Mind Sync
Page 30
A quick assessment of her surroundings told her that while she’d been out in La La Land hallucinating a conversation with her mother, Nina had applied a tourniquet to Cheveyo’s right arm using a strip of material ripped from his shirt. He looked okay for now.
Bree managed to stand, determined to get outside to Jase. “Kozeb, what the hell do you want?”
The sick bastard laughed. “I desire much. More than I have time to share with you.” Disdain was evident in his voice.
“Fine. What will it take for you to let us go so we can tend to our wounded?” Bree needed to keep him talking and keep herself calm.
“You’ve no idea what’s really happening here on Earth. Humans are so naive. Do you believe that Instant Karma is really about protecting you from a T’Lalz invasion? I almost feel sorry for you.” The corner of Kozeb’s mouth turned up in a wicked grin.
“Who are you calling naive? I’ve never believed any of that bullshit. I’ve never trusted you or your people.” Bree continued to fight an internal struggle. She needed to get to her brother. However, the thought of him with a gut wound caused her to panic, which caused the pain in her head to increase thereby threatening another blackout again. Calm… stay calm.
Seeing the kids with guns aimed at her pissed her off, which caused the pain to increase. Come on, stay calm.
If she remained calm, Bree could take Kozeb down, and save her brother, the other injured team members, and all these kids.
“Kozeb, what do you mean?” Iziqa asked. “We are here to help the humans. Our mission is to help them. Why would you believe otherwise?”
If Bree took off for her baby brother, Kozeb would kill her team and all these kids. Shit! She couldn’t do that. Not even to save her brother. But she wouldn’t let him down either.
She’d never gotten an answer from Ipeshe about mind syncing with the kids to get them to lay their weapons down. Ipeshe tended to Cheveyo and Iziqa was focused on Kozeb, so Bree decided to attempt contact with the kids herself.
Unfortunately, she’d barely figured out how to activate the mind sync with her Kusharian teammates. She’d never attempted to connect with a human before, let alone a room full of mind-controlled psycho-kids with guns. Oh well, she had to try.
Hi. My name is Bree. My friends and I are here to help you. If you put the guns down, we’ll help you get out of here and away from this bad man. How does that sound?
One of the kids fired at the ground in front of her feet.
“Whoa! Stop that, you little shit!” Bree yelled. Okay, so that hadn’t worked so well.
Bree! Kozeb heard your broadcast and ordered that child to shoot. Iziqa shoved that thought at Bree.
Damn! Well, at least I tried something. That’s more than you can say, Bree sent back.
I attempted to connect with them. Unfortunately, Kozeb has all their minds linked to his. There’s no way to get to them directly. He’s altered them somehow and has absolute control over them. They’re filled with rage. If he wasn’t controlling them, they would be firing at each other and anyone near them.
Bree’s mind filled with thoughts and images of Jason. I have to get to Jason. Right now! I can feel him, Iziqa. He’s in trouble, Bree sent back to Izzi.
She had to get to her bro before she lost him forever. She could’ve kicked herself for allowing him to come along. Fear and excruciating pain ramped up again, searing through her brain.
Bree dropped her gun and grabbed her head with both hands.
She heard Ipeshe’s mental voice, but couldn’t make out any words.
Fucking shit! She was losing her fight to stay in control.
No! She wouldn’t go down again. She would save her brother. Pain was excruciating. Each breath, ragged. The reek of desperation rolled off her. Desire to obliterate the threat consumed her thoughts.
Whoosh!
The awful pressure in her head released, followed by soft thudding all around her.
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“What have you done to them?” Kozeb yelled.
When Bree opened her eyes she found all the kids crumpled on the ground. She looked to Ipeshe. “What happened? Did I do that?” Dread slithered through her core. “Did I… kill them?”
“No. They are not dead; however, some of them are in grave danger. Most of them are temporarily unconscious, but will awake with time. I am not sure that any of them can be de-programmed.” Ipeshe looked up at Bree from beside a boy that must have been about ten years old.
