by Lucy Rains
Jade...something…
Suddenly a hand pressed firmly against my mouth. My body was pulled backwards with a fierce jerk, my feet yanked out from underneath me, I almost didn’t feel the needle that pierced my hip through my leggings.
Pierce Pierce Pierce Pierce Pierce
There were two of them, dressed as casual shoppers in jeans and polos, both had baseball caps on. One held my legs up, the other covered my mouth. I was being hauled backwards around a corner and into an emergency exit only door.
I tried kicking my feet, twisting in his hold. I was able to get a hand up and let out a burst of energy, but they were too strong. It tripped up the one holding my feet but didn’t stop him in any way.
Pierce had been screaming in my head but I had been too distracted to notice or respond to him.
Where are you?! Pierce bellowed.
My limbs were quickly becoming unresponsive and I became dead weight. The one holding my feet had eyes as dark as midnight, a black baseball cap on his shaved head. He seemed to know that the drug had kicked in and he dropped my feet carelessly. The other one gathered me in his arms and began walking downstairs.
They drugged me. Two of them. Going down stairs. Emergency exit doors at the shoes.
I’m coming.
Hurry, Please, Hurry, I can’t move. Pierce, I can’t do anything, they’re taking me-
I’m coming, I swear they won’t get far.
As if they heard Pierce in my mind, my captors picked up their pace, hurrying down the stairs with smooth precise steps. My heart pounded in my ears, moisture pricking my eyes. I wanted to scream, wanted to fight. I wanted to rip their heads off with my bare hands.
There was a high beeping noise and black hat guy spoke. “Doctor V wants an update.”
“Tell her we have her, and are about to load her into the car.”
Pierce?!
There was no response and my panic rose. He would come, I told myself over and over to keep my chest from exploding in fear.
We reached the bottom of the stairs and pushed through another set of heavy doors. From what I could see through heavy lids we were in a maintenance hallway, grey walls, fluorescent lighting.
“Those doors will take us outside,” the one carrying me spoke. “You get the van, I’ll wait here.”
“What about the other one?”
“He won’t know where to look for her. Hurry, we gotta get out of here.”
Pierce! I tried again.
There was a sound of heavy doors opening, bright sunlight streamed onto the walls, and then faded as the doors sealed closed. My captor dropped me to the ground and I lay on my side on the cold concrete floor. My mouth fell open and salvia began to drip out, pooling under my cheek. My heart beat at a frantic pace, and I yearned for the gentle hum to return to my chest.
My wrists were yanked forward and roughly tied together. The same stale smell filled my nose that I had experienced the night before. There was an artificial scent to these guys, and I wondered if it was the smell of the lab.
A beep sounded again and I waited to hear what would happen next. Footsteps shuffled, a vibration sounded, and then a sharp curse from my captor. His anticipation turning sour and into a furious rage. His anger was a good sign.
A few seconds later my chest began to hum and I welcomed the warmth more than I ever had before. Pierce was close. Judging from my inner beacon, he was coming fast.
As much as I wanted to do something, it was too soon. The drug still had several more minutes before it would wear off even the slightest bit. I heard a curse again, and felt his arms go around me. I groaned inwardly, hating the touch of his body against mine. I managed to crack a lid open the slightest fraction of an inch, only to see his red shirt in my view. He spun around and began running with me in his arms.
If my body hadn’t been numb with toxin I would have jumped at the sudden sound of the exterior door slamming open followed by double gunshots. I felt warm liquid splatter on my face and my body began falling as my captor’s body fell to the floor. Pierce’s warm hands grabbed my torso before I made impact with the cold concrete and pulled me into him. My limbs hung limply, like a ragdoll, as Pierce settled me back down on the ground.
I’m here, baby. A ripping noise sounded and I felt fabric rubbing on my face.
I wanted to cry. My heart soared in relief, in frustration, in fear, in happiness. The other guy?
There were 2 others. Both dead.
