New Identity

by Tenaya MKD

  Before I could overthink it, I went through the door to the tenth floor, listening for people as best I could. I didn’t want to waste any time, but I didn’t want to find myself in the middle of a security staff meeting either.

  The room was quiet and dark. On the lower levels, I'd seen glimpses of plants and office furniture through the small windows in the doors on each floor, but not here. This floor was empty.

  Towering stacks of paper sat abandoned in front of the windows. The moon cast long shadows onto the carpet, almost hiding the mysterious stains that marred it. If I didn't know better, I would have thought I’d walked into a different building.

  The next three floors were similar. Empty and abandoned. But the moment I stepped onto the fourteenth floor, I smelled what I'd been looking for. Rubbing alcohol.

  This is it.

  33

  The lights were dimmed, but still bright enough that I could see the whole of the small lobby I was standing in. As well as part of the way down the hall across from me. The same hallway I’d seen in my vision.

  My legs turned to stone. My vision tunneled as adrenaline burst into my system. I took a deep breath. Or five.

  Don't let it paralyze you. Fear makes you sharp.

  A hand came down on my shoulder. I nearly broke it before I realized it was Cayde's. “Shit, I'm sorry! Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, it's fine.” He shook the pain from his hand. “You were taking so long, I got worried.” He inhaled deeply and his nose scrunched. “This is it, isn't it?”

  I nodded.

  He put himself in view of the stairwell door and signaled to the others to join us. Zane materialized next to me, and Eric and Quinn quietly ran in. It was then that I noticed the stacks of large, empty cages along the wall behind us. The same kind of cages that I’d seen people cowering in.

  “I hope we aren’t too late,” Zane whispered.

  I forced my feet to carry me toward the hallway. As I entered the threshold, with Zane beside me, I glanced over my shoulder. The others were following us, exactly how I’d seen them in my vision.

  There were five closed doors in this hallway. Three to my right, two to my left. I hadn't seen us enter a particular one in my visions, but when I reached the first on the left, I sensed that it was the one we needed. It stood out to me, like it had been highlighted in invisible ink.

  Cayde stood stiff as he watched me slowly turn the handle. I tried to brace myself, but knowing what was coming didn't make seeing it any easier. If anything, it made it harder. The room was even worse than I’d known. In my vision, I hadn't tasted copper on the air from the pooling blood. I hadn't heard the whimpering sounds of fear that came from the cages, just out of sight.

  Goosebumps traveled down my arms. For a moment, I thought I might be sick. Not only because of the amount of blood in the room, but because it was all exactly as I’d seen it. There was no doubt now that my visions were accurate. And that meant things might go exactly as I’d seen them.

  We stepped around the metal operating table, bringing the wall of cages, and the people inside of them, into view.

  Zane ran to them. “We are here to help you,” he whispered.

  There were six people. Each of them cowered into the back corner of their cage. Of course, they didn't trust us. They had no reason to trust anyone.

  Their heads were shaved close to the skin, and it seemed like their identities had been shaved away with their hair. Fear was who they were right now. Their clothes were the only evidence of the people they came here as. Disheveled and crusted with fluids now, but you could still make out the band t-shirts and the expensive slacks. My heart hurt for them.

  Eric and I broke the padlocks one by one, making more noise than I’d have liked, but there was no way around it. Even as we opened the cages, the prisoners still looked wary. With the bars out of the way, I could see their faces more clearly. Three women, two men, and a boy. I guessed that he was about eight, but maybe younger. It was hard to gauge with him curled into the cage.

  My heavy heart completely broke the moment I saw his panic-filled eyes. The blood stains on his shirt sent my blood boiling. I’d been angry plenty, but never quite like this. Any doubts I’d had about meeting Crowley dissolved away.

  That evil bastard has to die.

  Being that we were short on time, Cayde stepped in. I felt his influence wash over the room. There was calm even in my rage-filled system. He said to them, “You can trust us. We will get you out.” And they all reacted, finally making their way out of the cages with our help.

