by Jaz Primo
The pain inside my head doubled and I rocked backward on my knees, nearly toppling over.
I thrust both of my hands outward toward her in a last-ditch effort, channeling every ounce of energy I could manage, and felt an invisible sensation of impact as my abilities met her own shields.
Her body flew up into the air and away from me, slamming against the far wall of the warehouse.
Lis fell onto the concrete floor and rolled, coming to a rest against the wall. I reached out with my mind, but sensed no conscious thoughts emanating from her.
My legs buckled, and I dropped to the floor onto my forearms and knees while my hands trembled. I balanced myself for what felt like forever. My nose bled and my vision faded in and out.
Finally, I willed myself to crawl toward Meg.
When I reached her, she was lying face down on the concrete. I gently rolled her over and thankfully felt a pulse, letting out a deep breath that I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.
“Oh, thank God,” I muttered.
She stirred with a moan.
Then her eyes flittered open and she made an odd wheezing noise as she struggled to breathe.
“Logan,” she whispered, fresh tears streaming from her eyes. She reached up with both arms and held onto me. “I’m so sorry, Logan…I couldn’t stop myself. I’m so, so sorry.”
She started crying in wracking sobs, like a child who had woken from some terrible nightmare.
“It’s okay, Meg,” I said softly, trying to soothe her.
“…tried not to hurt you,” she mumbled. “Couldn’t stop myself.”
“I know, I know,” I said, holding her in my arms. “It’s not your fault. Everything’s okay now.”
“No…it’s not,” she said between sobs. “I feel dirty inside my head. I hate myself!”
“Meg, stop,” I urged. “You’re okay now.”
I didn’t know what else to say; I was barely holding myself together at that moment. I just held her in my arms, so grateful that she was alive.
My entire body felt weak and wracked with pain, but still I held onto her as if my life depended on it.
I needed her.
It was macabre timing for that sort of revelation, and it cut deep to my core.
After a few moments, I lay her onto the floor.
“Stay still,” I said. “You’ll be okay.”
Ignoring the throbbing pain in my head, I struggled to my feet and half-staggered over to where Lis lay.
Anger welled from deep inside me as I stared down at her.
How many people had died needlessly that day because of her?
Heat formed in my right hand. A fireball swirled above my palm.
I raised my hand and paused.
“Burn in hell, bitch.”
Someone grabbed my arm from behind.
“Logan, no!” Sanders screamed.
“What do you mean, no?” I demanded, pulling free from her grasp. “She’s evil! She ruined however many people’s brains and damned near killed us both.”
Meg’s face looked pale, almost white, and her eyes were terror-filled.
“P-Please don’t, Logan,” she urged, still gripping my arm in her hands. “I know you’re angry. I am, too. But we need answers and she may be the only lead we’ve got so far.”
I took a deep breath as I considered what she said.
Then I nodded and extinguished the fireball, wisps of flame harmlessly falling to the concrete floor beside me.
Only then did she let go of my arm.
“Thank you,” she said, her hands still shaking.
I reached out and drew her into my arms, holding her closely.
“I’m so sorry, Logan,” she said, her arms wrapped around me. “I could never forgive myself if something happened to you.”
“It’s okay now,” I said. “It was her doing, not yours.”
Then the scope of our situation flooded into my head all at once, as if my mind was clearing from a fog-like state.
“Oh, shit! The warehouse,” I said.
“We’re in the warehouse,” she muttered.
“The other warehouse,” I said, taking her by the hand and pulling her behind me.
Chapter 14
“Okay, okay, I’m coming,” she insisted, pulling free from my grip.
“Stay close behind me,” I urged. “I mean it.”
“All right,” she said.
I glanced back over my shoulder at her and she nodded.
“Go,” she said.
I approached a standard-sized door with small glass window in it and peered inside.
Seeing nobody, I tried the door handle and found it locked.
While not unexpected, it annoyed me.
Given the urgency of the moment, and anticipating that the element of surprise was lost at that point, I took a deep breath and attempted to raise my abilities once more.
My head throbbed with pain, but I reached out with my abilities until I sensed the door. I pressed my shield against it and felt it meld onto the surface. Then I drew my hands backward and to the side.
The door creaked, its hinges protesting, and then popped loose amidst the loud snapping of metal.
I dropped it to the ground and stepped inside the building, Sanders close behind me.
I listened, but heard nothing at first.
Then I heard the echoes of vehicle doors opening and closing, then engines revved to life.
Sanders and I rushed through the building until we reached the warehouse’s main bay.
A van and two small cars pulled away through an opening in the warehouse’s large bay doors and out of sight before I could raise my abilities to stop them.
Honestly, at that point it was all that I could do to stand upright. My legs felt all wobbly and unreliable.
“Shit,” I muttered.
I leaned against a nearby stack of crates and then felt Sanders encircle my waist with her arms to steady me.
“We have to stop them,” I said.
