Steel for 5 (Mags & Nats Book 3)

by Stephanie Fazio

  I sat down next to him. My butt had barely hit the seat when Smith yanked out his earbuds and stood up.

  “Someone just tripped one of my motion sensors in the backyard.”

  “Could be one of the Super Mags,” I said.

  Smith shook his head. “None of them have left the house tonight. And whoever it is knows exactly where to go to stay out of my cameras.”

  I got up from my seat, my pulse hammering as I blew on my fists. The three guys followed as I headed for the back door.

  We kept our footfalls quiet and stayed in the shadows as we slunk around the side of the house. Sir Zachary stayed by my side, but he didn’t growl or bark fire the way he would if there was real danger.

  I heard muffled sounds at the same moment Michael put out a hand and said, “Wait.”

  When I listened harder, the sound was unmistakable. A man was crying.

  My stomach cramped at the reminder of my dad’s sobs after we’d been told Lilly died. It was the first time in my life I’d seen an adult cry, and it had scared me senseless.

  “We should go back,” Smith said, a nervous kind of helplessness reflected in his wide eyes. “It’s not a threat.”

  That was when I saw movement under the big oak tree.

  Ma and Oliver were sitting with their backs to the trunk, their hands clasped. Oliver was sobbing with enough force that his entire body shook.

  I could see tears glistening on Ma’s dark skin from the garden lights on the grass.

  I backed away, keeping my silver skin out of the light and softening my steps so they wouldn’t hear me. My friends and I didn’t make a sound until we were back in the house.

  Without discussion, we went into the living room and sat down.

  “Does this have to do with what he told Kaira earlier?” A.J. asked Smith.

  “I doubt it.” Smith lifted a shoulder. “It’s just, ah—” He tugged on a lock of greasy hair and glanced at the door, looking like he was considering making a break for it. “My mom died ten years ago today.”

  My heart lurched.

  “Smith,” I gasped, at the same time A.J. said, “Oh, honey.”

  “Do you want me to talk to your dad?” Michael asked Smith. “I can make it easier for him.”

  Smith shook his head. “It’s not something we talk about…ever. Except with Ma, apparently.”

  I wasn’t sure if I imagined a twinge of bitterness in Smith’s voice.

  “I don’t like to talk about it either,” Smith said quickly.

  “We know,” Michael assured him.

  For several seconds, we were all quiet.

  A.J. cleared his throat. “I’m having a hankering for some ramen,” he said. “Anyone else?”

  A.J. never ate anything with artificial ingredients…including ramen.

  “I’ll have some,” I said, catching on.

  Michael and Smith nodded.

  “I was thinking,” A.J. said as a pot filled itself with water in the kitchen. “I’ve been meaning to watch that new documentary on Alliance cover-ups. I’m forgetting the name.”

  “Overreliance, Compliance, and Defiance,” Smith said immediately.

  A.J. snapped his fingers. “That’s the one.”

  “I’ll get it going,” I said, grabbing the channel changer to download the movie.

  “Do you want a cold or room temp grape soda?” Michael asked in a gruff voice as steaming bowls of ramen floated in from the kitchen.

  We spent the next four hours watching all sorts of experts talk about Alliance conspiracy theories. The only sound aside from the movie was our slurping of ramen noodles and Sir Zachary gnawing on a bone.

  My eyes were starting to close when Smith’s voice startled me awake.

  “Thanks for this,” he said quietly.

  “We’ll do it again next year,” I said.

  “Yeah,” A.J. agreed. “Maybe by then, they’ll have a conspiracy movie about us. It’ll be totally meta.”

  Smith chuckled.

  Lulled by each other’s company, we drifted off. The last thing I remembered was A.J. pulling a fleece blanket over me and tucking a pillow under my head. Sandwiched between him and Sir Zachary, I finally fell asleep.

  CHAPTER 37

  We were all a sorry state the next morning. We picked at our breakfasts because Ma wouldn’t let us leave the house until we ate something. None of us spoke.