  A strong feeling of déjà vu hit me. I turned to Zane, “Get the kid out of here. Now!”

  “I don't want to leave yo—”

  “Now!”

  He wasn’t happy about it, but he did as I said. He grabbed the boy and ran for the door.

  The others caught on and readied themselves. Thanks to my vision, we wouldn’t be snuck up on. When the five guards came in, we were ready for them. We pushed the cowering prisoners behind us and took our fighting stances.

  Three of the guards were still in their slacks and button-downs, but the other two were in gray SWAT gear and combat boots. All of them were armed, but they left their guns holstered. I wouldn’t complain, but I had to wonder why.

  “Which one of you is Janine?” A guy in a suit asked, gesturing to me and Quinn. I recognized him immediately as one of the men who tried to kidnap me.

  Kyle.

  “Who the hell is Janine?” Eric asked.

  Kyle immediately grew frustrated, unholstering his gun to point it at Eric. “If Janine comes with us, everyone else can walk out of here, and no one has to get hurt.”

  Eric growled. I saw him tense, getting ready to run at the gun like an idiot.

  “I’m Janine,” I said, stepping forward. Cayde immediately shifted toward me protectively.

  “Not gonna happen.” Eric snarled.

  But if going with them would keep everyone safe, and get me into the same room as Crowley, which would most likely mean my body too, then I’d do it. I wasn’t sure how I would escape, once I was there, but I could work that out later.

  “Would you let these prisoners leave too?”

  “Shut up, Nova,” Eric said.

  “Why does Crowley want her?” Quinn asked. Always the level head.

  “I don't ask questions,” Kyle answered.

  We stood on opposite sides of an invisible line for an imperceptible amount of time, staring at each other. I could feel Eric beside me, itching to charge them and get this shit going.

  “There are more of us on their way in here. And you don't have much of a chance in this fight as it is. Take the deal.”

  Eric charged forward. In the time I spent blinking, he bulldozed Kyle and one of his men to the ground. The other three ran for Cayde, Quinn, and I.

  My opponent threw his fist toward my face. I managed to dodge it, but only just. He swung at me again, sending me jumping backwards to avoid him. The people we’d been hoping to protect behind us had to scatter.

  With my back up against the cages, I had nowhere to go to escape his next punch. It connected with my cheekbone. This was my first time taking a direct hit in an actual fight. It stunned me more than I ever expected. My head was suddenly buzzing, like it was filled with bees.

  The next punch landed in my stomach. I couldn't help but double over. I knew I needed to get my shit together. I knew the next hit was coming. I just needed a second to catch my breath. But real fights aren't like training. You don't get to call time-out. And no one is pulling their punches.

  An angel in the form of Quinn pulled the guard away from me, landing a sharp fist across his chin. “Get in the game, Nova!”

  I forced myself upright, shaking the buzzing from my head. When another of the men lunged for me, I dodged again. But I quickly righted myself this time. I threw my fist at him as if he were the heavy bag back home, holding none of my strength back. My knuckles connected with his jaw and he flew back at le
ast ten feet. He didn't get up.

  That felt good.

  Realizing Cayde was no longer near me, I spun around, frantically looking for him.

  Quinn was grappling with one of the guards on the floor. While I was watching, she managed to get herself on top of him and shift her knee into his throat.

  Eric had knocked out one of the men he'd tackled and was nearly finished with the other. The guy was managing to dodge most of Eric's blows, which was the only reason he was still standing. But I recognized the look on Eric's face. He wasn’t slowing down. The guard couldn't dodge forever.

  Finally, I saw Cayde on the other side of the room, fighting the last man. The guard looked tired, but blood trailed down Cayde’s chin from a busted lip. I rushed over to them. Grabbing the guard by the back of his neck, I slammed him into the nearest wall. He collapsed into a heap on the floor.

  “Thanks,” Cayde said.

  “Anytime.”

