Influence (Influence Series Book 1)

by David R. Bernstein

  Caiden, the only one of the leadership not implanted, is pushing hard to keep our numbers strong with the full group. “That freak did that suicide crap to me and the rest of us for a reason,” he says. “They want us thinned out to make us weak.”

  “He’s right,” says Maddux. “This kind of evil needs to be stopped.”

  If anyone understands how important it is to not back down to evil, it would be him. His ability to feel the emotional state of people has given him a unique perspective. Feeling the pain this last push put on our group must have been hard.

  “No one should be forced to feel like that again,” he urges.

  “They’re desperate,” Caiden adds. “All they have is fear. We already took out their army back there.” He points to the forest through which we recently traveled.

  “That might be the case,” Jax says, “but the deeper we get into this hub, the more we will be exposed to this Influencer.”

  He looks over to the loyal fighters eagerly awaiting his commands. We sync with him to analyze the group resting against the hub. He shifts his attention back to us. “We’ve lost four already and it would’ve been more if Kaylin hadn’t broken that push.”

  “Well, let’s see what she has to say, then,” Farren says, resting a hand on my back. “She stopped this Influencer once. If anyone has any insight, it would be Kay.”

  Oh man, this just got real. How can I decide the fate of so many good people? On one hand, this resistance is at a turning point. We’ll diminish our chances of winning by sending most of our fighters back. If we don’t send them back, though, I become responsible for their mental safety as we press forward as a whole.

  “Whoever is doing this can alter the conscious fold faster than me,” I say. “I don’t know if I can keep pace.”

  Jax steps in and says, “We can’t put this kind of pressure on her. It’s too much for anyone.”

  I enter the center of the leaders’ huddle and interrupt Jax. “Hold on a second. I never said we shouldn’t do this. I might be scared or even a little unsure, but we will never get this chance again.”

  “Now you’re talking,” Caiden blurts out.

  “Settle down,” says Farren.

  If I’m ever going to believe in my ability, now is the time to step up. We have them pinned in a corner. It’s time to take them out.

  “We need to do this for everyone,” I say.

  Jax looks at me with those penetrating blue eyes. “I do believe in you and know you’re capable of amazing things. I just hope you’re sure.”

  “You know just as well as I do that our reality is shaped by action and intention,” I respond. “If we act scared and passive, we’ll just be swallowed by Magnus.”

  Jax agrees, and just like that the leadership has spoken—and I actually had something to say. Now I need to back up my big mouth.

  We rejoin the others against the wall. Caiden and Farren move in opposite directions to cover the most ground. They check in with each member to make sure they’re ready and focused. From my vantage point near the front of the line, most everyone is ready and still with us. The ones who aren’t sure refuse to abandon the rest. They’ve placed their trust in me and I won’t let them down.

  A unified rumble trails the leadership as our resistance follows us at an eager pace. We move on toward the east gate that lies just around the wall that we now hug. A cool, gentle breeze flows from around the structure. Loosened strands from my ponytail catch the gust and tickle my sweaty shoulders. Caiden has informed the snipers to rotate around the group. This acts as a moving escort. Our eyes are covering every inch of this structure. With the help of Maddux and the other frontline Influencers, I now cover our minds as well.

  Farren takes the lead at the front, followed closely by Jax and Miya. Caiden rejoins us. He’s eager for revenge on whoever pushed him to almost kill Tarex. I think it embarrasses him more than angers him. He hates to look weak in front of others.

  Not even Jax has been able to connect with the Talas civilians. Their consciousness is there, but something is off. It’s like they’re sleeping, but their awareness is still moving about inside the hub walls.

  While talking to Jax at the Walton hub a couple of days ago, I learned our abilities experience people a little differently. In my mind, I visually see intersecting ripples while Jax senses their presence more. It’s like when you know someone is watching you. In this case, it doesn’t require people to be looking at him or be anywhere nearby. He can just feel conscious life. The closer the people are, the more intense the feeling is. Then, the more aware they are, the stronger the sense becomes. When two similar sensations happen close together, that’s when he knows there’s someone he can intimately connect to.

