Shifting Power

by Dacia M Arnold

  “We should all try to come up with the most ridiculous explanation for Courtney to feed the media,” Valerie laughed.

  “Good thing we had dinner in the hotel conference center and not all the way in the Facility halls,” August said as the door shut to the stairwell.

  “What happened in there? More terrorists?” Kevin’s face was white.

  Valerie saw genuine fear on her brother’s face as he held Caleb tight and laughed at him, forgetting he was not privy to the reality of the situation. “We have an internal terrorist, too. Not just outside ones, big brother.”

  As they moved up the stairs, Teresa stopped on level six to go to her suite. Valerie hadn’t dismissed her, nor did she ask to be. Without a word, Valerie watched her new assistant vanish behind the door.

  “Fire her,” Hyka said flatly.

  Valerie ignored her. While Hyka didn’t have working hours, Teresa was officially off duty at the dinner. “Hyka, I’m so sorry about all of this! Did you at least get to eat something?”

  “We ate, Valerie,” Jack said, laughing. “She’s mad because she lost a bet.”

  “You two bet on this to happen? Also, how does one slam back a Merlot like that?” Valerie kept a stern tone but was slightly amused. Jarrett’s energy would soon be in the past, and the only person who was unaware of the former dictator’s spirit stalking her was her older brother.

  “The three of us had a bet,” August laughed behind her.

  “Now I just feel left out.”

  They reached the eighth floor of the apartment. Valerie was out of breath and dizzy but still managed to fill the stairwell with laughter. August gathered her in his arms, laughing with her. The fluid energy moved through them, unimpeded by emotional blocks or apprehension. Even in the face of threat, she had so much to be cheerful about. August tipped her chin up and kissed her before leading her into the apartment. Oddly enough, her newfound strength rested less on her attraction to August, but more on the heavy copper pendant hanging from her neck and the undaunted future it held.

  Three men made loud toast after toast. Passing around the same bottle of scotch from the cabin, August, Duke, and Jack drank to everything from comical antidotes about giving up the single life to somber reminiscences of the past.

  “Some bachelorette party,” Valerie joked as the women clicked together their champagne flutes of sparkling cider.

  “We could probably drink if we wanted to. Your magic could heal our livers before it had any lasting effects, I’m sure. I’d even risk a rollercoaster ride on our honeymoon if you came with me.”

  “No. You have to go and be married,” Valerie laughed.

  Valerie could sense the anxious energy beating off Hyka from across the couch they shared. Pregnancy left little options to calm them.

  “I’ve considered drinking,” Valerie said. “Like our first night here, I wanted to down every bottle in the bar, but I can’t bring myself to risk the hazards. Nine months is a short time to be sober, and after this, I have no intention of being pregnant ever again.” Valerie laughed even though it was not a joke.

  Her eyes met August. The hurt was subtle on his face, but she felt the tinge of pain from his heart.

  “Here’s to lady products all over the counter but being yelled at for leaving the seat up!” Jack shouted.

  August quickly turned his attention. “Here, here!”

  “It is far too early in the afternoon for you men to be this drunk,” Valerie shouted playfully over their banter.

  Not too much time passed before the two women fell asleep on the living room couch while the men continued to drink. When August woke her by carefully picking her up, she looked around to find the apartment quiet and empty.

  “Are you guys done? I can go to bed. I didn’t want to leave Hyka out here while you guys drank your night away.”

  August said nothing. He sat her on her bed and turned for the door.

  “Hey,” Valerie reached a hand to him. “Are you mad at me?”

  “I’m not mad.”

  “You’re acting awfully like someone who’s mad.”

  “Just caught me off guard,” he said, walking back into the room. “I hadn’t even considered having more kids until the moment you said you’re done.”

  “I can’t imagine going through all of this again. The Council is already demanding my daughter, and she isn’t even here.”

  “I’m being selfish. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s not always about me. Who knows how many lifetimes we have like this. Maybe one day there will be peace. Then I would consider purposefully bringing a child into this world.”