I wanted to ask details but knew we needed to clear the area. Can we leave now?
Of course. Let me cut your ties. I heard a jangle of keys and felt him saw into the cords binding my wrists. Once free, he lifted me from the ground and held me tight against him. His pace smooth, yet swift, as he pushed through the doors leading us outside.
CHAPTER 27
My body shook softly with the movement of the truck. I was laid across the front seat, my head in Pierce’s lap. My knees were bent, folded up onto the seat, a blanket lay over my body.
“Gavin,” Pierce barked. “There’s been another attempt.”
A roar of fury came through the phone and Pierce waited a second. “I don’t have time for questions now. Listen, we need a P.D. at S.L. at 17:00. Send Alex to pick up Jade’s clothes at Berkins before hand. Also, we need to get rid of the cars.”
Pierce paused while Gavin spoke into the phone. A few seconds went by.
“We’ll talk when you guys get here.”
There was a soft beep and I heard his phone settle into his truck door.
We had been driving for 10 minutes, and I still couldn’t move anything. Anxiety pulsed in my mind, sweat pricked at the nap of my neck. The drug was taking longer to wear off than before. I should have control of my muscles by now.
Any minute now.
Any minute now.
Any second now.
Pierce’s hand would move from my shoulder, to my head, to my waist, to my arm. He was anxious, unsettled, his emotions washing over me in heavy waves. I could feel the tension in his fingers as they brushed over my skin, leaving trails of worry.
Anything yet? He asked.
No. I think they made a more concentrated dose this time.
The truck stopped and Pierce turned off the engine.
Where are we? I asked.
This is where we’re meeting tonight.
He unbuckled his seat belt and my heart skipped a beat. What are you doing?
Don’t worry, just going to check over the truck for a tracking device.
I heard his boots crunch on gravel as he walked slowly, felt the truck move as he opened the hood, and the bed. Felt the sudden spike of anger.
The moment he opened the doors I could finally move my toes, and my eyelids fluttered open. What did you find? I asked.
There was a pause, What I suspected.
A tracker?
Yes. He let out a heavy sigh. Satellite based, real time GPS tracking. They could track us anywhere. Phone, tablet, computer.
How long do you think they have been following us?
Pierce paused again and spoke out aloud, “Probably only a day.”
“Since yesterday…” I spoke softly.
There was movement and then Pierce’s beautiful face was in front of mine. “Wearing off?”
I gave a couple small nods, wiggling my fingertips, and trying to flex and point my feet.
“Lift me up?”
His hands went under my arms and he pulled me up in the seat to a sitting position. I was able to hold my head up, but he kept his hands on my torso to make sure I would stay steady until I was fully in control.
My stomach chose that moment to growl loudly. Pierce’s brow furrowed in displeasure.
“How long till everyone gets here?” I asked.
“30 minutes.”
I closed my eyes and leaned my head back, relishing the return of control. My hands opened and closed, my mouth opened, drawing in deep breaths to cleanse my lungs. My head rolled and with great effort I lifted my arms
, flexing my muscles. I craved my strength, needing my power to roll back through my body. A frustrated growl left my mouth and I pinched my eyes closed.
“I swear the next person that stabs me with a needle will beg for mercy.”
The next 5 minutes were spent by me attempting to move all of my limbs and body parts again. Pierce waited patiently, silently, giving me space while I regained my physical sense.
When I had 100% mobility I hopped out of the truck and and looked around. “Sushi Lounge?”
Pierce grabbed my hand and led me inside. “You’re starving. Let’s go eat.”
“This is where the guys are meeting us?”
He nodded.
“What’s P.D.?” I asked.
“P.D. is short for PW which stands for Pow Wow, which indicates a heavy team discussion. We’ve only had a few in our time out of the lab.”
I nodded, getting ready to ask another question when we entered the restaurant and all of my thoughts suddenly scattered. The aroma of hot food made my knees weak and talking suddenly became unimportant.