  My sole focus now is on that suicide push. I will not let that misery creep into our fighters’ minds again. Open and locked in, I become a constant radar for the unshielded. Disconnecting from the current reality makes it hard to stay in the moment while moving. Farren guides me as I rest a hand on his shoulder. Just knowing he’s there makes my vulnerable state a little less frightening. Jax follows closely behind as he continues to reach out to the civilians with his push. Being led by Farren and supported by Jax is different. Besides Amanda, no one got more than ten feet from me before we distanced ourselves. It just wasn’t smart to get close to anyone with my little secret. It’s strange to be part of a family now, if you can even call us that.

  Rusted metal doors stand before us. Towering well above, the heavy and impenetrable-looking entrance is our latest obstacle. Beyond this point, Miya informs us there will be several corridors that funnel their ways into different parts of the hub. Her knowledge of this facility rivals even Jax’s. She was once very close to the Magnus leadership. The duties she performed allowed for a detailed understanding of where all personnel would be during every type of situation.

  When there’s a threat to the main entrance, all support staff order the civilians to gather in the inner courtyard for what Magnus calls the Alignment protocol. It’s pretty easy to understand what that means. If you keep your herd in one place, then it’s easier to prod them into conscious alignment. Scattered and afraid, the mind tends to focus on survival. That leads to independent thought, which doesn’t fit the sector group’s agenda. Civilians are the blood; without them, the whole operation seizes up. With no one there to tend to their lavish needs, these misplaced moguls from the past would live trapped in their isolated castles.

  I rest up against the cool, rough structure wall as Farren and Caiden fuse more of Owen’s fancy hole-making trinkets to the door. Four or five of them circle the locking mechanism. With a simple swipe on each device, holes are bored through as high-pitched screams escape the dusty smoke from the heated lead panel. Within a few seconds, dull thuds echo from within as the metal fragments drop inside. As expected, a rolling alarm breaches the silence, making it that much harder to concentrate on my task.

  Fighters spread out from behind me to flank the door from both sides. Farren asks Caiden to lead, choosing to stay by my side. You won’t get any complaints from Caiden about this. If there’s a fight to be had, he wants to be front and center.

  Two of the bulkier guys dig their fingers into the newly created handholds. Strain floods their faces as they manually pull the doors open. Metal screeches against the concrete foundation. Shifting weapons wave in the air like giant paintbrushes as fighters evaluate the opening. Still there are no signs of resistance.

  I catch myself breaking out of the push as my stomach fills with unease. Not long enough to leave us vulnerable, just long enough to stay tuned into the present. Unlike my pushes to shape consciousness, I don’t need to close my eyes and completely check out to be effective.

  “Playtime,” Caiden says to Farren, forcing a grin.

  He leads a handful of armed resistance into the opening beyond my viewpoint. Muffled chatter emits from the first of Caiden’s team to enter.

  “Be vigilant,” Maddux whispers to me from
behind. His mixed group of fighters and Influencers are the next to move.

  “Thanks,” I return.

  I feel the familiar grip of Farren’s long fingers wrap around my wrist. I notice him swallow deeply. Can it be? The fearless Farren Knox is scared? My hand slips down his forearm as I discover a path to intertwine our fingers together. It becomes clear, he’s not scared of this fight, but rather he’s afraid for me.

  “I know I’ve asked you this before,” he says. “Can you please stay with me? I don’t want to lose you.”

  I nod. “I don’t really have anything else going on.”

  I feel his brief chuckle rattle against my shoulder. Contact with him, no matter how short it is, takes my mind off the death and horror that has surrounded me these last few days.