Bree stood in the center of the fallen kids, staring at their limp little bodies. Not at all sure what she’d done, but relieved beyond measure that she hadn’t killed them.
Now what?
She couldn’t pull the healers away from these children, could she? Even though Jason still needed immediate medical attention.
Iziqa had taken advantage of the distraction to attack Kozeb.
Bree pulled Ipeshe up by her arm. “We need to go find Jason, now!”
“What about Iziqa? And these children?” Ipeshe asked, shaking free of Bree’s grip.
“Jason needs us now. Izzi can handle Kozeb. We’ll deal with these kids later. You said they’d wake up, right?”
“Yes. They will.”
Bree moved over to Nina and Cheveyo. “Can you walk?”
“Yeah. I’m good. Let’s go.” Cheveyo stood up with Nina’s help.
“I can go take care of Jason and you could help Iziqa while Ipeshe helps the kids,” Nina said.
Bree knew they were leaving Iziqa in a dangerous situation, but she had to find Jase. He’d needed her and she’d been delayed way too long. She would never forgive herself if he died before she could get to him. A wave of terror clouded any reason. She sprinted for the door, jumping over the fallen bodies of the women and children.
“Hurry the fuck up! I’ll meet you out there!” Bree bolted down the stairs, taking several steps at a time. Halfway down the first section, she grabbed the railing and hopped over it to land on the next section midway down. She continued running and leaping her way down.
Once out the door, she sprinted to the front of the building. She pushed past the burn in her legs and ran as fast as she could, making it to the front in a few seconds. “Jason! Where’s Jason?” She yelled so Alpha team could hear over the barrage of gunfire.
“He’s over here,” Wizard called from somewhere to her right.
As she flew around the boulder, Bree saw Jason on the ground and Wizard's hands on either side of her brother’s head. She slid down to her knees beside her brother. Blood dripped from his mouth and pooled near his left side.
Oh, shit. Oh, shit. Oh, shit.
“Jase! Talk to me, baby bro. Are you ok?”
He opened his eyes to look at her. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t fast enough. I’m so sorry.” His voice, a whisper. He winced with each breath.
Bree looked at Wizard, silently pleading for her to say Jase was fine. “How bad is it? The doctors are coming.”
Wizard looked right at Bree and shook her head, but continued stabilizing Jason’s head.
Fear filled Bree’s belly like a lead weight.
“Let me see the wound.” Ipeshe slid into place by Jason’s left side. “Nina is tending to Rick. She will be here once he is stabilized.” Ipeshe looked at Bree and then went back to work.
“You have to help him!” Bree’s words barely made it past the constriction in her throat.
Ipeshe used her small handheld scanner to assess Jason. Bree held his cold hand and used her free hand to shine the flashlight. “You are gonna be fine. You hear me? Otherwise, I’ll have to kick your ass.”
“I’m sorry. Tell Max I’m sorry I messed things up.” Jason gasped for breath, then groaned in agony and coughed, spraying blood.
Wizard kept his head still.
“Shut up! You didn’t do anything wrong. Max is the asshead. What the fuck was he thinking? Please, Jase, don’t worry about anything except getting better. And don’t try to talk. Save your strength.” Bree sw
allowed her anger because Max was still fighting to gain entrance to the building, but she planned to kick his stupid fucking ass when she saw him.
Ipeshe poured water over the wound. As blood and debris ran down his side and into the dirt, Jase grimaced, exposing his blood-covered teeth, but stayed still. Bree fumbled the flashlight as she got her first good look of the shrapnel sticking out of her baby brother’s left side. “You’re doing great. You’re really brave, kiddo.” She did her best to reassure him, glad that he couldn’t see all the blood draining from her face.
Ipeshe pulled a small vial from her bag and placed drops of the liquid around his wound.
“Ooowwwww!” Jason screamed in pain.
“What the fuck is that?” Bree snapped.
“It is necessary. I am sorry, but it will only hurt for a moment. Please, let me work,” Ipeshe retorted in a kind, but firm tone.
