Shift (Anomaly Book 2)

by Jessica Gilliland

  Nervous guilt filled me as I thought about the agent that had already been there. Jason looked over at me again. This time he didn’t glance away, he studied my features almost curiously.

  “I already know about Dozer. He came clean, but he’s on our side. He’s not giving them anything.

  “Do you really believe that?”

  “I do.” I cleared my throat. “He loves Charlie. He’s not going to do anything to hurt them.”

  “It’s not going to stop ACT from coming for you. You have to come home with me.”

  I didn’t say anything. I didn’t want to keep going in circles with him.

  “I love you, Liv.”

  “Jason, I—”

  He turned to me and took my other hand in his. When I looked into his eyes, the anger was gone. I could see that little boy I’d first met all those years ago, laying quietly underneath the features of a beautiful man ravaged by time and responsibility.

  “I know what I did to you was unforgivable. I don’t even know how I could have hurt you. Liv, I’m—” Jason’s words caught in his throat as he fought to make his point despite the overwhelming remorse he felt. Unable to look at me any longer, he turned his face away. "Sorry just doesn't seem like enough."

  “Jason, please don’t.”

  “I can’t stand to lose you again, Liv. I can’t even begin to tell you how devastated I’ve been thinking about what happened.”

  He didn’t have to tell me. I could feel it, old and worn in him. My stomach turned and I looked away, swallowing down the rock of emotion in my throat. I felt my eyes start to burn, my cheeks following suit.

  “Just hear me out. I know that our facility is flawed. I can change it. We already sent the kids back to their families.”

  “Jason, you’re too close to this to realize what’s going on. Stone isn’t going to stop. She isn’t going to listen to you. You aren’t really her son. You’re a commodity, a means to an end. Practically disposable.”

  “You don’t know anything about her. You never even gave her a chance. From the day I brought you back, you were closed off to any possibility. I felt it.”

  “Fine. I admit I had reservations and doubts about the whole thing, but nothing has changed. What you’re doing to those kids is disgusting. And you know it’s wrong, or you wouldn’t have hidden it from me.”

  “It isn’t like that. They don't go through conditioning, and I admit the extractions on Tony were crossing the line. I've shut it down,” he said firmly.

  “Sure. She probably just erases your mind of anything she thinks you’ll disapprove of. Just like before.”

  He frowned deeply. “Stop it. She didn’t do that. She says she didn’t and I believe her. She has never lied to me. She saved me.”

  “Oh please, Jason,” I scoffed. “I saw it in the files. What do you think a rinse means? How else do you explain it?”

  Jason sighed, looking tired. “I don’t want to fight with you. I want to take you home. You'll see then. You belong with us." He caught my eyes. "With me.”

  I ran a hand through my hair. “Don’t make me choose between my love for you and my soul, Jason. I can’t live with myself while I allow that woman to dissect those children for her revenge.”

  “That’s not how it is. You just can’t see—”

  “You’re the one who isn’t seeing it, Jason.” The words felt clumsy as they left me. “I can’t go back there.”

  “And I can’t leave you here. I can’t be without you, Liv.” He pleaded me, squeezing my hands gently so I would look at him.

  “You would have me go back after seeing the things she did to Tony, after what she did to me?”

  Jason lowered his head, frustration biting at him from the inside out.

  “There are a lot of things that need to be done at Hawthorn, but ACT is never going to stop. If normal people get wise to the fact that Anomalies exist, what do you think is going to happen? ACT is going to waste no time in turning them against us. They’ve already forced us to live underground.”

  “There are other ways,” I insisted. I had lived with the Nomads for over a month now. They were fine. They were happy. It didn’t all have to be underground. It would never be completely mundane, but it was enough.

  “Ask your friend in there how many times he’s had to drop their whole lives and run. ACT kidnapped and chipped you the first time, but the next time they will kill you. They won’t hesitate to kill any of us. The kid you all have in there is a weapon to them, and everyone else is good as dead if ACT finds him here. There’s no other way around it.”

  I bit my lower lip. "You know about Headset?"