  We all snuck peeks at Kaira and Graysen for some sign of what Oliver had told them the day before. Their expressions revealed nothing and they offered no explanation. They kept exchanging furtive looks, and it was clear they were having one of their silent arguments.

  When Graysen narrowed his gaze at her, Kaira snapped, “If you’re going to start treating me like a china doll, then I’m taking up skydiving lessons.”

  “I’ll come,” I said immediately.

  “I’m not going to apologize for being obsessed with you,” Graysen shot back. “Deal with it.”

  He and Kaira exchanged a fiery look. I shook my head and went back to my coffee.

  Yutika and Michael avoided each other, although I caught them both stealing glances at the other when they thought no one was looking.

  Sir Zachary was doing his best to cheer everyone up. He offered Michael his favorite stuffed elephant, licked Yutika’s hand, and then fell asleep with his chin resting on Smith’s foot.

  Even Ma was quiet as she moved around the kitchen with none of her usual enthusiasm.

  Emory and Charlotte joined us a short while later. I was grateful they were coming with us. Of all the Super Mags, they were the most trustworthy and least likely to do something unexpected.

  Graysen tore his attention away from Kaira. “Once we get that Energy Manipulator Super Mag out of the picture,” he said, as though we’d been in the middle of a conversation, “Bri will be the only working Steel.”

  I took great pleasure in thinking about the copper, tobacco-chewing foreman without his magic. We’d see what a tough guy he was when he couldn’t hide behind his Steel strength.

  “Sir Zachary and I will find him,” Charlotte said, tapping her nose. Sir Zachary wagged his tail at the mention of his name.

  Graysen smiled at Charlotte. “That will be really helpful.”

  “I’ve been thinking,” I said. “Kaira and Graysen should stay here—”

  “Oh, no.” Kaira pointed a finger at me. “Not you too.”

  Graysen chuckled.

  “Just saying.” I put my hands in the air. “I’m going to have to fire myself for being the worst Security Chief ever. What if this whole thing goes down in flames?”

  “Then we go down together,” Kaira snapped. “And the next person who tries to exclude or protect me for this mission is getting illusioned into a blobfish.”

  “What’s a blobfish?” Yutika asked, perking up a little.

  In answer, Smith projected an image on the wall. The pink, gelatinous creature looked more like something that belonged inside an animal’s body than outside of it.

  “Ugly little sucker,” Yutika said with a shudder.

  “All animals are pretty,” Charlotte said, crossing her arms.

  “Amen, sister.” A.J. lifted his glass of pomegranate juice at the image on the wall in salute.

  “Crew guys are here,” I said, texting Adam back as I shoved a spoonful of cashew yogurt into my mouth to appease Ma.

  “You all be careful,” Ma said, following us out.

  “We will,” we chorused back.

  Ma pulled Smith aside and gave him one of her bear hugs. She whispered something to him before pulling his face down to kiss his cheek.

  Smith swiped a hand across his eyes before hurrying out the door.

  The weather outside was cold and bleak. The October sky was full of dark clouds heavy with the promise of rain. A frigid wind swept across the lawn, dragging dead leaves off the trees.

  Even though I wasn’t titanium, the cold didn’t bother me. We were going back to the mine, and that mea
nt I was only a few hours away from rescuing Lilly. Anticipation filled my skin with pinpricks of heat.

  My mood took a rapid turn for the worse at the sight of Diego, lounging on a stone bench on our lawn like he didn’t have a care in the world.

  My friends mostly ignored him. They had all been quick to agree that saving Lilly was the priority, and we could deal with Diego and the Magical Reduction Potion after we had my niece safely out of the mine. But that didn’t stop Kaira and Yutika from throwing him dirty looks. Diego either didn’t notice or didn’t care. He was glaring at Adam, who had just gotten out of his truck and was jogging up to me with a huge grin on his face.

  I made sure to greet Adam with an extra-long hug.

  Normally, I was above those kinds of petty games. But Diego brought me to a new, unapologetic low.

  We all congregated on the driveway while Yutika handed out earpieces and mikes to all of us…minus Diego. Kaira reviewed the plan while we geared up.

