayton screamed in pain.
“Tell me the truth or so help me, I will drop you from five thousand feet in the air, Dayton! Tell me the truth! Why did you sell out to the agency you bastard!” Enlai said, shaking the man, flying in the air. “And maybe, maybe if I’m satisfied with your answer I will make your death swift, fast. But know this now, you will die and it will be today.”
“Wait! Wait!” Dayton screamed as Enlai slammed him into another tree. “Wait,” he said, in excruciating pain. “John was already suspicious. He found me, he offered me everything that I had ever wanted. A way out of this hell hole, I was in too deep. All I had to do was deliver you…and Song over to him once I proved you two were double agents. And if I found the girl I would have been paid more than most people could ever dream.” He bit out.
“And what of China?” Dayton said.
“I contacted China,” Dayton said in a rush, desperation in his voice. “I was greedy, if I could get so much from John, the agency, I knew I’d get twice as much from China. They took the bait. But I wasn’t going to tell them where you were…the safe houses. I swear.”
“You’re lying, you bastard, you were using it as a bargaining chip to extort more money out of the agency and China. That is where you were going today.”
Dayton knew his death was fast approaching, knew it with every fiber of his being. “Enlai, Enlai, please, man, don’t,” he cried out in futility. “I’m sorry,” he said, holding on to the man’s arms before in a quick second he pulled out a gun, that Enlai had forgotten and shot him point blank in the chest, but not realizing how far Enlai had flown him up in the air, the men fell, swiftly, crashing through the sky and if it had not been for Song Enlai would have been crushed to the earth as Dayton was.
“Enlai, Enlai,” Song said, cradling his brother.
Enlai stared with wide eyes, blood pouring out of his chest. “I forgot the gun,” Enlai whispered, a wry smile on his lips, blood spewing from his mouth.
Song nodded, his hands hovering over Enlai’s chest, the bullet had just missed his heart and aorta. Song concentrated, the bullet was made out of some type of new metal he was not familiar with. His hands glowed, pulling the bullet out from his brother and Enlai breathed heavily. Song smiled. “Close, too close brother, next time, don’t forget the gun.” He said.
Enlai smiled. “I won’t, what was that?” He asked as Song held the bloody bullet in his hand, staring at it in curiosity, Enlai standing up, already the wound was knitting upon his chest.
“Some type of micro fiber imbedded in the bullet, I don’t know.”
Enlai turned to Dayton’s broken body, the man stared wide eyed, blankly. “I’ll dispose of him,” he said.
“Where?”
“In the ocean,” Enlai said. “Tonight. You see the gun? Any more bullets?”
Song nodded checking the clip. “Fully loaded. We need to get this to Levi for labs.”
“John will realize what happened once the agents and Dayton don’t show up in Bath. Our cover has been blown.” Enlai said, staring at his brother as he closed Dayton’s eyes in respect. “We are free agents now. The war has begun.”
Enlai and Song flew to Salt Lake City as soon as darkness hit the city, his strength was decompensated from the gunshot wound and it took him three hours to cover ground. Once they arrived, he was fatigued as Rain stared in horror at his pale and clammy skin.
“Get him upstairs,” Song told Rain as she nodded, helping Enlai upstairs as Levi and Taka escorted Song further into the house at the panic room off the kitchen through the pantry.
“What happened?” Levi asked as Song handed him a gun, he studied it, checking the clip, quickly and expertly disassembling the gun. “What type of bullets are these?” He asked.
“Bullets that nearly killed Enlai. They are different, it shouldn’t have affected him as it did. He said China made them.” Song revealed, sitting upon a lab stool as Levi placed the bullet in a small machine next to a laptop, turning on equipment as Taka took the gun and placed it in a lab tray, her glasses on as she sat next to Taka in front of another machine.
“Is Dayton dead?” Taka said.
Song nodded.
“Good, there was something about him…women’s intuition that never sat well with me.” Taka said. “It’ll be so much easier now with Rain, she can weed out the traitors easily,” Taka said, quickly typing a password into the computer as the machine started.
“I didn’t like her before,” Song admitted. “But she warned Enlai about Dayton, John, Dayton’s gun. Some agents that were out to get him in London.”
Taka turned towards Song, smiling slightly. “I hate to tell you, Song, but that woman loves your brother. There is no questioning that and I don’t need to read her mind to know it. She’d rather kill herself than hurt him. For once, you are going to have to trust me on this…and her.” She said before turning back towards her laptop as Levi tapped away next to them, a small smile on his face. “After Enlai rests up I’ll check him and make sure the bullet won’t do any lasting damage, in about an hour, he seems stable now, just weak.”
Song nodded curtly. “Maybe,” he said. “Find anything,” he asked as the couple ran tests on their computers.