  “What if peace depends on our children,” August whispered in her ear. He moved her hair off her neck.

  She felt his warm breath on her skin. His lips so close, sending chills all over her body. His fingers worked further behind her to find the clasp of her necklace. August backed away and handed the locket to her.

  “You should open it. I don’t want to risk myself getting caught up in there.”

  Valerie blushed and tried to slow her heart. “Alcohol makes you brave,” she joked.

  “And honest,” he reminded her.

  “Do you think this will work?” Valerie opened the locket and placed it on her nightstand.

  “There’s never any harm in pushing the circumstances.”

  He leaned in again, with his hand in her hair, kissing the exposed skin on her neck. Valerie fought to keep her pulse under control. His touch was inviting and made her whole. She reached her arms over his neck, her lips finding his. Her head swam; she was only able to focus on his touch. Nerve endings fired all over her body, connecting to his, and ignited sensations she had never experienced.

  The bed shook with their energies. Both thirsty for the other, she didn’t have the inner strength to turn back. To stop herself. She didn’t want to.

  But August stopped. He raised his hands in the air and backed away from the bed. Valerie commanded the lights on and saw a cord wrapped around his neck. Loosely at first, then the wire jerked tight, winding tighter. August’s face turned shades of purple as he clawed at his throat.

  “No! I love him. You can’t do this again!” Valerie screamed at the hostile energy she could feel but not see.

  As if reading the very thought, the room went black, and there he was. Lucas Jarrett’s full-bodied translucent energy held the cord that was choking August as if he were flesh and blood.

  “You whore. I will kill every last person in this Facility for what you have done. But I’ll start with him.”

  August’s eyes darted from her to the open locket on the nightstand and back at her. Valerie moved fast to grab the necklace, but Jarrett’s energy knocked her back. As quick as the attack had started, the locket flew across the room and slammed shut against the wall.

  “Do you feel that?” August coughed.

  “Is he gone? Like that? He’s gone?” Valerie picked the locket up from the ground and studied the object closely.

  “Here,” August said, holding out a hand to take the jewelry.

  Valerie ignored him and secured it around her neck.

  “I don’t like it,” he frowned.

  “Until you can figure out how to destroy him for good, this is where he will stay.”

  “Still don’t like it.”

  Duke pushed the bedroom door open with his hair sticking up on one side and red eyes.

  “Yes?” Valerie pressed when the man said nothing for a moment.

  “We have an issue with the power footprint.”

  “What is it?” August said, following his assistant to the living room.

  Duke turned on the TV monitor to display the reports from the lab and control room.

  “Early in the evening, the Eastern DiaZem moved their headquarters from Fort Knox, Kentucky. They are estimating the center of the power footprint to be the Pentagon, which means they control all military leadership in the country, hypothetically.”

  As Duke spoke a
map of the United States appeared on the screen. A red circle covering the eastern coast shifted north, leaving Georgia and Florida completely without DiaZem power.

  “The control center is flipping out because just a second ago, our own footprint shrunk to just outside of St. Louis and just shy of the West Coast.”

  “What’s the big deal? They knew this might happen once we contained Lucas,” August said.

  “This is the big deal,” Duke said as the image changed one more time. In the dark areas where no DiaZem power reached were small blips on the map.

  “What are we looking at?” Valerie asked him.

  “These are cities with DiaZem power. They are exposed. We are unsure if the Council can see this. Either way, we don’t have time to figure out who has access to this information. Jasmine and David are packing now to leave for San Francisco first thing in the morning. The fleet is on standby. The control room is requesting we try one thing.” Duke looked at Valerie.

  “What?” she asked cautiously.

  “They want August to step into the baby’s room so we can cut power to the generators. Once the region goes black, they can identify other DiaZem within the footprint.”

  “Absolutely not!” August protested.

  “How long do they need?” Valerie asked Duke. A small hope flashed in her mind.