It was a sushi buffet along with all of your other hot chinese food staples. I had only had chinese a small handful of times in my life, Mother would never allow it. My experience with chinese food had been take-out at Vicki’s, and it had always been lukewarm and unsatisfying. This seemed completely different and I was eager to grab a plate.
When I looked up to Pierce, there was a small grin of amusement on his face. He still held my hand, my shoulder touching his thick tricep. His thumb grazed over my hand lightly, his eyes shone with something I couldn’t place. I reached out for his emotions and felt thick pleasure.
My eyes darted to the food and back to him. “Can I?”
He nodded once and let go of my hand so that I could begin searching for an empty plate. He had the waiter find the group an empty table.
At 5:00 sharp the restaurant doors opened and the other three guys sauntered in. They located us, but headed to the sushi buffet first. When they sat down at our table I was on my third plate of food and finally slowing.
I let out a huff and rolled my eyes, pushing my empty plate away. “Everything I just ate,” I looked up to Pierce, “let's not talk about it ever again.”
He rested an arm on the back of her chair, “I was wondering if you would ever stop.”
“Sound like you had an exciting afternoon,” Kyson said as he sat down in front me. Gavin and Alex sat down beside of him, the three of them facing me and Pierce.
I glanced up to Pierce again, “Do they know everything?”
He nodded, tapping his forehead with a sly grin.
“Let’s get down to it,” Gavin grumbled, picking up a sushi roll with chopsticks. “What the hell is going on? How did these guys find us?”
“It had to of been Jason, or his superiors,” Pierce said. “There might have been some money thrown around. Bribery or maybe blackmail. And apparently Vera is getting impatient,” Pierce said. “I found a tracker on my truck.”
“Same,” Alex said.
I looked to Kyson and Gavin and they both nodded in agreement. “I left mine on,” Kyson said. “When I switched it out.”
“Switched it out?” I asked, confused.
“We have back up vehicles stored at a storage unit in town, registered under false IDs.” Kyson looked to Pierce, “We’ll need take yours over there after this.”
“How do you know it's not Jason's trackers?”
Alex looked at me, wiping a napkin cover his mouth. “Because I traced its origin signal.”
Pierce nodded while looking down at his water glass. “Bugs in the house?”
“None that I could find,” Gavin said.
“We’ll need to beef up security around the house. Install a few more alarms.”
“Hell, why don’t we just leave the house?” Kyson said, stabbing at a shrimp on his plate. “We’re like sitting ducks in there.”
“He has a point,” Alex said. “Vera knows Jade is with us. And if they bugged our cars she obviously knows where we live.”
“Where would we go?” I asked.
“How about we go camping,” Kyson suggested, “Out somewhere rural, no tech, no trackers, and we can sense them coming from miles away.”
“Um,” Alex swallowed, “my favorite thing about camping is when we don’t.”
“Then a hotel?” Kyson suggested.
Pierce rubbed his chin, lost in thought, “I don't know. I’m tired of being on the defense, I want to be on the offense.”
“Do we need to do something about Jason?” I asked.
Kyson shook his head, “We don’t want to go down that path if we can help it. Messing with Jason means we start messing with the government. And even if we tried to take out Jason,” Kyson added. “He’ll be replaced. He has superiors, the U.S. government is a powerful entity with unlimited resources.”
“But he is what's holding you here, isn’t it? When you disappear isn’t that going to be like going AWOL? Desertion?”
Alex waved a hand at me, as if waving off my questions. “It’s not like we’re in the marines. We’re just contractors. But we’re not interested in directly attacking a government employee.”
“Back to the issue,” Pierce interrupted. “We’ve killed five of her men. Where are all of these guys coming from? When we left the lab there were only 4 specimens. And I don’t think she would be letting them out to run free like this. So easily disposable.”
“Are they really like us, though?” Kyson asked. “I wasn’t able to get a good look at them last night.”
