“Let’s do this thing!” The saying rose up around me from the Nomads in a battle cry.
As we headed outside, Jason called to Glitch.
"Glitch, I'm sorry about that earlier. I was..."
"No worries, dude." Glitch clapped Jason on the back.
We headed outside, stepping over the sleeping soldiers. Dozer pulled off his wristwatch, pressed the side of it and said, "I quit," before dropping it onto one of his fallen brothers. He picked up Headset and took Charlie's hand.
Chapter Eleven
As we approached Jason’s car, I heard him curse under his breath. He ran both his hands through his hair, pushing his fingers at his temple for a moment before dropping them to his sides.
“What? What is it?” I caught up to him and followed his gaze to the dark shape of his car parked in the knee-length grass.
“My tires,” he muttered. “They slashed them.” I could feel the heat of his anger radiating from him as he attempted to hold back his temper.
“It’s cool. We can all fit in the truck,” Cash cut in, pulling his keys out of his pocket. “You can ride with us.” Cash turned and headed for the Beast.
There was a moment of tense silence before I felt Jason give. His urgent need to get to Hawthorn won out over his need to be dominant over Cash and he shoved his hands into his pockets.
“So, where's the car?” Jason asked as we started to walk toward the Beast. I couldn’t believe he hadn’t seen it sitting there, but then again, anyone who didn’t know the Beast might’ve thought it was just a hunk of junk too. That's probably why they didn't bother slashing its tires.
Charlie, Glitch, Dozer and Headset piled into the back of the Beast while Jason stared wide eyed and slack jawed.
“That thing?” Jason asked, pointing to the truck. Cash opened the driver’s side door and motioned for me to get in. I obliged and unlocked Jason’s door as Cash slid behind the wheel.
“Get in!” I called to him, waving for him to hurry.
“Do I need a Tetanus shot first?"
Cash shot Jason an irritated glare, which I mirrored.
''In or out?" Cash said, shoving the key into the ignition, coaxing the Beast to life.
''Sorry," Jason said quietly and climbed in next to me. I had to suck in my breath and shift uncomfortably in my seat to accommodate the three of us sitting together.
Jason rambled off the directions to Cash and as we drove, he tried to call Hawthorn every five minutes. Each time, he got no answer, Jason got more anxious. I could feel his muscles like steel against my softer form, taut with stress. I wanted to do something to comfort him, but there wasn’t much to be said.
“Something’s wrong.” Jason looked out the dusty window, his expression set in stone, his hand resting on his thigh. The other hand rubbed his temple, trying to soothe his growing headache.
“Did you call Jeri?” I asked.
“Yeah. He’s not answering and Stone turns off her phone when they do the...well, when she’s busy.”
“Lexa? Mars?”
“That’s who she’s busy with.”
“Oh.”
Jason didn’t want to say it, but I knew what he meant. They were in the middle of an extraction.
“Mia?” I suggested regrettably.
“She’s not answering either. She’s mad at me for coming to get you.”
“Of course she is,” I grumbled.
I felt Cash shift uncomfortably next to me. "Do we have a plan, or are we all just going in, guns blazing?" Cash asked, his eyes dead ahead, his hands firmly gripping the wheel. "I’d like to know what we’re getting into.”
"We aren't getting into anything. You're staying in the car," Jason said firmly.
Cash shot Jason a sideways glare and then looked back to the road. "I thought you said you could use our help?"
"Yeah, Glitch's speed, Liv's telekinesis and Dozer's..." Jason paused. His headache was fading, but I still felt it dull in the back of his skull. "Whatever the hell Dozer does. We don't need your power in there."
"You don't have to be such an asshole about it," Cash said dryly.
"Cash," I hissed, widening my eyes at him.
“What?” Cash shot back, his eyebrows raised. He gave me his best innocent look, but I could see right through it. “He’s the one that came busting into our house. I think I have a right to be a part of this and know what’s going on, so nobody gets killed. Don’t you?”
“Charlie will stay with the kid. We'll park the car a good distance away from Hawthorn and have them hide there," Jason clarified.
“Because we need someone to protect Headset,” Cash affirmed.
“And because her power isn’t one that can be used defensively,” Jason added. "Which means you should stay and help her protect the kid, since we only need people with active, useful powers.”
“Jason, stop it. We’re going to need as much help as we can get,” I said.
“And what if ACT is already there? What’s he going to do? Sing ‘em show tunes? Hum them to death?”
“You know what? You really are acting like an asshole,” I grumbled.
Jason smiled brilliantly at me, because he knew it was true and he was doing it on purpose.
“Hey, you're not bulletproof either. I saw you hit the floor in the Lair.” Cash shot Jason a challenging look.
"Enough," I said sharply.
"Fine. We should check out the perimeter first and be sure it's safe before we head in. Once we know everything is good, we clear the facility and initiate emergency protocol."
"What's emergency protocol?" Glitch asked.
"It's protocol we use in an emergency." Jason grinned again.
Glitch laughed, but no one else seemed to be amused.
"I guess your injections are wearing off," I snipped.
Jason cut me look and raised his brows. "Almost being executed by a firing squad is sobering." Jason looked back at Glitch and clarified. "It's a lock down procedure. We get to a safe room and initiate explosives to destroy our research and hopefully trap them inside," Jason clarified.
