I quickly checked my other message, beads of cold sweat appearing on my brow.
It was an address, followed with a simple message.
‘We have Lily. Tell no one. Come alone.’
4: Forced Meetings
Lily Dodson
January 15, 2735 – 1 Hour Ago – Late Afternoon
Lily hopped into Sam’s emerald green Mustang, a little amused that he still insisted on driving his silver ‘work-car’ to his job every day. She completely understood why he used to leave his old midnight Lamborghini at home, and sure the Mustang was a nice car, but it wasn’t that nice. Granted, she realized that it would get really dirty driving every day on the salted roads in the middle of the winter. But, either way, it just meant she got to drive it herself on her way to meet Sam.
After putting it in gear, she carefully slid the vehicle past Freya’s orange convertible, before making her way out of the subdivision.
Her car was parked in the yard at her house while they finished working on tripling the size of her fireproof home. The reason for leaving her vehicle behind was largely because there wasn’t enough room at Sam’s place to park his two vehicles, in addition to Freya’s convertible and Lexi’s bright red Ferrari whenever she was over.
Heidi actually had a car too – the one Lexi had tried giving to Lily as a gift – but usually Heidi just let everyone else drive her around, even though she technically had a citizen ID with driving privileges. Which was actually a little inconvenient, considering the sisters technically lived in Freya’s old home now.
And since Heidi was pretty much always around nowadays, wherever Rose was, Lily was beginning to warm up to the idea of letting Lexi build a house next to hers.
But having the sisters live with them was certainly out of the question. After all, what sane woman would want another attractive woman in the house? Never mind two attractive women, both of whom her man had admitted he found appealing.
Freya was the only exception.
Lily appreciated Sam’s honesty, but really, even she could have assumed as much without him admitting it. After all, the popularity of a superhero was partially based on physical appearance, which was why Lexi was one of the top supers in terms of both power and fame. The strict paparazzi laws were the only reason Lexi’s fame hadn’t leaked into their lives yet, but Lily knew it might be a possibility, since fans still occasionally broke the law.
After all, she had her own experience with that kind of situation, even though she had only been a model.
But in her opinion, Heidi was even more good-looking than her older sister, so it hadn’t been surprising to hear that Sam found them both physically attractive.
So Lexi having a house built close by would be the only option Lily would accept, and since Heidi was over so much, that would also be the most convenient plan. She just hoped she didn’t regret making that decision. Sam promised to be good, and she trusted that he would, but she couldn’t stop herself from feeling a little worried.
Sam had certainly avoided getting to know Heidi, despite how much he saw her, but discovering that Heidi had practically been in his lap for over an hour the previous day certainly didn’t help Lily’s anxiety. Not to mention her jealousy. Logically, she knew Heidi couldn’t have enjoyed it, considering the accident that happened, but still.
That was her lap. Not Heidi’s.
And Freya’s too, but still.
Sam’s lap belonged to her, not anyone else. Except Freya.
Lily took a deep breath and then let it out slowly, trying to return her thoughts to more happy things, like this unexpected date Sam had asked her on. He had always been really good about being romantic with little surprises like this, though it was definitely more unexpected this time than usual.
Finding out the connection Rose had to that Arab guy was really upsetting for him, because he felt like it put all of them in even more danger than they originally thought.
So honestly, Lily found it a little strange he was in the mood for a date, but she certainly wasn’t about to complain. It also was a little strange that he hadn’t encrypted the message, considering they had all decided to use encryption software so their messages couldn’t be intercepted. And it wasn’t like he had to do anything extra. All Sam had to do was send his message like normal from inside the special app, with the whole process basically being exactly the same – the only difference was that only his phone could send via that route, and only her phone could understand the message.
Granted, it wasn’t like Sam’s message contained sensitive information. They were mainly just worried about a comment about Rose being seen by unwanted eyes, or someone gathering information on them over time. Sure, it was being a little paranoid, since it appeared the shadow organization after Sam relied on people to keep tabs on him, but it couldn’t hurt to play it safe.
Lily wasn’t sure how formal this date was going to be, so she dressed up a little bit, covering her skin appropriately for the cold weather even though the temperature didn’t bother her. She was currently wearing a pair of black latex pants, along with an emerald green latex blouse that almost matched the color of Sam’s car, along with a black latex jacket that Freya had designed after a women’s motorcycle jacket – all of it made of FRIL of course, with the blouse and jacket looking more like they were made of vinyl rather than normal latex.
The green top looked especially nice, having fake seams to resemble a normal blouse, along with latex frills along the bottom and down the middle where buttons would usually go. Plus, it had built in support, so she didn’t need to wear a bra with it.
She smiled to herself, looking forward to seeing Sam’s expression. He had once told her that he wasn’t sure he would ever get used to seeing her in FRIL clothing, and so far he had been right. He always had a strong reaction, an eager grin on his face as his eyes roamed her body before returning his gaze to her face, where his focus remained most of the time.