  "Stone has been feeling his powers growing. We were planning on reaching out to them once she figured out a way to get them away from the ACT agent placed with them."

  "Dozer."

  "Yeah, whatever you want to call him. He's dangerous."

  "He is not." I raised my voice. I was tired of him constantly thinking he knows my life, my friends, and my feelings better than I do.

  "I'm not trying to upset you. I'm just saying, ACT may have Anomalies working for them, but don't think for a second that they respect what we are. ACT fears us,” he said firmly, capturing my attention again. “They fear what they don’t understand. And they refuse to live in fear, Liv. This is it. Either we rise or we die.”

  What he was saying struck a chord inside me. I couldn’t deny it, or I wouldn’t have tried to run again. Maybe I was just living in a fantasy. He had long since faced the shitty reality of what our powers meant. What was I doing? I was making s’mores and playing on beaches, hoping that if I ignored it, it would all just go away.

  I sighed. “You’re right.”

  This seemed to startle him. I guess he expected me to be more stubborn, to fight longer against him. “Really?” Jason pulled back and arched a brow.

  “I was planning on leaving tonight, but an ACT agent stopped me at the door.”

  “What?” Jason suddenly interrupted me, and when I looked at him, his expression was one of fear. The sensation curled through him and slid into me like icicles jabbed into my spine. “There was an agent here? Besides Dozer?”

  “Yes, but he left us alone—”

  Suddenly, Jason’s hands were on my shoulders and he was gripping me hard.

  “Who was he?” He demanded fiercely.

  “Jason, he’s gone.”

  “What was his name?”

  “Hey!” Cash called out to us. I turned my head to see him standing at the doorway of the Lair. His concern and anger floated out toward me.

  “It’s okay, Cash, go back inside!” I called over my shoulder, raising my hands to pry Jason’s fingers off of me. “Jason, what the hell is wrong with you?”

  Jason seemed to realize what he was doing and lowered his hands to his sides, rising to his feet.

  “It’s not okay. Was the agent's name Devereaux?”

  A nail of realization slammed into me, pinning me where I sat. I felt cold spread over me, and it had nothing to do with the weather. Jason didn’t need my answer to know he was right.

  “Who is he?” I asked.

  Jason turned to me, his jaw tensing and releasing. “What did he ask you?”

  “He asked me where Hawthorn was, but I didn’t say anything.”

  Jason grit his teeth and cursed loudly, suddenly whipping around and swinging his fist out. It collided with the tree and slammed right through, knocking it over.

  “Jason, I don’t understand—”

  “He’s a mind-reader, Liv." He swallowed hard and hung his head, running his hand through his hair.

  Chapter Ten

  I pulled myself to my feet. My heart was racing, and my nerves were on edge, but everything else around me stayed painfully slow. I thought I had been protecting Jason and the people at Hawthorn. In reality, I had led them straight there.

  “How long ago did he leave?” Jason asked.

  “I don’t know. Twenty minutes ago? A half hour, ma
ybe?”

  “Shit!” Jason grabbed my hand and pulled me back toward the Lair.

  Cash was still standing at the door, but his anger was gone. He had sensed the sudden change between us, the way panic had set in. “What’s going on?” He asked, steeling himself for the answer.

  Jason breezed right passed him, expertly slipping into the Lair, still pulling me behind him. His eyes darted around the living room, scanning the area. He let go of my hand and whipped out his cell phone.

  “You need to get out. It’s not safe here anymore.” He had raised the phone to his ear but only a second after doing so, slammed it shut. “Damn it! They cut my phone. We have less time than I thought.”

  Charlie and Dozer came out with Headset from the kitchen, worry written all over their expressions. They eyed Jason warily, and then looked at Cash and me. Cash was already at the coat rack, ripping down jackets and sweaters from the pegs.

  “Are we leaving?” Charlie asked tensely. “Are we running again?”

  Jason turned toward me. “Get them together and ready to go. Two minutes, no more.” He went back to his phone, trying again to get through to Hawthorn. I had to face the others and try to explain the hell I’d brought on them.

