Resilient (Tainted Elements, #6)

by Alycia Linwood

  “They can’t hear us now,” Jack said quietly when I stopped next to him. “Well, in case those cameras can pick up sound too. Since you weren’t smart enough to figure that out, we have to act like idiots.”

  “Just stop whining, and let’s make it look like we’re researching something. Jaiden, can you stand behind me? I have to get something,” I said, and Jaiden frowned, but he did as I’d requested. Carefully pushing the phone up, I tugged at the waist of my pants.

  “What’s that?” Jaiden leaned over my shoulder.

  “Asya’s phone. It was on the floor, so I grabbed it.” I touched the screen and it came to life.

  “Is it password protected?” Jaiden asked.

  “Yep.” I tapped the screen again, wondering if there was something we could use here to crack the password. “Anyone have any brilliant ideas?”

  “Incompetent fools,” Jack muttered, and I shot him a glare.

  “Let’s try something simple.” I tried a few common passwords, including Asya’s name, but of course, none of that worked.

  “Can you give it to me?” Jaiden asked. “I want to try something.”

  “Sure. Just...” If he stepped next to me and I handed the phone to him, whoever was watching us through the camera might get suspicious that we were just standing like that. Jack dashed toward the table and grabbed the tablet, then came over to me pretending to show Jaiden and me something on it. Okay, that looked convincing enough, so I quickly handed the phone over to Jaiden, who focused on the screen.

  “Make it quick,” Jack said. “She’ll notice her phone is gone and we can’t all be here forever.”

  Shimmering surrounded Jaiden’s hands and the phone, making me frown. What was he doing? He quickly tapped the screen and pressed some button at the back of the phone, and the screen went black.

  “What did you do?” I asked. If he just reset the phone and deleted all the data, that would be fun. But a few moments later, the screen came back to life and everything looked the same except it wasn’t locked anymore. “How...?”

  “It’s like using protection on our minds.” A smile quirked Jaiden’s lips and I just shook my head. I supposed he’d found a way to make the phone think that it had been reset or that it had the password. Whatever. As long as it worked, I didn’t care.

  “What’s that?” I pointed my finger at one of the folders, and Jaiden tapped the screen to open it. Multiple files popped up.

  “This looks like a personal file.” I quickly read through the info. Apparently, Asya’s abilities were stronger than those of regular tainteds who had an air element, but she couldn’t kill anyone with her mind, or at least she hadn’t tried. The graphs from her tests showed that she had a similar amount of energy as Jaiden and I’d had before we’d been given the serum. “We can take her down. It shouldn’t be a problem.” My elements were starting to feel stronger already.

  Jaiden checked out another file. “Looks like everyone in here has a kill chip in their necks, and she bought those chips recently from someone, but it doesn’t say who.”

  “Do you know anything about that?” I asked Jack.

  “How should I?” He gave me a wry look.

  “Wait, what’s that app for?” I narrowed my eyes at the screen as Jaiden flipped through the phone.

  “Shit,” Jaiden said. “This is how she controls the kill chips! She only has to point her phone toward the person whose chip she wants to control and press two buttons to activate it, but that’s not all. The chips are programmed to go off immediately if there’s an attempt of their removal, if someone goes out of the permitted range, and... if someone tries to enter her mind.”

  “What? But how does that even work?” How would a chip now when Asya’s mind was being breached? What if someone just used their element around her? Would that count too?

  “See that blue dot? Looks like she has a different chip in her neck, but I guess that one reacts if someone’s element touches it...”

  “You mean that it can detect an element, and if someone goes for her mind, the element will touch it and activate her chip,” I said.

  “Yeah, and her chip will send a signal that will trigger the chip of the person who’s trying to use their element on her. It works for more things than just mind control, but the element of her attacker has to touch her chip,” Jaiden said. “Our chips are connected to our elements too and can recognize them, and that’s how Asya’s chip can tell who’s attacking her and trigger the right one.”