“Come on,” Sanders said. “Maybe we can get word to Hill. He might have even stopped them by the time we get to him.”
I leaned on Sanders as little as possible, though I felt like my energy reserves were just about spent.
Had I already used up all my mojo?
Where was a cola vending machine when you needed one?
We hobbled outside the warehouse and made our way toward the gated entrance.
Then I recalled one of the many thoughts I had overheard earlier.
“They’re headed for the port,” I said.
“What? How do you know?” she asked.
I didn’t even have time to reply before she said, “Oh, never mind,” she said. “Of course.”
Sanders still seemed a little out of it. Then again, we’d both just been through hell together.
As we exited through the main gates, I heard a helicopter circling overhead. Three tactical team members lay dead near the road.
“They blew past the perimeter team,” I said, waving up at the helicopter to get the pilot’s attention.
“Huh?” Sanders said, looking around. “Oh, crap.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Big load of crap.”
Within minutes, a police SUV raced toward us. Hill, Gibbons, and two tactical team members exited all at once, their weapons drawn.
“They got away in multiple vehicles,” I said.
That’s when Hill saw the bodies of his men.
“Damn,” he said. “We lost contact with this team. Thought they went inside to support you. At least, that’s what we’d hoped.”
Gibbons helped Sanders expedite me to the SUV.
“You’ve got a chopper in the air,” I said. “Didn’t they see them escaping?”
“We only have access to three helos,” he countered. “This one arrived on scene in time to see you and Agent Sanders.”
“They’re going to the docks,” I said. “You need to seal the ports.”
“Will do,” Hill sai
d. “Did you see the vehicles?”
“I got a good look,” Sanders said.
“Give me the descriptions and I’ll relay them,” Gibbons said.
Sanders nodded.
“What about the woman?” Hill asked, sounding somewhat anxious.
“She called herself Marlis, Lis for short. We left her back in the smaller warehouse to the left. She’s still alive, but unconscious. I’d recommend getting in there fast with a medical team. Whatever you do, keep her heavily sedated,” I said. “She wakes up and people are going to die again.”
“Very disturbing,” he said, walking alongside Sanders. “I’ll see to it personally. Are you injured?”
“I’ll live,” I said as Sanders and Gibbons helped me into the back seat of the SUV. “But I’m going to need an energy drink or Coca-Cola ASAP.”
Hill and Gibbons gave me the most incredulous of looks.
* * *
I lay on a leather couch in Hill’s office, drinking from my third bottle of sports-formula energy drink. Sanders perched on the edge of the couch with a bottled water.
She looked like hell, though she’d never hear it from me.
I was sure I looked just as bad, if not worse.
Our encounter with Lis had taken a lot of out me…out of both of us.
At least my nose bleed had stopped and my head felt like it was a part of me once again.
Sanders placed her cool palm to the side of my face and I looked up at her.
“Feeling better?” she asked.
“Yeah,” I replied. “You?”
She shrugged. “I’ll be okay.”
I reached up and grasped her hand.
Then something struck me.
“I told you to fall back with the others,” I said. “Why did you follow after me?”
She slipped her hand from mine and looked away. “We’re partners. We stick together. You needed backup, so I waited until I thought it was safe to follow you.”
Well, at least her intentions were well placed.
“Thanks,” I said.
“For what? Almost killing you?” she retorted, a pained look evident in her eyes.
I reached out to take her hand again. “No, for caring enough to back me up in the first place.”
A look of surprise crossed her features.
Hill walked into the room and Sanders quickly pulled her hand away.
I sat upright on the couch.
“You two look somewhat better,” Hill said. “We scoured the port and ensured that no ships are permitted in or out of any docks, but nobody has been apprehended yet.”
“How many other ports are there?” Sanders asked.
“Surely, you jest,” Hill replied. “We’re a port-based nation. Take your pick.”
I exchanged a sardonic look with Sanders.
“I’m sorry,” Hill amended. “That was out of line. You’re in a foreign land, operating on little or no logistical information. The truth is, we’d be lost without you and we’re grateful for your help.”
“Happy to pitch in. If you don’t mind me changing the subject, what’s the status of Marlis?” I asked.
“She’s been secured in an undisclosed government location, and heavily sedated per your recommendation,” Hill replied. “Beyond that, I can’t say. I’m afraid the matter has been taken out of my jurisdiction.”
“That would be Digginsby’s territory, I presume,” Sanders suggested.
A wry expression crossed Hill’s features. “Actually, DAC Digginsby has been recalled to London. Bit of a sticky wicket, I’m afraid. As such, I’ve been temporarily granted operational authority here in Cardiff, though I’m confident someone from the Yard will be here soon to oversee further investigations.”
Again, Sanders and I looked at each other knowingly. It was ironic how the dynamics of office politics held true, no matter what part of the world you were in.
“It’s for the best, I’m sure. We have our hands full with local affairs as it is, you understand,” Hill continued. “Still, as for DAC Digginsby, it was a difficult set of circumstances and things could’ve gone up or down on a whim.”