“Have never seen this material. It’s made up of some material close to hydrochloric acid, but other than that, I can’t tell you more,” Levi said. “We need to bring Enlai down here, now, check him and make sure he’s alright, how long was the bullet inside of him?”
“Seconds, less than forty five,” Song stated.
“I’ll get him,” he said and made his way upstairs to Enlai.
Enlai was resting on the bed, clean, the wound was still knitting on his chest as Rain sat next to him, holding his hand.
“Brother,” Song said, entering the room through the half opened door, nodding at Rain. “Taka wants to check you downstairs,” he said.
“Okay,” Enlai said, sitting up, he was still weak, too weak; a regular bullet had never affected him as such. He followed Song downstairs to the hidden door behind the pantry and down more stairs into the sub-basement, Taka and Levi talking quietly as she started the MRI in another room.
“Enlai,” Taka said. “How do you feel?” She asked.
“Weak,” Enlai admitted. “Never felt like this before,” he said.
“I’m going to take blood works and get a MRI of your chest, alright.” She said, leading him to the edge of the MRI as he sat down while she quickly tied a strap around his upper arm for a vein. She stuck him quickly and efficiently pulling three vials of blood before finishing. “Okay, Enlai, you know the routine, get in gown and on the bed, earplugs are next to you.”
He nodded, stripping off his clothes and placing them in a bin as Rain watched, he looked pale, not his usual golden skin self. She had to be strong, couldn’t fall apart at the fear breaking within her. “You ready?” She said.
He nodded, lying on the table. “Yeah, tell Taka to start,” he said.
She nodded, leaving him and going to the glass room where Taka was pressing buttons to start the MRI. “He is ready, Taka,” she told the petite, woman.
“Alright,” Taka said. Rain sat with Taka, watching her start the machine as Enlai disappeared inside it. It was long moments before Taka said anything.
“Thank God,” she finally said. She turned towards Rain, pointing towards the screen. “He’s healing, just unbearably slow, almost like a regular human. The bullet missed his heart. Whatever that bullet is made up of…if it hits you or Enlai or Song in the heart or hea
d, I am afraid that you will have the same chance of surviving as a regular person, slim to none. I’ll check his blood works but he needs to rest for a week, at least. He’s going to fight this,” she said, a relieved. “Help him stay in bed, Rain, but don’t over exert him if you get my meaning,” she said winking at Rain, who smiled softly.
“I’ll try,” she said as Taka started shutting down the machine. Rain watched as she went in to talk to Enlai and she could see Enlai’s shock at the news, his anger he would have to have bed rest and then a slow smile cover his face as he looked at Rain and winked.
She blushed, smiled herself and led Enlai back upstairs as Taka ran his blood works. Less than an hour later with Enlai sleep Taka said his blood levels were fine, he needed to rest.
Enlai slept deeply and hard for more than twelve hours, Rain keeping a careful watch over him. She curled herself around him, the fear only slightly easing that he would survive intact. How quickly and soon he had buried himself within her very mind and soul. Even her child knew that something was the wrong, the baby stirring within her. It had been just three weeks since Enlai and she had first lain together and already her stomach was ripening, appearing four months pregnant. The child finally settled once Rain laid next to Enlai, their presence together a comfort to the baby, while Rain slept with Enlai, urging him to heal and their child doing the same.
He returned to normal a week later, filled with energy, he had slept deeply nearly the entire time, Rain at times easing into his unconsciousness to reassure herself of his health. His body needed rest, sleep, peace until he was finally healed. Eight days later Taka ran a repeat MRI upon him, there was some small scar tissue but no other side effect from the bullet, they still had not figured out the composite material or make up of the bullets.
“I know who will know,” Rain said as her, Enlai, Song, Taka and Levi were in the sub-basement at three in the morning after many failed tests. “I’m going to have to read Lebna, I have a feeling even if he didn’t make this type of gun he knows who did and why.” She said.
Enlai nodded, leaning up against a lab table, he looked once again energized, the healthy color to his skin back, a slow smile playing across his lips. “Lebna appears to be the key…to everything,” he said. “How long will it take?” Enlai asked.
“I’m not sure, when I tried to read Lebna before I couldn’t. There is some type of barrier there. I don’t know what it is but it will take me hour’s maybe to deconstruct it,” she said.
“Take all the time you need,” Taka said.
“I can’t,” Rain returned. “When I tried to read him before, when you were resting, Enlai, and before when I searched for others who knew about me, I found…something.”
“Something like what?” Song asked.
Rain tried to find the words. “Someone like me, I think, but I felt them instantly react to me as I instantly reacted to them. I have a feeling Lebna knows about them and they are keeping Lebna away from me.” She said.
“Shit,” Song uttered.