  Jax and Miya’s groups turn the corner, but are thrust back by an immense, deep boom from inside. Heat rushes from the opening, forcing them to cover their faces with their forearms. A second blast deeper in the hub rattles the hinges of the doors. Farren spins me into his body, shielding me from the heat of the second blast. I peek over his shoulder to see fighters stumble from the opening. One after another they emerge gasping for air and covered in dust. Choking on smoke, Maddux wraps his arm over Caiden’s shoulders as they cross the threshold. They stagger to the ground near the metal doors. Miya and a few guys pull them to safety just to the left of the opening.

  “They’re… gone,” stutters Maddux. “They’re gone.”

  “Who is?” Farren insists.

  “Nance and Tarex.”

  Farren steps away from me and approaches Maddux, who sits with his back against the wall. “What do you mean… How?”

  “It was Talas civilians strapped with explosives,” interrupts Caiden.

  Jax kneels beside Caiden. “Did they say anything to you?”

  “No, it was like they were zombies. They just strolled up with blank stares.”

  Not able to believe what I’m hearing, I move to Jax and the others. I replay the last ten minutes in my mind.

  “No, no, no,” I say. “How can this be? I didn’t sense any push. I’ve been watching for it nonstop.”

  “You didn’t fail,” Jax says, shifting his focus from Caiden to me. “Those were Talas civilians.”

  “Why does that matter?”

  “They were molded outside your focus. We were watching out for our own, keeping our unprotected safe. I didn’t think about Talas’ own civilians.”

  Drips of disgust trickle into my mind as this sinks in. This heartless Influencer is sending Magnus’ own people out as bombs against us. My fists clench at the thought.

  “I don’t know if I can shield our own while watching the civilians as well,” I say.

  Farren returns to my side. “We need to find this Influencer before we lose anyone else.”

  Jax and Caiden agree. Our priorities have to shift from the original plan. No longer is the Magnus Order leadership the main target. Without neutralizing this sick Influencer first, the mission would become far bloodier.

  A select group assembles to find and remove this threat before we take this hub. The entire leadership along with a few highly skilled fighters will make their way through this labyrinth of who-knows-what. My ability outweighs everyone’s concern for my safety and/or lack of faith in anything else I can bring to the table. I’m the only one who can counter that push. Farren struggles with this decision, but even he knows there is no other way. There’s an intensity in his eyes. He’s trying to wrestle a new and safer option from his mind. It’s time to move and there’s no other choice. I have to defuse any other manipulated civilians sent our way.

  The clank from my shoes hitting the metal flooring signals the start of the most frightening thing I have ever done. Our army will sit this one out, leaving it up to our specialized collection of teens and young adults. Chills flow down my shoulders to my fingertips as fear swallows me whole. Next up… I have no clue.

  25

  A FAMILIAR FACE

  IT’S A LITTLE unsettling to know our heavily armed fighters have retreated to the safety beyond the outer wall. I know they need to be there so the Influencer can’t make them do horrendous things, but it’s daunting to be entering the hub with just the leadership and three gunmen. As skilled as we are, it’s just nine of us now.

  Safely tucked behind the rest, I keep my mind expanded. I watch for any shifts in the current reality. It’s dark in these windowless hallways. At least Farren has disabled that distracting alarm. Lifeless and spooky, our surroundings are filled with the unknown.

  Some sort of cabling runs across the top of the walls as riveted lines stretch to the cement flooring every five to ten feet. The alarm turned the standard lights off, leaving only a red haze that retracts with each pulse. Darkness wraps over the hall for a split second between the blips. Miya directs us down a corridor marked B1. According to her, only authorized personnel are ever allowed down any path marked with a B. Jax agrees that if we are going to find this Influencer or the leadership, we need to take the most well-protected route. This makes sense, but just once I would like to take the easier and less dangerous route.

  Farren checks in on me, asking if I’m picking up on anything yet. I get the feeling he’s checking my state of mind as well. It’s hard to respond to him with the setting we’re in, but I let him know there’s nothing out of the ordinary.

  Jax has kept his mind locked on the Talas civilians. Watching innocent humans blow themselves up in front of me would be horrible. If even one of them move from their current state in the inner courtyard, he will know. We’re not heading there, but we are close enough for Maddux to get an emotional status of the civilians. He confirms what Jax has been feeling: they’re catatonic and almost somehow bored. The hub’s Influencers have stripped them of their freewill. We’ll deal with them next.