  I swallowed hard. “Okay, I’m totally glad we didn’t try entering her mind.”

  “Enough babbling. Can you disable them? Without her knowing?” Jack asked. “Does she have another way of controlling them?”

  “Yeah, I can disable them.” Jaiden quickly pressed something. “There. It’s done, but she probably has a backup somewhere.”

  “If we keep the phone, will we see if the chips turn back on?” I asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Good.” I snatched the phone from Jaiden’s hands. “Let’s see what else is in there.” It took me a few seconds to find Asya’s planner. “Looks like she has a meeting with her business partner.”

  “A partner? You mean someone like Tamara and those people who kidnap tainteds for her?” Jaiden asked.

  A frown creased my brow. “I don’t think so. Maybe she’s selling the energy she harvests.” I glanced at Jack.

  “I’ve no idea what she does with the energy she collects because I’m just here to make stupid serums, do tests, and whatnot, and I haven’t been to all parts of this building,” Jack said.

  The door opened and we all jumped. I immediately turned around and hid the phone behind my back, hopefully fast enough that the camera hadn’t been able to catch it. Besides, whoever was watching could assume I was just holding something for Jack’s research. Asya stormed inside, her eyes pinned on Jack, but then a forced smile appeared on her face.

  “Any news? Did your new serum work?” she asked. “I see Moira is looking fine again.”

  “Moira’s most definitely fine, but...” Jack pressed his lips together, shaking his head. “I’m afraid the serum isn’t working. Their energy doesn’t seem to be increasing at all.”

  “Are you sure? You said it could take a day or two for their elements to restore to their full potential.” Asya sauntered forward, tracing her finger across the table.

  “Unfortunately, I am. They should’ve already felt the improvement, and they haven’t. Maybe in a few more hours their energy will get stronger, but not as strong as I expected it to get.”

  “You two, don’t move,” Asya said, shooting a glare at Jaiden and me, as she stalked toward Jack, who looked as if he was about to back away but decided against it. “Listen, Jack, I told you to work on a serum that can convert elements into water ones. That was your priority! And yet, you go on to work on some crappy serum that doesn’t even work!” Her face was a mask of fury as she jabbed her finger into Jack’s chest. “You don’t understand how important that serum is to me! If I don’t have it by...” She bit down on her lip as if she’d said something she wasn’t supposed to. “I won’t be pleased.”

  Using Asya’s distraction, I moved a little until I could glance at the phone. The chips were still down, so I looked at Jaiden, then at the camera, hoping he’d understand what I wanted him to do. With one burst of his air, one of the papers flew up and covered the camera. My air shot out and I reached for Asya’s mind. Maybe my element wasn’t at its best yet, but this was our only opportunity to get Asya before she figured out her phone was missing and turned those chips on again.

  Asya turned around with a gasp, her hand going for her head, but then she gritted her teeth, and her resistance nearly threw me out of her mind. Shit. She was strong, so I pushed harder, but it was as if I were trying to move a brick wall with my bare hands.

  “Jaiden, a little help!” I yelled, and Jaiden’s air joined mine. We assaulted her mind until she could no longer fight against the intrusion. As so
on as I grasped her brain signals and willed her to stop fighting, Jaiden let his element seep out. We couldn’t exactly both control her at the same time without risking seriously damaging her mind.

  “Don’t fight me. Just answer my questions honestly. Why do you need that serum?” I asked.

  “That serum will turn any elements that an elemental has into a single strong water element that can be harvested for years. And that energy can be turned into potable water because the element will be pure. We’ll save the world with this. If we don’t do it, we’re all doomed.”

  Jack rolled his eyes.

  “But making a serum to do something like that is very hard, maybe even impossible,” I said. “Why not focus more on inventing a device that can turn any elemental energy into potable water? That one’s more likely to be successful.”

  “Because he wants the serum,” Asya said, her eyes glazed. “And he wants it fast.”

  “He? Who’s he?”

  “My partner.”