  “No, Valerie. It’s too dangerous. I can’t lose you.”

  “How long, Duke?” Valerie asked again. She needed to know if the weight she felt in the necklace was residual. “We need to act. If we don’t secure the Pacific trades, we’re at the mercy of the Council, anyway. How long?”

  “A minute? Two minutes? Long enough to power down and get the report.”

  “Do it, August. I’m right here. If it’s too much, you can just come back out.” There was no doubt Jarrett was contained in the locket, but she still felt him, even if only a little.

  “Don’t try to be strong. If something’s wrong, you tell me.” He didn’t take his eyes off her. “Are they ready?”

  “When you are, sir.”

  August took her by the hand and led her to the threshold of the baby’s room. He kissed her head and knelt to kiss her belly. Valerie nodded her head. She was ready. August took a breath and stepped backward into the room. The generators kicked on.

  “Cut it,” Duke commanded, holding his earpiece, and within five seconds, the power was completely out.

  Valerie held her breath when the power left. She braced herself for pain. It never came. Inhale. Exhale.

  “You okay?”

  Valerie smiled and nodded into the darkness.

  “I can’t feel you. You have to tell me. Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I’m fine. Chill out.” Valerie downplayed the excitement erupting in her chest.

  His muted energy made her miss him, similar to the way she missed Scott. Valerie also noticed the deafening silence. Even in the cabin, she hadn’t experienced the complete absence of electricity since the beginning. She closed her eyes and focused on her own breathing, her heartbeat her daughter’s movement within her. She felt centered, not pulled in every direction. Her hand touched the locket that held Jarrett’s energy. Their energies remained linked despite him contained and under control. The necklace kept her from rejecting her growing daughter in her womb but did not exude enough energy to grow the power footprint of the region.

  Jack stumbled out of the spare bedroom, “Valerie!” he yelled into the darkness.

  “We’re over here, Jack. Everything’s fine.” Just as she said the words, the generators powered back on, bringing light and the constant hum.

  “Chicago, Omaha, Billings, and St. Paul,” Duke said, repeating what the control room spoke into his earpiece.

  “Can I come out now?” August called.

  After Duke nodded, August rushed to Valerie and pulled her close, searching her face for any kind of distress.

  “I didn’t feel a thing,” she said with a smile. “So four other DiaZem in the region?” she asked Duke.

  Hyka burst in the apartment, “What’s going on?”

  “We had to cut DiaZem power to the region and scan for others. According to the control room, there are four.”

  “So much for our honeymoon. Looks like we’re headed to Billings, Montana tomorrow night,” Jack said, hugging his fiancé.

  “The good news is the locket worked,” Valerie said, tapping the locket. A new confidence rose in her. Control. She finally had control of herself, her pregnancy, her power. Her reliance on August could be a choice rather than a necessity of survival. The smallest of wedges formed between her and August, and she welcomed it.

  “I think I need to go for a walk. We, I mean,” Valerie announced, grabbing Hyka’s hand. “And don’t come looking for us. We’re going outside for some air.”

  “I don’t like it.”

  “Yeah! Me either,” Jack added.

  “I acknowledge your disapproval, but I’ve waited months for this opportunity and will not wait anymore. Just a few hours, we’ll be back.”

  She didn’t stick around for further discussion before pulling Hyka away. Valerie led her straight to the train platform. When the doors closed, the train left the tunnel of the Facility into the night, moving in the direction of the city.

  “Where are we going?”

  “To visit Scott, Griff, and Gia.”

  Hyka nodded. “Thank you. He was like an uncle to me. I liked Gia, too.”

  “I miss her. You had big shoes to fill.” Valerie smiled. “We should move them to the Facility cemetery now. It’s well past time.”

  Hyka placed a finger to her earpiece. “Hey! Val wants the three outside graves brought to Facility tomorrow.”

  “Hyka! They must all think I’m a tyrant by the way you order them around.”