“We saw how they heal,” Gavin said, “they were fast, strong.”
“These guys aren’t completely like us,” I said. “My chest doesn’t,” I motioned towards myself, “You know...around them.”
“Good,” Gavin mumbled. “I'd hate to have another reason to kill them.”
“We know we’re different than the other subjects in the lab,” said Pierce. “It’s why they finally discarded us, because we were less robotic.”
I nodded, forgetting to take that information into account. “Were there any other indicators? As far as you guys being different?”
“Well,” Alex spoke up, “When I last hacked into the lab’s medical files and found our blood tests, DNA scans, those sorts of things, the entry where our parents or donor’s ID numbers should have been, the information was blank.”
“Blank?” I asked with confusion.
“Blank. There should have been an Identification number of some sort for our donor parents, but that information wasn’t in there. Not for you either Jade.”
“Have you seen that information on the other test subjects?” I asked.
Alex nodded, “Yes. The other members had specific individual blood work matching the DNA of their donor parents, as well as the ID numbers for the donors in their files. Ours has nothing.”
“Maybe it's somewhere else?” I offered. “Under lock and key on a different computer that you can’t get into remotely.” I paused to take a drink. “So, the lab should know who our parents are?”
“We don’t know,” Kyson said, and I remembered our discussion from last night. Or this morning.
I nodded, sitting back in my seat.
“How soon can we go after her?” He looked at Alex.
“She’s been going to her home every night, routinely for the last 5 nights. I say we watch her again tonight and then move forward. We go to her house and do what we need to do, then plan to hit the lab the following night.”
My hands went to my head and I closed my eyes. Maybe it was a side effect from the drug but everything felt like it was moving too fast. “Are you saying...you want….you want to kill my mother? Tomorrow? Just like that?”
“And then we move on to the lab,” Pierce confirmed without compassion.
Despite the abductions, despite the past, despite everything I knew to be wrong about her, my inner resolve to stop my mother in the most definite way was like a heavy brick
in the pit of my stomach.
I cleared my throat, realizing a possible kink. “When you guys were in the lab, did they have the drug they used on me last night? Where you go weak and can’t use your abilities?” I looked over at Gavin to see his reaction. He met my eyes and shook his head.
“That must be a new concoction, brewed up by the good doctor Quinn herself.” Alex said with a thick country drawl.
“It’s going to make things a bit riskier,” Kyson said while rubbing his chin.
“What about Jason?” I asked.
“What about him,” Kyson asked.
“How do you know we won’t be followed to her house? To the lab? He has to have some sort of tracking system on your phones.”
Alex and Gavin gave me bored looks while Pierce and Kyson were trying not to smile. I glared at all of them.
“You’re cute when you get all involved,” said Alex.
My cheeks flared at his jab, “Alex, I really want to hit you.”
“Ha,” he laughed. “You tried that once, it didn’t go so well. Remember?” He taunted me with a sly grin.
“You’re such an ass,” I muttered.
“You should hear the things I hold back.”
Alex and I held a glaring match. That is until I flicked a finger towards his head and hit him with a tiny jolt in his forehead.
“Hey!” Alex exclaimed, rubbing his forehead.
Pierce looked over at him, “Are you done?”
“She-”
“Yes Jade,” Gavin interrupted “We know Jason keeps tabs on us. But we can’t just get rid of our phones and get new ones, it will raise too big of an alarm. We’ll leave our phones at home, and pick up burner phones for our endeavors.”
“I still think we should go to a hotel or something,” Alex said. “We can always tell Jason why.”
“We can’t trust Jason,” Pierce said, a growl in his voice.
I rubbed at the spot on my arm where the needle had gone in, feeling suddenly very tired. The events of the last two days with not enough sleep was catching up to me. My right arm rested on the table, folded in half and I let my head fall down to rest on it. “Are we done? I’m ready to go home.”
*********************