  “Yes. We have to leave,” I finally admitted, and I saw Charlie suck in a breath and cast Dozer and Glitch a worried look.

  “How long do we have?” Dozer asked Jason.

  "You'd know better than I would."

  Dozer looked at Charlie. "We need to go now."

  Charlie looked like she might cry for a moment. Instead, she stiffened and resolve flooded in.

  Glitch came up next to me and shrugged into his jacket. The disappointment on his face nearly killed me. “They’re coming, aren’t they?” He asked.

  I nodded. “I’m so sorry.” I’d been saying it so much lately that I wasn't sure it even meant anything anymore.

  Glitch offered me a half-hearted smile. “It’s cool. We’ll handle whatever comes our way.”

  I tried to mirror his smile.

  “Dozer?” Headset piped up. He was tugging on Dozer's pant leg as Dozer was pulling on his sweater.

  “Hold on, buddy. I’m almost done,” Dozer said, guiding Headset’s arm through the sleeves.

  “Dozer,” Headset whimpered again.

  Dozer looked down at him. “Do you have to go to the bathroom?”

  Headset shook his head, his eyes wide. I felt fear oozing from him.

  “What do you need, buddy?” Dozer asked him.

  “I heard something,” Headset whispered.

  I felt my body go rigid, my muscles unconsciously tightening as though I was preparing to fight. My telekinesis flew from the furthest points of my body to gather at the center of my chest, gaining momentum.

  I glanced over at Jason, who was busy trying to call Stone.

  “Jason.” I walked up to him, grabbed his arm, and made him look at me. He was flustered, scared, and angry.

  “What?”

  “We need to go now."

  The windows in the front of the Lair shattered. Something heavy hit the floor and skittered across the old boards. It took me a second to realize it was a canister, but that second’s pause was all it took. There was an ominous clicking noise and then a thick green gas began to spew from it.

  “Cover your eyes and mouths! Keep low to the ground!” Jason shouted out, grabbing my hand and yanking me down to the floor with him. The fog curled up through the air, reaching for us. I pulled the front of my shirt up over my nose, trying my best not to breathe. My eyes started to burn.

  A pair of black boots thudded down mere inches from my nose. I looked up and found myself staring down the barrel of an assault rifle.

  “Don't move! Keep your hands where I can see them!” The figure in front of me was male, dressed head-to-toe in a black combat suit, his facial features obscured by a gas mask and goggles. Only his wild pale eyes and the adrenaline that pumped through him gave away his true feelings.

  I could hear the startled cries of the others as the living room was suddenly filled with other soldiers. They poured through the windows and came down the stairs, surrounding us within seconds. Jason was at my side; his entire demeanor tense and angry. Through the blur of my tearing eyes, I could see Dozer, Glitch, and Cash slowly position themselves in front of Charlie and Headset.

  My heart pounded almost painfully, and my hands were shaking. I had a mental lock on their weapons, but they were pointed at the people I loved. As fast as I was, I didn’t want to risk a shot slipping by me. If all of the soldiers fired, and I missed a single bullet, someone was going to die. I was skilled enough to catch Glitch at top speed, but was I good enough to catch a bullet? A dozen bullets at once?

  I wasn’t willing to risk it.

  Jason was stronger than all the soldiers put together, but he didn’t dare move either. He kept his hands up and within sight. They knew what each of us could do, and that knowledge made them fearful. Jason’s words came back to haunt me. They refuse to live in fear, Liv. This is it. Either we rise or we die.

  The were poised to shoot. I could feel their nerves like guitar strings, wound so tightly that even the slightest gesture would make them snap.

  “Please,” I spoke softly, slowly. “We’ll go with you. We’ll do whatever you want us to. Just don’t shoot. There’s no need to.”

  The soldier in front of me jabbed his rifle at me threateningly, his grip on his weapon visibly tight even through his black gloves. “Shut up and stay down!"

  “Don’t fucking move!” One of the other soldiers shouted out roughly, and I felt his anxiety spike.

  I heard Cash whisper, “Dozer, stop.”