  Charlotte and Sir Zachary were in charge of finding the Energy Manipulator who was making all the Steels a Level 6. The Nats on the crew team would knock him out, which would leave me as the only working Steel in the entire mine.

  Emory and Michael were going after the foreman. Between Emory’s Memory Reader magic and Michael’s Whispering, the two of them would be able to learn everything about the mine that we didn’t already know, including whether Felix Remwald was really still alive and in charge of the mine.

  I would go with Diego first to get his precious Agent S, and then to free my niece.

  I still had no idea what Diego had meant when he said only he could get to Lilly, but I didn’t want to take any chances. My friends had all agreed that we would play Diego’s game for the sake of getting Lilly back. But as soon as I had my niece, all bets were off.

  The Mag half of the crew team and the rest of the Seven were on rescue detail. They would get all of the slaves out of the mine using both the underground train and the supply shaft on Level 1 that led up to the surface. Then, after everyone was out, we’d destroy the mine.

  Once we were all clear on our roles, Yutika started to create a bus that would be large enough to get our whole group across town.

  While she worked, and my friends discussed last-minute details, I took Sir Zachary over to his favorite pee spot to take care of his business. It was a good excuse to get away from everyone for a few minutes and just collect my thoughts.

  A light breeze surrounded me with a familiar and unwelcome smell. Cinnamon.

  “Stop creeping and show yourself,” I ordered.

  Diego materialized in front of me. He had a large duffel bag slung over his shoulder and was leaning against the trunk of my favorite tree on the property. The towering maple looked like it was on fire with its red, orange, and yellow leaves.

  “I have nothing to say to you,” I told Diego.

  “I get it,” he replied, his usual smirk nowhere in sight. “But I don’t want you to think I’m a monster for no reason.”

  “It makes no difference to me,” I told him coolly. “Once we have what we need from each other, we’ll go back to being enemies.”

  Diego grabbed my arm and spun me around to face him. He recoiled a little at my expression, but he didn’t loosen his hold.

  “So stubborn. Will you just listen to me for a second?” Diego went to touch my face, but stopped when I flinched away from him.

  “Fine,” I grumbled, sitting down at the base of the tree.

  As much as I wished it were otherwise, I wanted to hear what he had to say.

  Diego sat down next to me, leaving plenty of room between us. For several seconds, we watched Sir Zachary dig a hole next to a row of hedges the gardener had just put in.

  “My parents gave their lives to discover the MRP formula.”

  Those words startled me out of my brewing fury. I’d known his parents were dead, but he hadn’t said before how they’d died.

  I looked at Diego.

  “My parents were in MagLab when the Pyrokinetic burned it down.”

  He spoke the words so quickly it took several seconds for my brain to register their meaning. When it finally did, I gasped.

  “The Pyro murdered my parents.” A storm raged in Diego’s eyes. “For the entire last year of their lives, they spent day and night in MagLab. My parents tried to tell Remwald how dangerous Super Mags were, and that they deserved to live normal lives without the burden of their magic. He didn’t listen.” Diego’s fingers dug into the grass. “And then, that Pyro burned MagLab to the ground.” He turned his fierce gaze on me. “That fucking psycho murdered my parents.”

  “Diego.” My voice came out hoarse.

  I bit my lip hard enough to taste blood. I wanted to tell him I was sorry, but the words seemed too inadequate.

  Diego hadn’t had anyone in his life except his parents. If I’d been in his place, I wouldn’t have just injected the Pyro with MRP. I would have ripped him limb from limb.

  “I wanted to kill that Pyro,” Diego said softly, like he could read my thoughts. “But I knew that kid’s magic drove him to do what he did. No Mag can resist using their power, but for Super Mags, it’s just this constant explosive force inside us. There’s just too much magic.”

  I swallowed hard. What could I possibly say to that? All of my earlier arguments felt weak and insensitive in light of this new information. All at once, it struck me that if I had been in Diego’s position, I’d probably feel the exact same way.

  Dizziness swept through me at that troubling revelation.