As she drove, she took the usual route Sam would take to get to work. He knew all the best roads to travel to avoid a ton of traffic, although rush-hour hadn’t quite hit yet. Plus, most people would be attempting to get out of the city to go home, unlike her.
Lily slowed down abruptly when a black utility van pulled out from a side-street, right in front of the Mustang, a little too close for comfort. However, unlike many drivers, she didn’t have a burst of outrage and honk the horn – she couldn’t afford such an outburst, or else she risked igniting the Christmas present she and Freya had gotten for Sam. So instead, she just hit the brakes while habitually tapping the hazard lights button, knowing anyone behind her would slow down a lot more quickly.
Oddly enough, it seemed like everyone was immune to regular brake lights, not bothering to slow down unless they found themselves coming up on someone’s bumper much faster than they expected. But if she put on her hazard lights during an abrupt deceleration, the person behind her always began using their brakes a good five seconds sooner – which could make all the difference in avoiding an accident.
And Lily couldn’t afford to be in an accident, for multiple reasons, so it was better to be safe than sorry.
The moment she began speeding up again, she turned off the hazard lights and glanced in the rearview mirror to make sure the person behind her wasn’t too close. Sure enough, they were still far behind her despite her abrupt stop.
However, then her brow furrowed when she realized the black vehicle trailing her was exactly the same as the one that had cut her off.
She sucked in a sharp breath.
She knew she was probably just being paranoid, but she couldn’t help feeling a twinge of panic in her chest.
She instinctively grabbed her phone, quickly debating who could get to her quicker if she needed help – Sam or Freya. She certainly wasn’t going to sit around and wait on them though.
No. After what happened with Blaze, she would never let herself be taken by surprise like that ever again, even if it did risk her getting se
nt to prison.
After all, being in jail was better than being dead.
❖ ❖ ❖
Sam Archer
January 15, 2735 – Current Day – Early Evening
Panic clawed at my chest and gut as I raced to the location sent to me in Lily’s message. I wanted desperately to call Freya to warn her, but I didn’t want to risk it being intercepted only to have something bad happen to Lily. Not to mention, Freya’s sensitive senses wouldn’t let her be caught off guard easily, even if she was unsuspecting. But the very fact that both Lily and Freya thought I had asked her out on a date meant these people had somehow sent Lily a message from me, even though there was no record on my phone of an outgoing message containing that kind of information.
Who could do that? Who in the world had that capacity? Was this the shadow organization again? Did they have a technopath on their side?
Technopaths were more common than regenerators, but they were also highly regulated because of the danger their superpower posed to modern society. Still, that hadn’t prevented Camila’s group from having a technopath on their side, even if he was a weak one, which was how they evaded getting caught for their criminal activities.
But it had to be a technopath. I couldn’t think of any other option.
But then, if most of them were regulated, what did that mean?
I had tried calling Lily’s phone twice now, but there was no answer, making me all the more anxious. At least her phone’s GPS signal told me I was heading in the right direction, indicating that the place I was supposed to go was also the place where she was…or at least where her phone was.
Granted, if they had a technopath working with them, then even that signal could be falsified. Dealing with a technopath was like winning the lottery, in a bad way. And yet I may have just won the bad-luck lottery twice now.
Dammit!
If Lily got out of this situation alive, then I was never going to let her out of my sight ever again! Screw my job! Screw trying to keep up appearances! Screw everything!
Just as my rage began to boil over, my phone rang.
It was Lily – or at least someone using her phone.
I answered right away, glad I didn’t have super-strength, or else I’d be crushing the device in my hand right now. My tone was harsh.
“If you hurt her, I swear–”
“Sam!” Lily cut me off. “It’s me. I’m safe.”
“Shit,” I exclaimed underneath my breath, before raising my voice. “Who took you?” I demanded. “And what do they want?”
“Sam, it’s the S-FBI.”
I sucked in a sharp breath.
The Superpowers Federal Bureau of Investigation, which was the largest branch of the FBI that worked closely with the Central Department of Superheroes to monitor and maintain domestic security involving largescale villainous threats.
That news was both better and worse.
Better because it meant Lily’s life shouldn’t be in danger, but worse because it meant they must know something if they were going to these lengths. Did they want to arrest me for something? Did they somehow know I was the one who killed Blaze? I thought we had been careful enough to cover our tracks, but maybe I was wrong. Or did they just have suspicions and were taking the extra precautions as if their suspicions were true?
I was about to speak again, but then a man’s voice appeared on the phone.
“Sampson Archer. This is Senior Special Agent Jamison. As Ms. Dodson indicated, she is perfectly safe. Now, please proceed to the location indicated in the message you were sent. We’ll be waiting for you there.”
“What do you want with Lily?” I demanded.
“It’s just a security measure,” he replied calmly. “In the event that our preparations made in order to speak with you prove to be ineffective, we have one last guarantee to fall back on.”
“Are you threatening me?” I hissed. “I didn’t realize the S-FBI were criminals!”