  “Okay, but what’s his name? Who does he work for? What does he want with the serum?” I asked.

  “I don’t know,” Asya said, and my eyebrows shot up.

  “What do you mean you don’t know?” Some guy had come up with a stupid idea to create some super serum and imposed a strict deadline on her, and she was doing everything she could to get it. And yet, she had no clue who the guy was. How was that even possible?

  “I don’t know,” Asya repeated.

  “Did someone mind-control her?” Jaiden asked. “Because this doesn’t make any sense.”

  “Looks like it.” I closed my eyes so I could focus better on her brain signals. If there was a darkened area, I could heal it and possibly still keep my control over her. Ordering my air to look for mind control that wasn’t mine, I waited until I could see what I wanted. A gasp escaped my lips. “Oh, God.”

  “What is it?” Jaiden asked.

  I opened my eyes and turned my head toward him. “Her brain signals. Something’s... something’s wrong. They’re not gray or black... they’re shriveled.”

  “What?” Jaiden and his father asked at the same time.

  “I don’t know how to explain it. It’s like they’re dead. They’re not rounded or how I usually picture them... They’re a shriveled heap.” I tried to guide my air into them to see if I could heal them, but nothing happened. “My air is just breezing through them. They’re not reacting. I think they’re truly dead.”

  “So you’re saying that whoever mind-controlled her was strong enough to wipe out any information about him from her mind?” Jaiden asked.

  “Yeah.” I bobbed my head a little too quickly.

  “Okay, that’s an interesting ability,” Jack said, an amused undertone in his voice. “Maybe you can do it too. It could be something like when you kill with your mind, but this destroys only one portion of the brain signals. Too bad only you can see it.”

  I focused back on Asya. “Do you know where we could find any info about your partner? Maybe there’s a document he gave you or something.”

  “No. We didn’t sign a contract.”

  “Um, okay then. You’re going to lead us to your office and act normal. Once we’re there, you’re going to show us everything you have on this place or about what you’re doing here.” Maybe Asya didn’t even know she had the info because she couldn’t think about it.

  “We need to contact Lily and tell her to send her team over,” Jaiden said.

  “Yeah, let’s go.” I gently pulled out of Asya’s head, but I was ready to control her again if needed.

  “Come with me,” she just said, and we followed her into the hallway. One threat was down. Now we only needed to figure out who this mysterious partner was.

  Chapter 12

  As we went through the things in Asya’s office, I wondered if the person who had destroyed a portion of her memory had also forced her to get rid of any evidence against him. Most of Asya’s brain seemed fine, so the idea to kidnap tainteds and convince them that they had volunteered for her projects was all hers.

  “Lily’s on her way,” Jaiden said. “It’ll take some time until she gets here, though.”

  “Okay.” I glanced at Asya, who was sitting in her chair, unmoving. “Did you find anything interesting?” I asked Jaiden. “All I got is that there are some sixty people working here, and about seventy tainteds are in here or have been at some point. There’s a report about three deaths, so I guess some of the tainteds weren’t strong enough to survive whatever Asya subjected them to.”

  “I only found some documents that indicate Asya was working and negotiating with several governments, and even our own, despite the fact that everything was illegal. They were either buying the energy from her or planning to do it once she increased her production.” Jaiden handed me a contract, and I studied it.

  “So our government didn’t agree in the end. Looks like they were afraid they would be discovered or they didn’t believe she could produce so much energy.” I placed the paper on the desk. “Anything about the mysterious partner who can apparently fry people’s brains?”

  “Nope.” Jaiden took a book off the shelf and flipped through the pages. “Are you sure the shriveled signals mean he destroyed her memory of him? Or can he somehow make his mind control permanent so that no one can figure out exactly what he ordered her to do?”

  I cock my head to the side. “Um, I didn’t think about it that way, but I’m not sure how we can check. She can’t tell us anything about the guy, but I don’t know if it’s because she doesn’t know or because she isn’t allowed to tell us.”

