EVO Nation Series Trilogy Box Set

by K. J. Chapman

  “Teddie?” His thoughts are wary.

  “Hey, you.”

  His emotion shifts from despair to exhilaration in an instant. The darkness creeping into my soul peels away from me. “Where are you? Are you safe?” he asks.

  “Yes, I’m fine. Where are you?”

  He sighs with relief. “We were deported back to Britain. I’m in a detention centre, but I don’t know where. I haven’t seen the others since we arrived. You have no idea how sexy your voice sounds right now. I thought I had lost you.”

  “Are they hurting you?” There is silence. “You need to tell them that I am alive.”

  “Not a chance.”

  “Please, Adam. If they think you know nothing they will kill you. Give them a reason to need you. You have to do this. It will give us time to find you.”

  “No. Stay in Italy and stay safe.”

  “We’re in Britain at Syndicate’s headquarters. They saved my life. But I...I killed Maggie.”

  “Because you had to,” he says. There is no doubt in his mind at all. He trusts me implicitly. He doesn’t know what went down on that beach, yet still, he knows the truth.

  “I will find you. Try and find out something about where you are, and let me know the next time I link with you. I promise I won’t leave you for long.” I feel more drained than I have ever felt from linking. A dizziness swirls through my mind, distancing me from Adam’s thoughts.

  “Teddie, what’s wrong? I can feel it. Are you sick?”

  I can’t hold the link much longer. “I’m okay. Things have kind of changed with my telepathy. Tell them I’m alive, Adam. You have to. I love you.”

  I’m jerked back to reality. I open my eyes to Leoni’s impatient face.

  “Well?” she asks. I wipe tears from my eyes. She raises her hand to my temple. “May I see?” I allow her access to the memory. She sits in silence for a moment, composing herself. “I know it’s silly, but I expect to hear his twelve-year-old, little voice. He has a man’s voice. It’s a kind voice,” she says, smiling to herself. “He sounds like a good man.”

  I pick up on her emotions: pain, sorrow, pride, relief, love. She was keeping him safe when she left him. I’m unsure if I am reading her on a primitive level or if my telepathy makes me more intuitive. I know Leoni loves Adam. “He is the best of men,” I say, taking her hand.

  She stares at our linked hands.

  Jude strides into the room, his eyes darting from our hands to my face. “You linked, didn’t you? He knows you are alive, doesn’t he?” He sounds scarily angry.

  “Yes.”

  He just glares at me. He doesn’t say a word, just glares at me. His chest rises and falls at rapid speed, but still he says nothing. Then, he turns on his heels and leaves the room, slamming the door behind him.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  I enter the meeting room wearing a pair of Leoni’s jeans and Cooper’s grey t-shirt. I have had to tie it at my naval to make it fit better. He wears a hoody that is still stained with my blood. My Converse look worse for wear, but they have survived a lot with me and I just can’t throw them away. They have out survived the man who got them for me. God, I miss Golding. I prize my eyes from my feet, so as not to look little and afraid. Only Jude and Cooper wait for us. I was expecting ear ache from Grayson, but it looks like he’s left Jude to give me a double dose.

  I look straight at Jude. “I won’t apologise for potentially saving Adam’s life.”

  “It’s not what you did, but how you went about it, Princess.” His voice is softer now. The vein in his head isn’t bulging at me like before. “You looked me in the eye and said you wouldn’t link.”

  Leoni steps forward. “This is my son’s life—”

  “And you can shut your damn mouth,” Jude snaps at her. His anger for Leoni is still at full strength. “You took advantage of her straight after your voodoo memory shit. She wasn’t in the right mind to make the decision. I blame you for this.”

  “For what? All Teddie has done is given Adam a lifeline. They’ll know nothing other than the fact that she is alive.”

  “Exactly. You’ve told them that the one EVO that Towley wants is alive and well. He will never stop hunting her. She will always be running. I know you only care about Adam, he’s your son, but Teddie is my family, she is my world, and how dare you put her at risk.” Jude’s just inches from Leoni’s face.