  Dozer wasn’t kneeling like the rest of us. He wasn’t on the ground, and he wasn’t backing down. He had actually taken a careful step toward the soldiers. He had his hands out in front of him, fist closed tightly. Fear was etched into his face, but it didn’t match his heart. A sense of resolve and determination surrounded him. He had a plan, but it was going to get him killed.

  “Dozer, please—” I started to interject, but I was drowned out by the yelling of the soldiers.

  “On your knees!” One of them demanded, taking a threatening step toward Dozer. His gun was raised and his finger was curled around the trigger, halfway depressed. He was too tense, too scared, too ready. I tried to focus on the rifle; the bullet in the chamber. I had to try to stop it.

  Everything was moving too fast. I couldn’t concentrate. I just had to act. There were nine rifles. My mind grabbed hold of them and—

  The sound of the gunshot tore through the room and pounded in my eardrums. I froze, feeling as if my heart had just exploded. In a desperate attempt to protect me, Jason grabbed me and pulled me down the rest of the way. I heard Charlie scream and Headset's startled cry.

  Instead of the battery of subsequent gunshots I’d been expecting, silence fell. I heard Charlie scream Dozer’s name and I waited to feel the waves of agony and loss. The sound of my own heartbeat was thrumming faster and faster. I had my eyes squeezed shut and my face buried against Jason’s chest. If I opened my eyes, I was going to see Dozer's lifeless body on the ground.

  A new kind of fear and pain pulsed through me, poison in my veins. What had once been moving too fast was now moving way too slow.

  “Liv.” Jason’s voice was soft in my ear. He was pulling me to my feet, but I refused to look.

  “No,” I said firmly, shaking my head, feeling hot tears push behind my eyelids.

  “Liv, look.” Jason lifted my chin and when I looked up at him, he was looking over my shoulder. There wasn’t any pain in him, no sadness. The dread he’d been feeling had lifted.

  “Yes!” Cash cried out. “That's what I’m talking about, Dozer! Yes!”

  Gulping back my tears and the overwhelming rush of adrenaline, I turned around.

  Through the last remnants of the swirling mist on the floor, I could see the shapes of all the fallen soldiers. Dozer was still stan
ding there frozen with his hands outstretched. His eyes were squeezed shut. A grimace etched deeply on his face. Cash and Glitch shook him out of it.

  I felt the strings of tension in me go slack. Jason’s arms were still around me. When I looked back up at him in amazement, he was smiling.

  “You’re okay, Liv.” Jason kissed my forehead and my cheek before letting me go and taking a few steps toward a soldier. He pushed out his toe and nudged the soldier, but there was no response.

  “They’re out,” Jason said in astonishment, eyebrows raised. “They all just dropped.”

  “And that’s why we call him the Dozer!” Glitch jumped around gleefully, zipping up to me, grabbing my hands. He started to try to dance with me, spinning me out and pulling me back into him, even going so far as to dip me. I couldn’t help but laugh until I saw Charlie approach Dozer.

  Charlie stood before Dozer. They were silent as they looked at one another. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. His hands didn’t seem to know where to go, but when she buried her face in the crook of his neck, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in tighter. Her fear and relief washed over me and the strength of their combined emotions brought me to tears.

  “Liv? You okay?” Glitch’s voice brought me back as he set me upright again. I forced a smile, wiping at my eyes quickly with the backs of my hands.

  “I’m fine,” I said, my voice shaky.

  “We can’t stay here.” Jason was at my side again. “We have to get back to Hawthorn and warn them.” Jason looked at the Nomads. "We could use your help. There are innocent people at Hawthorn. If we get through this we could help you, too. You won't have to keep running."

  Wordlessly, Charlie and Dozer pulled apart, but their hands were clenched tightly. They looked to Cash and Glitch. Then they looked to me. I was one of them now. I felt it from all of them. Moreover, I felt it inside myself.

  “Well, what are we waiting for?” Cash said, offering me a nervous smile.

  “Let’s do this thing!” Glitch shouted.

  Sounds of agreement rose up and I felt Jason's appreciation rise in response.