“Whoever is helping, Lebna, if they perceive that I am there, they may get a lock on me and where I am and endanger you all.” Rain said.
“Have you felt anyone search for you?” Levi asked.
“No, not yet.” She said. “But I think the way I can read others, they can read me to.”
“Can you construct a barrier like Lebna has?” Enlai said.
“I don’t know, I can try,” she said.
“Try hard, Rain,” Enlai said.
“I think the best thing for me is to leave here, that way if they read me, they won’t be able to get a lock on you all. I need to go somewhere far from all of the safe houses.” She said.
“The only place like that is Antarctica,” Taka returned.
“Then that is where I’ll go, if you will take me, Enlai,” Rain said.
He nodded. “Let’s move.”
Taka and Levi had subarctic clothing in their emergency kits; she was glad that they were the most overly prepared couple she had ever met. They waited until darkness before Enlai pulled her to him.
“You ready?” He asked.
She nodded, holding on to him where he immediately flew them in the air. They stopped at the southernmost tip of South America as they put on their protective clothing before they began the end of their trip.
The air, the wind was nearly unbearable as Enlai set up camp, their tent, starting a fire while Rain shivered unbearably before Enlai finally joined her within the sleeping bag.
“You ready?” he asked.
She nodded, leaned against him and instantly her breath stilled and he knew she was out there, searching through Lebna, through others thoughts. He held her and waited.
Lebna was hard to find, it took more than two hours just to get a lock on his location. Once she did she constructed her own barricade, careful to not allow another to enter into her.
Lebna was sitting in a conference room in a secured location in Washington D.C. but where exactly she did not know. She stared at the people who were sitting next to him, John, the secretary of defense, the secretary of state, head of the FBI and CIA and one more…the only woman. She stared through Lebna’s eyes into her own face.
She drew back into her own body in complete terror and fear, breathing heavily as Enlai held her in comfort. “What happened? What’s wrong?” He asked urgently.
It took her long moments to answer, the face before her eyes, she knew then, knew that life had changed unbearably again as it had before. “There are four of us,” she said, staring into Enlai’s eyes with shock, amazement, horror. “I have a sister, a twin and she works for them,” she said.
“We were separated at birth, my mother did not know she was giving birth to twins. The sister, my sister she was placed in a safe haven with China so they could run experiments on her. She was later traded to America when China demanded certain prisoners of war back at the age of twelve. She has been a product of the government since then, for eighteen years. Her powers are quite new, it appeared as if it occurred at the same time as mine had just weeks ago. But to read her, specifically will be too much, she knew I was in the room with them, reading Lebna, but she did not give me away. I can’t read her at all, she constructed the barrier back in Lebna’s mind within seconds of me entering it, but she did not search me. I don’t know why.”
Song cursed swiftly. “Is she your very image?” He asked. “Identical.”
“Yes,” Rain said. “The only difference is that she has one small scar on her upper right temple but I did not perceive any other physical differences.”
“She can use that to her advantage, fool us into believing she is you,” Taka said.
“I know.” Rain returned.
“What was the meeting about?” Levi asked.
“Enlai and Song. It was decided they went rogue, the agents said they were attacked by both you and Song, Dayton’s body can’t be found. There is a bounty on their heads.”
“I am a danger to you all,” Rain began. “All plans that you have will have to not be discussed in front of me. Belle and Mark should leave immediately but not to Australia, somewhere else. I need to go, she will come looking for me and I can’t endanger any of you all.”
“I think we are missing something even more important. The whole point in you leaving Rain was that they were not going to perform tests on you, to genetically alter your DNA and begin experimenting on others. Are they doing it with your twin? And if so we will have to destroy her and everything they have already done.”
Song’s words were met with silence, only the ticking of the large wall clock only meeting their ears. Rain knew it, knew that was the real problem, her twin would have to be killed. Immediately. The thought was not easy to digest, emotions barricading her. So long she had thought she had no family and learned within weeks not only had she a grandfather but a twin sister, a product of the government, raised, she knew, with only the loyalty from the government.
“I need to go,” s
he finally said. “In whatever way you need me I will be there but right now, I’m endangering all of you.” She said and walked out of the sub-basement.
“Where are you going?” Enlai asked, watching as she packed one duffle bag in there room, she was emotionless, packing methodically, taking only a few items.
“To find her,” she said. “To destroy someone I’ve never met, destroy the agency once and for all.” She said.
“Not without me,” Enlai said.
“Enlai, please, don’t, I have to do this. I’m endangering you. I do not know her powers and until I do I will expect the worse, that if she is able to read me, than those that I love, those around me. She may have mind powers more powerful than mine. I can’t risk it.” She said.
“But you will risk your life and our child’s life?” He asked softly, almost gently.
The Beginning Of Rain In December Page 13