“Digginsby’s a scapegoat?” I asked.
“Hm, yes, well, some might see it that way,” Hill said.
“How would you classify it?” Sanders asked.
“I’m sure it’s merely a readjustment in command structure,” Hill replied, casually looking out through his office window. “One mustn’t make too much of these things.”
“Uh-huh,” I said. “Nicely worded.”
He looked at me. “One also has to be careful what one says, as well as how one says it, if you catch my meaning.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, I, for one, get it.”
“In truth, Bringer’s merely humoring you,” Sanders said. “He’s never been very good at subtlety.”
I gave her a dirty look, but she ignored me.
“Err, quite,” Hill said.
“What next?” I asked, eager to change the subject.
Hill looked at me. “We’re combing the region for clues, eyewitnesses, new leads, and what not. For now, there’s not much more you can do until we uncover something useful. I recommend the two of you check into your hotel and get some rest. Rest assured, we’ll call as soon as we learn something.”
That was a suggestion I was all too eager to heed.
Chapter 15
I awoke in the middle of the night, having broken out in a cold sweat, with my arms stretched across opposite sides of the bed. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly as I flexed my achy arms and rubbed my forehead.
The room was dark and acrid, as if someone had burned popcorn or toast.
However, my mind was too jumbled with an array of thoughts to focus on that.
No, not thoughts; voices.
...always have to pick up the damned trays all the time? And what’s with the bloody lights tonight?
…should tell her that I’m married? Nah…
…never get to sleep at this rate.
…can’t believe I almost killed him yesterday.
I felt startled at picking up Sanders’ stray thoughts from the room next door.
I realized that our encounter with that woman—Marlis? —had shaken both of us up, though I had neglected to consider it from Sanders’ point of view at length.
I imagined that, for an FBI agent, protecting one’s partner was top of the list in importance. It was no different with the soldiers assigned to my fire team when I had been overseas.
On our way to the hotel after leaving Hill’s office, I had tried to reassure her that it wasn’t her fault, but she had fallen silent and refused to talk more about it.
What more could I do for her?
I reached over to switch on the lamp next to my nightstand, but the bulb appeared to have burned out.
Slowly, I rolled out of bed, feeling many muscles in my body protest with aches and pain.
I wandered into the bathroom and had to flip on nearly every light switch before a dim bulb above the shower finally popped on.
What gives?
Something wasn’t right.
I splashed water on my face and toweled it dry before turning back toward the bedroom.
That’s when I saw them. Black scorch marks on the carpet next to my bed, illuminated by the dim light emanating from the bathroom.
“What in the hell?”
I walked over to the opposite side of the bed to find similar markings on the floor. I grabbed my mobile phone and used the screen’s illumination to follow the scorch lines, each leading to the nearest electrical outlet.
I picked up the phone to dial Sanders’ room. Fortunately, the phone was still functional.
“Sanders, get in here,” I said.
There was a knock just as I was pulling my pants on. I hurried over to open the door.
“What’s wrong?” Sanders asked. “And why is it so dark in here?”
I used the light from my phone to show her the scorch
marks.
“You did this? How? Why?”
“Yes to the first question,” I replied. “And ‘beats the hell out of me’ to the others.”
“So, you must be the reason the lights have been flickering on and off for the past hour,” she said. “I wonder why your sheets weren’t scorched.”
“Dunno,” I said. “Maybe I generated a shield in my sleep or something.”
“Are you hurt?” she asked.
“Nope. The question is, are you okay?”
She frowned. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”
“No reason.”
“Bringer, you’re acting really strange, even for you.”
I called the front desk to report a problem with the lights. I couldn’t help wondering what they’d say about the damaged carpeting.
It was more than an hour before the hotel resolved the lighting issue, and the night manager met with me regarding the carpeting damage.
“I don’t know,” I said. “It was that way when I woke up.”
He looked at Sanders, who gave him an innocent look in response.
Hey, I hadn’t lied to the fellow, after all. What I said was essentially true.
“Very odd,” he said. “In light of things, we should relocate you to another room for the remainder of the night.”
“Nah, I’ll just stay with her,” I said.
Sanders flashed me a surprised look before regaining her composure.
“Um, certainly,” she said.
To the man’s credit, his raised eyebrows were fleeting. “I see, then. Very good, madam. Please contact the main desk if we can do anything else for you tonight.”
As he left the room, Sanders shook her head and walked toward the door.
“What?” I asked.
“Never mind. Collect your crap and come next door,” she said.
“Hey, you angry with me?” I asked. “I can always get another room, you know.”
She never even looked back. “Shut up, Bringer.”
I grinned despite myself, then sobered over the realization that I had somehow channeled electricity in my sleep. The last time something like that had happened was when I had moved objects.
No, that was just before I manifested the ability to move objects.
I gazed over at the nearest electrical outlet.