  When I turned back around, the guards were all down. We'd already improved on my awful visions. And I survived taking my first punches. Hope mixed with the adrenaline coursing through me. It pushed me to keep going.

  “More are coming,” Quinn said.

  Eric nodded. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

  “Can everyone run?” Cayde asked our new friends. They all nodded, finally looking alert now that escape with us seemed likely.

  There were four floors to climb before reaching the roof. But I was sure they could make it on their own. My body had to be on one of those four floors, and I couldn’t just pass it by.

  I climbed to the next floor with them, my eyes repeatedly shifting to Cayde. Part of me already hated myself for what I was about to do. My mind was made up though.

  As soon as the door to the fifteenth floor was visible, I bolted for it.

  “Damnit, Nova. No!” Eric yelled.

  “Nova!” Cayde’s voice sounded strangled. I could see the hurt in his face, even without looking at him. It almost made me turn back around… almost.

  I have to do this.

  I got through the fifteenth-floor door, locking it behind me just as Eric reached it. He slammed himself against it, but it barely budged.

  “You promised!” he yelled through the door’s small window.

  We stared at each other for a fraction of a second that felt like minutes. “Just keep them safe!” I pleaded. Then I kept running.

  You’re doing the right thing. They’ll be fine. You have to do this.

  But Cayde’s voice, when he called my name, stuck in my mind. It was haunting.

  That isn’t even your real name! You deserve to know who you are!

  The fifteenth floor had a lobby like the fourteenth, but this one was completely empty. I ran down the hallway, throwing open every door I passed.

  I was too distracted to consider how reckless I was being—too preoccupied to hear the voices on the other side of the fourth door.

  “I want her alive,” a voice said, over the intercom on the conference table. The six guards standing in the room turned to look at me in unison.

  Fuck.

  I turned on my heel to run as fast as I could, back the way I’d come. They weren’t far behind me when I threw myself back into the stairwell.

  Everyone should be on the roof by now. Just give them a little more time.

  I was going to be captured, there was no way around that now. But at least I would find my body, and everyone else could get away. My escape could come later.

  I pushed my legs to move faster. It put some distance between me and the guards, but not enough. Their boots stomping on the stairs still pounded in my ears. I pushed harder.

  Sixteenth floor. Sweat beaded on my face, as much from stress as from exertion.

  Seventeenth floor. My heart pounded in my throat.

  Before I could reach it, the door to the eighteenth floor burst open and more guards flooded the stairwell. The guards behind me were closing in. With nowhere else to go, I made a sharp right turn onto the seventeenth floor.

  No!

  Cayde, Eric, Quinn, and the people we were supposed to be saving, were backing into the far wall, as guards with guns drawn walked toward them.

  Any hope I’d felt before was gone. This situation was bad. We needed a space we could defend. But the seventeenth floor was one large, empty room, except for a flimsy fold-out table and a stool. There was nothing to hide behind. Nowhere to go.

  We’re fucked.

  “I’ll come with you! Just let them go!” I yelled.

  Kyle turned to look at me, just as more guards were running in. We were cornered, outnumbered, and out armed. The smirk on his face was smug. “That offer is no longer on the table.”

  Cayde and I locked eyes just before the lights went out.

  Yelling surrounded me.

  “Fuck!” Eric yelled.

  Then Quinn, “Get off of me you damn—!”

  High-pitched screams.

  It all blended together and pounded in my ears.

  Thumping footsteps of too many people. The crack of a fist making contact with a jawbone. The crash of the table falling under the weight of someone's body. It was all happening so fast.

  I desperately wanted to fight back, but I couldn't see more than vague moving shadows in the darkness.

  Who do I hit? How do I help?

  Finally, I felt the heat of a body come up close beside me. My arm lashed out, and I managed to wrap my hand around a throat. But before I could clamp down, I felt the sharp stab of a needle in my neck. I threw the bastard away from me as hard as I could, but I hadn’t been fast enough. The needle was still deep beneath my skin.