  I can’t help but smile. This angry, arrogant, sometimes obnoxious man, wears his heart on his sleeve and doesn’t shy away from admitting his love for me. Thinking about it, he never has. I drag him away from Leoni. “I love you, Jude.”

  He swallows hard, holding my head close to his chest. “I love you too, Princess. So, how was he?”

  I grip Jude tighter, burying my face into the fabric of his shirt.

  “He’s hanging in there,” Leoni says for me.

  “And the others?”

  I shrug. “He’s all alone.”

  “Adam won’t tell them you’re alive, you know that as well as I do,” says Jude. “I was just mad that you went behind my back.”

  “I know, but I hope we’re wrong. I get that Syndicate have their own plans, but I can’t just leave Adam and the others at the mercy of Towley. Getting them out of that shithole is my only concern. Screw Syndicate.”

  “Teddie’s right, Jude. How are we supposed to save the world when we can’t even save our own?” adds Cooper.

  “Who said we can’t do both?” Jude says, grinning. He turns to Leoni. “Lizzie is in.”

  She raises an eyebrow in approval.

  I look to Cooper, but he shrugs his lack of knowledge.

  “Who the hell is Lizzie?” I ask.

  “I am.” A woman enters the room with Grayson, Kesh, Ingrid, and Silvain.

  Her blonde hair is pulled back into a simple, but severe ponytail. She has vibrant blue eyes made all the more vivid by the dark bruising around her eye sockets. Her strong nose and jaw add to her intimidating presence. I recognise her, but can’t place her. She can’t be much older than twenty-five, but her demeanour is that of a middle aged woman. She shakes my hand and I return the gesture, still trying to place her in my backlog of upturned memories.

  “It’s good to meet you, Teddie. And I want to apologise to you for what my father put you through.” I tilt my head and look to Jude for answers. “I’m Lizzie Roscoe.”

  I knew I recognised her. I’ve only ever seen Lizzie in a photo on Roscoe’s desk at Facility One. She is the daughter of the man who put me through hell and was going to turn me into a soulless TORO. Isaac abducted her and held her hostage to ensure Roscoe would bring Tess to him.

  “We had been watching both Facility One and Gabe for a while. Kesh intercepted correspondence between Gabe and Roscoe, so we knew Lizzie had been abducted. We had been aware of an old warehouse the E.N.C used to store trafficked weapons, and on a whim, a few days ago, we went to check it out. They had been using it as Lizzie’s prison.

  I skim her mind as delicately as I can, but there is an overwhelming rush of voices. I class reading a Roscoe as a necessity. From what I can pick up before I throw up, her thoughts are streamline, purposeful, and highly opinionated, but she’s legit. She hated her father nearly as much as I did. She knows I read her- they all do if my facial expression is anything to go by. I can’t control this telepathy and I’ve lost my ill practised tact.

  “My father’s ideologies were primitive and out-dated. A scientist who hinders progression is a fraud in my book. I'm utterly ashamed.”

  I shrug. “Whatever.”

  Lizzie watches me for a moment, and then hands me a green paper file. “I think you’ll be interested in this.”

  I take it, skimming through pages of names. Name after name after name, and then I see it- Adam Lovick. I continue flicking through until I find all their names. “You’ve found them?” I ask Lizzie, incredulously.

  “Yes and no,” she says. “That list is from four days ago. There are four hundred and nine name
s. In the last four days, another twenty-five detainees were signed into that centre. She hands me a second green file. “Yesterday, thirty-one low grade EVO were either transferred or registered and released. That should make the tally four hundred and three in that detention centre, but I have personally counted every name on that list and there are only four hundred and two. I’ll give you one guess of whose name is missing from the second list.”

  “Adam’s,” I say, deflated. “So, where is he?”

  “I generally don’t like to make assumptions, but given the evidence we have collected, he is still there, but in full security isolation. They will keep any inhumane treatment highly classified.”

  “Inhumane treatment?

  “Yes. There has been reports of torture; sensory deprivation, pharmacological interrogation, flogging, water boarding—”

  “Whoa, Miss Cheerful. We get the picture,” Jude interrupts. He turns to me. “Adam’s been through worse. You linked with him, so you know he’s holding up.”