  The endless resounding footsteps as we march forward start to blend into a harmonious beat. The tight corridors speed up the echoes that bounce off the walls. My controlled breathing is all that prevents my heart from matching the intense rhythm. We have no chance of catching anyone by surprise, that’s for sure. These structures, built to protect the privileged from the world they created, are made to last many lifetimes. Metal and concrete must’ve been the go-to choice for lair construction when the world blew up.

  Led by Miya, we reach the end of the B1 tunnel. Standing in front of us is a metal door with a small window; to the right is a staircase that only heads up. A dull green light hangs from above the first steps. On the wall above the railing, a faded up-arrow next to the designation B2 directs us where to go. She signals us forward and without hesitation, we’re on the move up the mesh steps. I peer up to the edge of the green haze only to find endless black. Well, that’s just a tad freaky.

  We make our turn around the first flight up when a tempered rattling of footsteps fades out in the distance. Farren clutches my untucked shirt, preventing me from moving forward. The group as a whole freezes and becomes silent. We listen for a moment, but hear nothing. Whoever was up there heard us coming and has moved on. From the rear, Caiden squeezes his way to the front. His head tilted, he looks through a small scope on his pistol. Pointing down the pitch-black hallway for a few seconds, he turns to us. “I don’t see anyone, but there’s a faint glow from the last door down on the right.”

  He must have a night scope on his gun, because I see zero traces of light besides what remains from behind in the staircase.

  “Why is there no light in this hallway?” I whisper to Farren.

  He leans down, keeping his sight forward, and replies, “This is standard breach protocol. Keep the intruders in the dark while Magnus waits for their moment to strike.”

  Just like the rattlesnakes Amanda and I would stumble upon traveling through Lost Souls. They lie in their holes waiting to lunge at your leg if you get too close. Except these snakes have guns, and go for your head instead.

  Jax catches the attention of Caiden and then the thre
e gunmen in our group. I don’t know their names, but it’s best that I avoid small talk. With a few fancy hand gestures, he instructs them to move forward. I can only assume their weapons have night-vision tech as well.

  Farren instructs the rest of us to stay several yards back and to not give our position away by using any light sources we might have. It’s reassuring to know someone with us at least has a flashlight—even though they can’t use it now.

  With the three gunmen in front, Caiden reaches the bend at the end of the hallway. He edges from the wall to make sure the next turn is clear before turning back to the source of the light. From where I am, about ten yards back, I now see a faint yellow glow that frames the door.

  Farren, with his arm locked across my chest as we tiptoe forward, is not willing to let me move without his permission. Jax and Miya pin me from both sides and Maddux watches from behind. Boxed in, I have no room to breathe.

  “Whoever’s in there is shielded,” suggests Jax.

  Maddux adds from the back, “Yeah, I’m not sensing any emotion or other Influencers either.”

  “Are you picking up on anything?” Jax asks me.

  With all my efforts locked on a certain brand of push, it’s not allowing me to expand my ability. I simply reply, “No.”

  Caiden and the fighters rest against the wall that surrounds the door as they wait for the signal from Jax to move in. With two on each side, they hope to overtake whoever’s in there. Anything could be behind this door, and I’m not too excited to find out what. With a simple nod, Jax instructs them to take the room. Caiden gently grabs the lever. Not wanting to pop the hatch too loudly, he pushes down at an anxiety-inducing pace. Despite the effort, the hinges creak and he decides to shove the door wide open. Farren guides the rest of us to back up just outside the door. He and Miya line the wall with their rifles providing cover for the rest of us. Caiden throws his body forward almost as if he wanted that extra force to take on whatever comes. Followed by the fighters, they disappear into the opening. All I can hear is scattered footsteps. It’s becoming hard to focus on my main job, but doing this helps me avoid the flood of terror I’m feeling.