  “So we still know nothing. Maybe Lily and her team will have some smart ideas.”

  “Yeah, except... Asya’s meeting with this guy is supposed to happen tonight.” I was glad I was finally able to see what time it was, because it had been seriously unnerving not to know.

  “I don’t think Lily will get here that fast.”

  “Maybe that’s a good thing. If Asya’s partner sees a whole team here, he won’t show up.” I supported myself on the desk.

  “And if that happens, we might never find out who he is.” Jaiden’s eyes met mine. “Should we go meet him instead of Asya? Maybe we could say she sent us.”

  I shook my head. “Too risky. I’m not about to introduce myself to a guy who might be able to permanently damage my mind. Something tells me he’s much more powerful than anyone we’ve encountered before.”

  “Or he just has a different special ability.” Jaiden shrugged. “We can kill with our element, Sophia and Terry could change their shapes, and maybe that guy can make his mind control permanent.”

  “Maybe, but we don’t know that.” I pushed myself off the table and faced Asya. “Do you have to meet with your partner alone?”

  “Yes,” she said.

  “Can you bring any weapons or any kind of protection?”

  “No.”

  I turned toward Jaiden. “We could send her to talk to him and monitor her.”

  “He’ll see she’s been mind-controlled,” Jaiden said.

  “Maybe he won’t expect it so he won’t check. What if his mind control is permanent because he doesn’t know how the brain signals end up looking? Maybe he’s overusing his power without knowing it. And even if he can tell, so what? All we have to do is see his face and Lily and the others will find some info on him. Asya can even wear a camera. And we could stay nearby and be ready to attack in case the guy tries anything with her.” Asya might not be the best of people, but I wasn’t about to let her die.

  “Okay, that sounds like a plan.” Jaiden stepped forward and placed his hand on my cheek, then pulled me in for a kiss, his arms snaking around my waist. I extracted myself from his embrace, a smile curving my lips.

  “We should find a camera and place it somewhere on Asya’s shirt so it can’t be easily seen.” I wanted to record everything that Asya and the man said, not just because it would make it easier for Lily to get them both imprisoned, but als
o because I wanted to keep an eye on Asya if Jaiden and I couldn’t find a good hiding spot where we could monitor everything. There was always a chance that we’d be too far or wouldn’t be able to hear all the details, so a recording would reveal everything we needed to know later.

  “I think I found one.” Jaiden lifted a small silver round object after rummaging through a box.

  “Awesome. Attach it to her shirt,” I said, and Jaiden crouched next to Asya, pinning the camera right below one of the ruffles on her shirt. No one would realize it was there because they would think it was a button or a pin.

  “Asya,” I said. “What did you plan to tell the man when you met with him?”

  “I have to give him the serum, and if I don’t have it, I have to ask him to extend the deadline.”

  “What happens if you don’t have the serum and the deadline passes?” I crossed my arms.

  “Terrible things. I can’t let that happen,” Asya breathed, her eyes wide.

  “She’s terrified of that guy,” Jaiden said. “Even though she doesn’t know exactly why.”

  “Yeah. Maybe you were right that shriveled signals mean permanent mind control.” I took a seat in one of the chairs and sighed. “How much time do we have until the meeting?”

  “About three hours.” Jaiden lifted Asya’s phone.

  “Okay. We should check her computer and the rest of the files to see if there’s something we missed.” I picked up the first file off Asya’s desk and started flipping through it again. Jaiden sat in front of the computer, asking Asya for passwords from time to time.

  Three hours had passed in a flash, but we hadn’t really found anything interesting. I used my element to get Asya to stand up.

  “You’re going to act normal and proceed with the meeting as you planned.” I pulled my element out and watched as her eyes lost their glassy look and cleared up. Without a word, Asya grabbed her bag, rummaged through it until she found a mirror, then fixed her hair and makeup. After she tucked the mirror back into her bag, she headed for the door. Jaiden and I followed her, and I held her phone, which was connected to the camera and showing us everything Asya saw.