  “No. They know I have high standards. Might seem like a large task, but they can handle anything. The control room actually likes being on their toes. They say it makes them feel critical.”

  “Well, they are. All of them. You especially.”

  They rode in silence a few moments longer. The train pulled into the resort’s sublevel. A faint scent of chlorine flooded the train as the doors open.

  “I hate that smell,” Valerie’s nostrils flared, and her lips curled. “I hate this place. I hate… Okay, it’s gone.”

  Valerie took a deep breath, realizing her strong aversion had little to do with their location, but the DiaZem the resort housed for the night.

  “Jasmine?”

  “Yeah. I forgot she and David were staying here. They must have taken a break from the bracelets. I don’t blame them. She must know we’re here, though. We should go to the lobby and greet her. It would be rude not to after showing up unannounced.”

  Hyka shrugged and followed Valerie up the long stairs. Hyka held the door open to the vast space where water flowed around an island of rock. Valerie remembered the Little Paris restaurant that was in the center. A few people sat along the luxurious bar, not noticing the two women. Valerie trained her eyes to not look up at the hotel balcony where she had found Gia battered moments before Phase Two.

  “Valerie, my apologies,” Jasmine spoke from halfway down the grand staircase. “In my mood, I asked David to stay in the suite. Is August not with you?”

  “No, and I apologize for just popping over without warning. I should’ve sent word we were coming. I’ve never had another female DiaZem in the city and was only reminded you were here when I stepped foot off the train. Hyka and I just needed some girl time. Figured we could party it up here for her bachelorette party, so to speak.”

  “I don’t any other have friends, apparently.” Hyka shifted awkwardly.

  Valerie rolled her eyes. “You’re welcome to join us, Jasmine.”

  “Unfortunately, David and I were in the middle of dinner. I’m still getting used to the attraction. I find it difficult to be apart for too long.”

  “You get used to it,” Valerie blurted out. “I mean the attraction,
not being apart. No. I did mean being apart, but not that you two would ever need to be. I’m sorry. I’m the worst person to get advice from when it comes to DiaZem relationships. The Hamptons, though. They seem to have it figured out.”

  “No need to apologize. You ladies have a wonderful evening. I’ll keep my bracelet on if you don’t care to announce your departure.”

  “I’ll let you know,” Hyka answered.

  “You have friends.” Valerie scolded when Jasmine was outside of earshot.

  “Not her. She’s not my friend. And while we’re on the subject, Teresa isn’t my friend either. I don’t trust her as far as I can throw her. Not saying much since I bench almost three times her body weight. I would much rather pack you in a suitcase and stow you away on the plane than leave you here with her having free access to you.”

  Hyka walked ahead to activate the automatic door to the small cemetery at the corner of the grounds. Small lights lined the paved path leading to the burial site.

  “Why? Why does everyone hate her? You guys left me with absolutely no choices. Besides, she might be our way to figure out what Kevin is up to.”

  “You don’t think she’ll take his side and do his bidding?”

  “Ugh, we don’t have time to worry about that. If she can somehow get him to admit his connection to the Reactance, even if she doesn’t tell us, we could get it on surveillance. So, she’s helping us even if she thinks she’s helping him.”

  “Elizabeth would have made a much better me than her.”

  “I couldn’t hire Elizabeth.”

  “Because the kid died? Her friend?”

  “Hector. Yes.” Valerie took a deep breath, wondering if releasing her secret would be a mistake, but if anyone would keep her confession to themselves, Hyka would. “When you stopped looking at me, I knew your energy was almost gone.”

  “You took what little he had left to save me.”

  “Did you know this whole time?”

  “Dad told me after he was shot on the highway how he dreamt forward from his body.” Hyka aggressively wiped a tear with the back of her hand. “He said, ‘There are things we aren’t meant to see. I have trouble knowing I’ll die again.’ I didn’t know what he meant when he told me until I watched you scream in my blank face.”