  “After my parents were killed, their mission became mine.” Diego flexed his forearm, drawing my attention to the Super Mag numbers tattooed on his skin. “I’ll never make the mistake of underestimating what my kind’s capable of.”

  When he put his hand over mine, I didn’t pull away.

  “Damn you, Diego Agramonte,” I whispered.

  He was making it so hard for me to hate him.

  “This changes nothing between us,” I said, getting to my feet.

  Diego didn’t follow me right away, but the smile playing at the corner of his lips said it all.

  We were still on opposite sides, but we understood each other. And in spite of all my efforts to the contrary, I respected him.

  CHAPTER 38

  Michael drove the bus right up to the ruins of MagLab and the trap door that led down to the high-speed train.

  The crew guys did their best to creep each other out as we climbed down the endless ladder. Their teasing turned to complaining when Diego just flew straight down and let his sardonic I’m waiting…what’s taking so long? echo back up the chamber.

  The doorstop Yutika had made the last time we came was still in place, so we didn’t have to do battle with A.J. to prick Sir Zachary again.

  We all piled onto the waiting train car. The crew guys just about blew my eardrums out with their shrieks as Smith put the vehicle in gear.

  As soon as we reached the other end, our light moods transformed to deadly seriousness. The sheer magnitude of what we were about to do settled on all of us.

  “Okay,” Kaira said. “Anyone have any questions?”

  No one did.

  We put in our earpieces and mikes, exchanged solemn nods, and opened the door to the mine.

  I’d thought it would be easier now that I knew what to expect, but the sight of two little Steels pulling chunks of Agent S out of the wall made me sick to my stomach. I saw the crew guys’ horror as they took in this place for the first time. Charlotte let out a little whimper and cuddled Sir Zachary against her chest, while Emory moved closer to Graysen and Kaira.

  The slaves shrank away from us until they caught sight of Michael.

  Michael crouched down in front of them, and a few seconds later, the kids were hurrying back up the tunnel to collect the other slaves.

  Kaira illusioned all of us so we’d blend in with the other kids as we made our way up the tunnel. Our progress was hampered several times when
voices calling Steel for Five! preceded a cart that came zooming down the tunnel.

  I was titanium, so the oppressive underground heat didn’t bother me, but everyone else was huffing and puffing.

  “Good luck, everyone,” Kaira whispered when we reached the end of the tunnel. She squeezed my hand before the rest of our group split off, leaving Diego and me alone.

  Diego’s slave illusion blurred out as he camouflaged himself to be indiscernible from the cement wall.

  “Take my hand,” he said, making me jump a little at his unexpected proximity.

  “No, thank you,” I replied stiffly.

  “I don’t need to expend unnecessary magic because you’re feeling stubborn.” Diego laced our fingers together.

  Rolling my eyes, even though he couldn’t see me, I let Diego lead me from the tunnel. We entered the massive, brightly-lit room where carts and people were moving back and forth to the elevator. Diego and I stood hand-in-hand against the wall and waited.

  My magic was inside me, but it was dull. I knew I had to wait until the others took care of the Energy Manipulator, but I could barely contain my fidgeting.

  I wanted to find Lilly now.

  I scanned the face of every slave who passed us, searching for my hazel eyes in one of the thin, dirty faces.

  “Soon, cariño,” Diego murmured. “Just relax.” His thumb stroked a soothing pattern across my knuckles. I didn’t want his touch to comfort me, but at the moment, it was all I had.

  “Stop,” Michael’s calm, commanding voice said across my earpiece. “Come here.”

  A few seconds of silence passed before Michael spoke directly into his mike. “Emory is taking the foreman’s memories now. We’re going to keep him alive to use as leverage once we find Felix.”

  “Good,” Graysen said. “When you’re done with that, Michael, we could use your help in the third tunnel from the left. I’m not sure these kids are going to come with us willingly.”

  “Will do,” Michael replied.

  “Sir Z and Charlotte just found the Energy Manipulator,” Adam’s voice said across my earpiece. “He hasn’t seen us yet. We’re hiding behind—