Jason stopped screaming and lay quiet on the ground. “Jase, stay with me, bud. Come on,” Bree pleaded, desperate to keep her fear in check so her own pain didn’t knock her out again.
His eyes fluttered and he tried to talk.
Bree couldn’t understand his garbled words, but at least he was still conscious. She let out a big sigh of relief and slid a questioning look to Ipeshe.
“It is a serious wound. The metal projectile punctured his lung, but missed his heart. We can fix this, but we need to get him out of here. The medicine I used will help with the pain as well as prevent more blood loss. I need more equipment to remove the projectile and repair his lung. He suffered no spinal injuries.”
“The KGs are all down and all signals are being blocked somehow,” Wizard reported and gently removed her hands from Jason’s head.
“I still cannot use our coms either. We will need to get away from the building so I can contact more Guards to transport us,” Ipeshe said.
“How far out do you need to go?” Wizard asked.
“Rick is stable. How is Jason?” Nina knelt next to Ipeshe.
“Punctured lung. The projectile missed his heart. I have applied the nano-chaith. Vitals are weak, but stable.” Ipeshe reported to Nina.
“Ipeshe, go call the KGs. Wizard, you come with me. Nina, stay with Jase.” Bree ordered. Before she stood up, she gave Jason’s hand a comforting squeeze and whispered in his ear, “you’re gonna be fine. Stay strong and let Nina and Ipeshe help you.”
“Okay, Bree.” He looked up at her with wide eyes. “I’m scared.”
“Ipeshe says she can fix this. You’ll be good as new soon. And you’ll have a bad-ass scar to show for it.” Bree forced the corner of her mouth up, her heart breaking at the look of fear in his eyes. It reminded her too much of the way he’d looked in the back seat of the car during the car-jacking all those years ago, and how helpless she’d felt.
Jason tried to laugh, but instead he winced in pain and coughed up more blood. “I’m sorry I screwed up.”
“Stop saying that. You did great. If you say that one more time, I’m gonna punch you in the face.”
Jason smiled at Bree. “Thanks. I love you too.”
She really wanted to stay with her brother, but she couldn’t risk Kozeb getting away again. She needed to get back inside to make sure Iziqa had him in custody.
Nina, reading Bree’s conflict, spoke up. “Go! We’ll be fine. I’ve got this.” Nina nodded toward the rear of the building.
“Nina and Ipeshe are going to take care of you, Jase. I need to go kick some alien ass. This dickless fuckbag has done enough damage and it’s gotta stop.”
“Okay. Please be careful,” Jase whispered.
“Always. Love you, baby bro.” Bree stood up and looked around, hesitant to leave them alone behind the boulder. “New plan. Wizard, stand guard until they’re out of here and then come up the back to help me.” She took off, running toward the rear door.
The men they’d taken down earlier yelled and pounded on the doors. Bree thanked the Universe they hadn’t escaped from the rooms on the first floor. That had to be the first thing that’d gone her way since this shitstorm of an op had begun.
Bree used her superhuman strength and speed to get back to the third floor, taking four and five steps at a time. She nearly pulled the door off its hinges as she entered the big open room where she’d left the fallen berserkers, Iziqa, and Kozeb. She skidded to a halt when she found some of the berserker women and kids back on their feet with their guns pointed at Iziqa.
He’s gone. You can still catch him if you go now. Iziqa sent to Bree silently.
Bree spun around and dove back through the door as shots flew over her head. She hit the ground and kicked the door shut behind her. What the fuck happened? How could you let him go again? Bree sent the thought with considerable force.
I didn’t expect the hostages to rise up again so quickly. They forced me to let him go. I’m as angry as you are about this. Don’t worry about me, go find Kozeb before he gets out of this building, Iziqa sent.
Can you knock them out like I did? Bree asked.
I don’t know how you accomplished that, and I don’t want you to try again. It might kill them.
Bree stood outside the door. They might kill you and I can’t let that happen.
My life is not as important as stopping Kozeb. Go now! Iziqa’s thoughts slammed into Bree’s head.