  No, no, no.

  Panic sent my heartbeat raging, pumping the toxin through my body that much faster. My skin started to tingle. My vision fogged around the edges. I reached my hand up for the needle.

  Gunshots. One, two, three, in quick succession.

  “Cayde!” I tried to yell, but no more than breath made it past my throat.

  The room went silent before my hand found the syringe.

  34

  The rhythmic beeping of a machine pulled me into consciousness. I sat, reclined on a hard, metal chair, my wrists and ankles held firmly to it by more cold steel. My breath was shallow. Inhaling took concentration. Everything felt slow.

  Finally, my eyes opened. Wires extended from my head, reaching out to the beeping devices that were just out of sight. Where the wires were taped to me, my hair pulled, and my skin itched.

  With effort, I was able to lift my head. The only thing I could clearly see was a woman directly across from me. I recognized her—me—immediately.

  I tore through my mind for the memory of how I’d gotten here.

  The bangs of the gunshots reverberated through my mind. Along with the thoughts of my friends being dead. Cayde’s lifeless face stuck behind my eyes, making my throat tighten.

  Please, no.

  My wrists and ankles pressed hard against the cuffs as my whole body trembled. My shallow breaths came fast.

  How did things go so wrong?

  I'd been so sure I could change this outcome. That I could bring myself to this room on my terms. I failed miserably.

  A heavy metal door’s hinges creaked as it opened. I struggled against my restraints, but the drugs still coursing through me had my limbs feeling as ineffectual as Jell-O. His shoes clicked on the tile floor, approaching me slowly. I strained my neck to see his face, but I didn't need to see him to know who was coming. I was about to be face-to-face with Crowley.

  When he stepped into the light, he didn't look like I’d expected. The flash of his face that I’d seen in my vision was maniacal. It had terrified me. But the person in front of me now looked more like a wealthy, put-together man at a nice party. You'd never guess he tortured kids in his spare time.

  He wore a perfectly tailored, all-white suit with a black tie, shoes, and belt. His dark beard was so immaculately manicured that it almost looked drawn on.
It was short, thick, and so straight he must have used a ruler when shaving. It accentuated the intensity of his prominent cheekbones and led my eyes straight into his confronting gaze.

  When he leaned over me to bring himself even with my face, the eyes I’d seen in my vision became clearer. They were a bright, azure blue. And if you looked closely, they showed the crazed man I knew him to be. The need for power and control was sitting just behind his irises.

  “Welcome back, Janine.”

  Talking was still too much effort to waste on pleasantries.

  He backed himself away from me, tugging on the hem of his crisp suit jacket to ensure its straightness. He went to examine the machines attached to my other body.

  “I am sorry your last visit here ended so abruptly. I'm very glad you found your way back. You aren't an easy person to find.” His casual tone set me on edge. What he did within these walls didn’t faze him. It didn’t strike him as horrible—and that made me sick. More than that, it infuriated me.

  “Do you recognize this woman?” he asked, motioning to my body.

  “Yes,” I said curtly.

  “Good.” He smiled.

  He brought himself closer to me again, so we could properly look each other in the face from my disadvantaged position.

  “What do you want from me?” I did my best to keep the slurry of fear and anger that was boiling inside me from touching my voice. It still shook.

  “Do you remember being here before?” He paused for a response I never gave. “Your situation is so unique. Unprecedented, in fact. Even I don't understand it fully. I have so many questions for you!” He paced the room, running his hand over his beard. “What is it like? What does it feel like to inhabit someone else so completely?”

  I kept my jaw set tightly.

  “I had been treating our experiment together as a failure until I realized your consciousness was missing. It took two full days of examining your brain to see it!” He laughed. “Can you imagine? Believing my greatest achievement as a doctor and scientist to be a failure? For two entire days!?”

  My voice found strength in my anger. “What did you do to me?” Imagining him, poking around in my brain, made my hands itch to strangle him.