“We have full authority to do what needs to be done to ensure the protection of our citizens,” the man retorted. “Now, we just want to talk, so assuming you’re the model citizen you appear to be, you should have no concerns about Ms. Dodson’s wellbeing.”
I gritted my teeth together, not liking this situation one bit. I needed to get a grip, because I was dealing with the law now. I didn’t know what they knew about me, but clearly they were assuming I was extremely dangerous. I doubted I could completely play dumb, but I knew I should at least be careful about what information I gave them.
I definitely wasn’t about to admit I was the one responsible for killing Blaze.
Granted, as I just considered, these measures didn’t necessarily mean they knew for a fact I was dangerous – they only suspected it. But one thing was for sure – I needed to stay calm in order to keep Lily safe. I didn’t agree with what they were doing, largely because I was on the receiving-end of their abhorrent tactics, but I understood the logic behind it. Because what if they were dealing with a true criminal? Especially one who might be more powerful than the almighty Blaze.
They had to have some way to protect themselves from complete annihilation, as was the reality of the world we lived in. Unfortunately, when adding superpowers to the equation, it was very much kill or be killed when dealing with powerful criminals. One wrong move, and society could crumble against the most deadly of superpowers.
At least, that’s how they probably perceived it.
I sighed heavily, my tone still a little harsh. “I’m almost to the location, but I swear–”
He cut me off. “Good. I’ll meet you outside.” He hung up.
The plastic on my phone creaked as I squeezed my fingers around it in anger. I wasn’t strong enough to break it, but the muscle I had built up over the years certainly made me stronger than the average person lacking super-strength.
I took a deep breath, trying to keep myself level-headed.
Lily was okay, and she would be okay. These people were just worried about me being a threat, which I wouldn’t be, so long as they didn’t try to harm her. So everything was alright.
Although, what were they going to do if they determined I was responsible for Blaze’s death? I mean, did they even have evidence? Even if they identified his remains, there shouldn’t be any direct way to connect it to me, other than by indirect circumstance, which shouldn’t hold up in court.
However, I felt like it would be stupid to completely play dumb, which meant my best option would be to just keep my mouth shut and be cautious about how I answered questions. I wondered if this was the kind of situation where I could demand a lawyer, or if there were special laws that gave these guys permission to proceed with an interrogation without me having one.
It wouldn’t be the first time I’d seen legal and human rights violated, unfortunately having a very personal experience with such an occurrence only last summer with Lily’s case.
Someone might think I’d know what to do in this kind of situation given my age, but I only knew what I was familiar with – only what I had personally experienced. I’d seen a lot of crime shows, but all that stuff was dramatized. I had lived most of my long life staying out of trouble, so I really didn’t know how to deal with this type of situation.
Other than to keep my mouth shut.
As I drove down a street on the outskirts of the city, I finally caught sight of where they were having me go – it looked like an old post office, though the large cracked parking lot in front indicated it wasn’t in use anymore. It obviously hadn’t been plowed either, since there would have been mounds of unmelted snow if that was the case. Instead, the snow had melted evenly in the sun’s heat, leaving just the pavement exposed. But that just made the three black vans out front especially suspicious. The building was really long, so my initial thought was to park by the other vehicles, but then I noticed that a man dressed in a suit was standing just outside a door on the other end, bravely enduring the chilly wind as he waited.
&nbs
p; Or was he?
Honestly, he didn’t look uncomfortable at all, despite the harsh temperature.
I assumed this must be the guy I had been speaking to on the phone, considering he had promised to meet me outside himself. He had graying brown hair and a pale complexion, though he overall looked built like myself. He certainly filled out his suit well.
However, unlike the vans in plain sight, I didn’t see my green Mustang anywhere, which was what I assumed Lily would have driven. In an attempt to search for it, as well as her, I began reaching out with my second-sight as I pulled into the parking lot…
Only to immediately slam on my brakes.
Like, I stomped the pedal as hard as I could, jerking me forward against the steering wheel. I hadn’t bothered to put on my seat belt in my rush, so I had to grab the seat behind me with an astral limb to prevent myself from smacking my head against the windshield.
Once I came to a stop, I just stared at it in disbelief, having never seen anything like it before in my entire life.
Barely a foot away from the front corner of my car was an invisible wall completely surrounding the entire building along with most of the parking lot. To my physical eyes, there was absolutely nothing there, but in my second-sight it was plain as day. The barrier wasn’t exactly solid though – it was actually quite translucent to my second-sight, shimmering and flowing as if it was made of crystal-clear water. The actual edge of it wasn’t set firmly in place either, instead constantly shifting, though the edge never moved more than a few inches at most.
As I began focusing my special vision upwards, searching for the top, I also realized it wasn’t exactly a wall. Instead, it was like a giant dome…no, it was a sphere, since the barrier continued underground as well. And it wasn’t just an empty sphere.
It was more like a bubble filled with water instead of air, with the flowing distortion filling the space beyond the edge, seeming to get denser as I tried to peer further towards the center.
The Sacrificial Love of an Immortal Page 5