  I frantically scour the pages for a location, but there is nothing. “Where is the centre?” I ask Grayson.

  “We will divulge the location once we have decided on a course of action,” Grayson adds.

  “Like hell you will. Tell me the location- now,” I snap.

  “This is only for your safety and maintaining the integrity of our objective.”

  Leoni rounds on Grayson, forcing him to retreat behind the desk. “You heard the girl.”

  “Leoni, do you seriously think you can singlehandedly break into a military detention centre, locate and release detainees, and escape with your life? You will endanger your son more so if you do not act wisely.”

  “She won’t be single handed,” I retort.

  “We advise against this. Syndicate—”

  “Screw Syndicate. How many times do I have to say it? When will you people learn that I don’t care about your little club? I only care about my boyfriend and my friends. I’m going to get them with or without your help.”

  Grayson sighs in frustration. “Just hear me out, Teddie.”

  “Only if you give me the location.”

  I dip into Grayson’s thoughts. The thoughts of everyone in the building, and god knows how far away, sound in my mind. I fight the urge to faint.

  Grayson shakes his head in discomfort, but I briefly glimpse the image of a map with a red circle on it. He keeps that map in his desk.

  “Did you try to read me? Teddie, that’s a violation of my trust. You can’t—”

  “Oh, give me a break. There isn’t trust between us. I don’t know you any more than I knew Isaac.”

  “Okay, Lara Croft,” laughs Kesh. “Listen for five minutes before you go Rambo on us. Lizzie has been given a place on Towley’s team of sciency peeps.”

  “Deputy Researcher,” Lizzie interrupts.

  “Basically, she has an in that we need to exploit. We can get the proof we need that Towley is torturing EVO and testing on kids. We can show the world the truth- the real truth.”

  “Isaac already did that and look how that turned out,” I say.

  “True, but who was it that created Isaac?” Grayson interrupts. “Isaac gave Towley the excuse he needed. The public now believe that the mean, scary EVO that need controlling are being reasonably punished for the protection of the nation. But we cannot just muscle our way into detention centres without seemingly offering more truth to that ridiculous claim. Syndicate needs to keep our hands clean, so we can offer protection to both the EVO and Non-EVO caught up in this war, and potentially, come out the other side with some kind of foothold in society. We must maintain trust.” I go to protest, but he holds a hand in my face. “However, there is another group who are older than both Syndicate and E.N.C; a group that you are bound to by blood.”

  “She is not bound,” Jude snaps. “And this group haven’t any connection to the original or to my father. They’re a bunch of kids running around with an old concept and new misconceptions.”

  “What group is this?” I ask.

  Leoni hands me a gold, band ring. It has been engraved with an ‘S’ made to look like a strand of D.N.A. “This is a membership ring for Shift. Shift was a group of EVO who had similar ideologies to Syndicate. We were looking at ways to out EVO into mainstream society with minimal damage. We were anonymous; I didn’t even know the other member’s names, only the leader, your grandfather, Rafe Lloyd.”

  “My grandfather?”

  Jude tucks his hands into his pockets. “Shift did nothing except get its members killed. Don’t deny that, Leoni. Your husband died because of your connection to my father, didn’t he?”

  Leoni squares up to him. “What would you know about it? You didn’t stick around for long, did you? He told me everything, Jude. You broke his heart when you swanned off to join the E.N.C. What was it that enticed you… money… power?”

  “Why I joined is none of your business. Anyway, the point is that Teddie has no obligation to Shift, or to you,” he says, turning to Grayson.

  “What is it you want from me exactly?” I ask.

  “We want you to find Shift. You and Kesh in particular. Kesh can listen out for any talk of Shift activity. You have the ability to find them and bring them to us. We have a proposition for them; one that keeps everyone happy and ensures we’re all on the same team.”

  “I’m doing nothing for you until Adam and my friends are safe.”

  “Teddie, you will be captured and suffer the same fate as the friends you want to save. What good will that do? Shift are your best hope at getting into a detention centre of that security. At the very least, let Lizzie get started, she is Adam’s best chance at survival. Just give her one day, two tops.”