Wizard’ll be up here soon. Hang on ’til then. She’ll help. On the move now, Bree feared she wouldn’t hear Iziqa’s answer with Kozeb still running interference on their ability to communicate via the com equipment or mind sync beyond a ten-foot radius.
Shit! She didn’t know which way to go. Her brain comp displayed a map of the building, giving her an idea about Kozeb’s location. Rat bastard wouldn’t go toward the firefight at the front of the building, and she didn’t see him on the back stairs either. She figured he would go for the set of large windows in one of the second floor offices. He’d probably taken the other set of stairs to the second floor. She still had a chance to catch him.
Bree opened the door and ducked inside the dark hallway. She reached for her night vision goggles, but they were gone. She didn’t have time to find lights. Kozeb clearly had the advantage because Kusharians could see in low light much better than humans.
The noises coming from the first door on the left confirmed Bree’s hunch. With her back against the wall, gun in her right hand she felt for the door and found it slightly ajar. At least he wouldn’t hear her opening the door.
She debated whether to use stealth or force.
Opting for stealth, Bree took in a big breath and held it as she squeezed through the small opening of the office door.
Partway through the opening, the door slammed shut on her.
Monkey shit!
Kozeb had been waiting for her and now had Bree trapped. He knocked the gun out of her hand and continued to push the door. Bree tried to push back, but he had better leverage.
Shit, that hurt!
“You weasel shit.” Bree eeked the words out as she grasped for Kozeb with her right hand.
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Struggling to breathe, Bree wondered if this bastard could squish her to death. She couldn’t allow Kozeb to get the door shut so he could lock it, jump out the window, and disappear. Literally, even if she wanted to back out, she couldn’t move. The dickless wonder had her pinned in the doorway with the door pressing against her midline. With all coms down, she couldn’t order someone to the back of the building to capture Kozeb when he hit the ground.
Nope. She didn’t have any other options, other than getting in that room and kicking this guy’s ass.
Thoughts of Jason and his penetrating wound, as well as the children and adults that Kozeb had either turned into berserkers or killed, flashed through Bree’s mind. No way would she let him get away.
Bree used her anger to fuel another attempt to get inside the room. She leaned into the door with everything she had. It moved a tiny bit. She pushed harder. It worked! The door opened a fraction mor
e; enough for her to slide into the room.
Lightning fast, Kozeb lunged at Bree. Her own reflexes quickened by the Kusharian implant and nanotech, Bree spun to meet her attacker head-on. He drove her into the wall with enough force to knock the wind out of her and battered her with punches.
“You clearly have gained some advantage. You are stronger than most humans, especially the female ones.” Kozeb’s mouth curled into his creepy smile. “It seems that I wasn’t the only one to experiment on you. Your sanctimonious friends have broken protocol. I will be sure to deliver that information to the appropriate sources before I take my leave of this planet.”
The bastard had skills and used them to keep Bree on the defensive and with her back against the wall. She needed to get to an offensive position. A strong kick to the gut caused Bree to double over, but her arms shot up and crossed in a move to protect her head and face.
“You are not getting out of here.” Bree spat the words out between heaving breaths.
Assface laughed; he wasn’t even winded, despite the fighting. “You humans are very entertaining. I most certainly will get out of here. Haven’t you learned that you can’t keep me where I do not wish to be? Before I leave, I’ll get rid of you once and for all and then take care of your little group. Then again, perhaps I’ll let you watch your brother and your friends die before I kill you. Yes, I believe that is a better plan.”
Bree anticipated another kick and grabbed Kozeb’s leg. He spun out of her hold before she could pull him down, but at least she was away from the wall and into a fighting stance.
Kozeb laughed again.
God, she hated being laughed at. Hated it!
“You’re a cocky little shitbag aren’t you? I’m going to enjoy kicking your ass.” Bree didn’t want him to see her fear. On a better day, she knew she could take him down or at least hold her own, but at the moment she had doubts. She couldn’t let the smarmy dickless Kusharian kill her and everyone else, so she’d keep fighting.