  I laugh a slightly hysterical guffaw. “I won’t leave him suffering for another two days!”

  Leoni places a restraining hand on my chest, and then turns to Grayson. “If we agree to wait, Adam’s immediate extraction must be priority in the plan.”

  “No, Leoni. They’re hurting him. We can’t wait any longer.”

  Grayson ignores me and thanks Leoni.

  My stomach swoops at the thought of Adam being tortured for another two days. “How can you agree to this? Never mind, I’ll go alone.”

  I barge Grayson out of the way, but Jude steps between me and the door.

  “You’re not going anywhere.”

  “Get out of my way,” I tell him. He shakes his head, stepping toward me, but I hold my ground. “You can’t do anything to stop me going.” Grayson grabs my arm, and a cuff is clipped onto my wrist. “What is this? What are you doing? Get this thing off of me.”

  “This is for your own good, Princess.” says Jude, helping Grayson restrain me.

  “She remains locked in her room with someone outside at all times,” Grayson tells him.

  “Hey, this isn’t us, Grayson,” Kesh protests. “When did we start imprisoning people?”

  “She will jeopardise not only her life, but the lives of those in that centre. Not to mention our objective. When we make contact with Shift, she can join them if she wishes, but until then, she acts under my lead.”

  I struggle in his arms, screaming like a feral cat, and I kick my legs up, meeting Jude’s chest. He staggers backwards, but grips my ankles. My stitches smart from the effort and I’m sure I’ve popped a couple.

  “She’s going to injure herself further,” Ingrid says. “Take it easy on her.”

  I look to Grayson. “You’re a coward. Syndicate is full of cowards. Passive aggression never works. You need to be aggressive for yourself,” I scream at him as I’m dragged from the room. “How can you expect other people to do your dirty work for you? Now is your chance to prove that Syndicate can be strong, that you can really make a difference and keep people safe. Help the people in that centre.”

  “Scaring people is the E.N.C’s game, not ours,” Kesh replies.

  “You can have strength and mercy.”

  “Like you had when you kil
led Isaac?” Grayson asks.

  That was a low blow, but a true one, and probably why I feel physically punched in the guts.

  “We’ve got the wrong girl,” Grayson says, shaking his head. The disappointment in his eyes only serves to fuel my anger.

  “Finally, he sees the truth,” I shriek at him.

  “Stop acting like such a brat,” Jude hisses, helping him to manhandle me to my room.

  “Why are you doing this?” I bawl at him.

  “Your Dad would have done the same thing, and you know it. I won’t let you kill yourself. Let Grayson make his moves. You can’t see the big picture, Princess. You’re blinded.”

  They drop me on the bed and retreat to the door. I won’t let them lock me away. I squeeze in the crack of the door, wrenching it open and sending pain through my chest wound. Jude raises a hand, sliding me back into the wall with the invisible force of his telekinesis. The wind is knocked clean out of my lungs, and I roll on the floor gasping for breath.

  “I’m sorry, Princess” he says, closing the door. The sound of the key turning in the lock, and the clunk of the padlock echoes through the bare room.

  I charge the door again, hammering my fists against the wood. “What are you getting out of this, huh? Jude Lloyd doesn’t strike me as a good Samaritan. What next? Do you seriously think this peace thing is realistic? You may as well hold hands around a tree and sing Kumbaya for all the good it will do. Make a stand now, and show them that Syndicate aren’t just talk. They’re your friends too, Jude. I won’t let them die! You know what it feels like to lose the person you love, and if I lose Adam I will never forgive you- NEVER!”

  I’m not sure if he is still there or not. I hope he is. I hope he can hear my crying and screams, and the thuds as I pummel my knuckles bloody. I hope he can hear it all and that it turns his guts. I won’t stop. I won’t give up on Adam and the others.

  ***

  The tantrum was fruitless. It did nothing other than tire me and leave my knuckles swollen and split. I pace. It’s all I can do to stop me from going insane. I’ve run over every possible escape scenario, but I can’t pull anything off with the cuff on my wrist. I scream in frustration as I move from the window to the door from the window to the door.