"Dude. That's brutal." Glitch cringed. "I like it."
"Dozer, what do you know about ACT protocol in these situations?" Cash asked.
"Not much. I'm a field guy. This was my first job. I went through Anomaly boot camp, but their soldiers aren't Anomalies. They're military. I don't know anything about the way they operate."
"Some double agent you turned out to be." Glitch playfully nudged Dozer.
"We can't assume they'll go by any standard procedure, anyway. Our facility is a lot more intricate than the last one."
A chill sliced up my spine as I thought about the first raid. Jason said he'd sent the children home. I hoped that was the truth, because I couldn't bear the thought of them experiencing the horror we went through. Then I remembered Bebe was still there. Suddenly, I felt sick. Jason took my hand and squeezed.
"Bebe," I said.
"I know. We'll get her," Jason said softly, sharing my concern.
Chapter Twelve
Hawthorn stood against the blue-black sky, dark and ominous as it loomed over the calm ocean. Jason directed Cash to pull over about a quarter of a mile away and down a narrow path that led to a small pond where several streams converged before draining into the ocean.
"You should be safe here. Keep your phone on silent and keep the engine running," Jason instructed.
"If anything happens, you drive away and don't look back," Dozer said to Charlie. She nodded, looking back and forth between Dozer and I. I could feel Charlie's fear whispering in the back of my mind.
"You're going to be fine. We're all going to be fine, Charlie." I tried to comfort her, but I was still shaking when I said it.
Charlie gave me a smile and a hug, and then turned to Glitch and said, "make it quick, will ya?"
"You know how I do." Glitch winked.
Charlie turned to Dozer. "Don't die, okay? You can't die when I'm still mad at you."
Dozer cracked a smile and I felt relief wash over him. "Yes ma'am." He nodded.
We followed Jason quickly and silently along the coast until we reached the outlet where Jason said the backup generators were. From there we could see clear around the back of the lighthouse.
"The generators aren't running. That's a good sign. It means the facility is still running on its normal power grid," Jason said, slightly relieved.
We stood there, shoulder to shoulder, staring out at the hulking figure of the lighthouse. Nobody knew what the next step was, because nobody knew what was going on. Outwardly, everything looked normal. Still, I felt unease snaking its way through Jason.
“This isn’t right. Something still feels off,” Jason muttered. His brow was furrowed intensely, his sharp blue eyes surveying the scene.
Glitch rubbed his chin. “But we won’t know that if we just stand outside gawking.”
As proactive as his words sounded, I could feel the hesitance in him. It had been a long time since he’d been back to Hawthorn. Even if it wasn’t the same facility, his memories were written all over his face, interwoven into the pattern of his emotions.
“That's true.” Jason shot Glitch a grin and I felt a playfulness in him I hadn't felt in years, probably not since the last time he'd seen Glitch. "Why don't you go in first?" He gave Glitch a nudge.
Glitch swatted Jason and whispered, "Nice try. Don't think I forgot about all those times you locked me in the basement."
"Got you over your fear of the dark, didn't it?"
"All it did was give me a healthy fear of spiders." Glitch shivered at the memory.
Jason chuckled. "You're right, though. Let's go."
The five of us made our way to the museum entrance. As we neared the stairs to the museum, the door creaked open. Jason threw out his arm and put himself in front of me instantly, and so did Cash. For a split second they bumped into each other, casting one another surprised glances, but then turned their attention back to the door.
Jeri walked out, holding his phone to the sky, like he was trying for a signal.
“Jeri.” Jason breathed out a sigh of relief.
Jeri looked in our direction, but didn't seem on alert or bothered by anything. He just looked annoyed. "The phones are out, and I can't get a signal." Jeri stopped when he caught sight of me and lifted his eyebrows in shock. “Liv?”
“You're okay?” Jason asked, walking up to him.
Jeri honed in on Dozer, Glitch and Cash. “Yeah, I’m fine. Who are these guys?” He nodded toward the guys, all of whom stood a little straighter, obviously uncomfortable.
“This is Dozer, Glitch and Cash. Liv was staying with them."
"Glad to have you back." Jeri smiled at me and pulled me in for a hug, and then reached his hand to greet the boys. "I'm Jeri."
"We don't have much time," Jason said urgently, pulling Jeri's attention.
“They sent Devereaux after her. ACT knows where we are.”
Jeri squeezed his eyes shut like he had a migraine, and cursed before looking back at us. "Everyone get inside so we can evacuate and start the emergency protocol." He opened the door and waved his hand for us to go in. "The boss is going to be pissed," he growled.
Jason stepped inside and clapped him on the shoulder. "Tell me about it."
As I stepped inside, I paused in front of Jeri. "I'm sorry."
"Liv, no one blames you. Devereaux has been a pain in our ass for years. You couldn't have known." He smiled and leveled his eyes on mine. "I'm just glad you're okay."
I nodded.
"Now, get inside. We have to hurry."
We didn’t give the guys a chance to ask about the lighthouse front before I lead them to the back and opened the refrigerator door. Jeri slipped in before me, then Jason, and the rest of us followed suit. I heard Glitch murmur something about how awesomely Bond the hidden stairwell was, and I sensed a hint of claustrophobia from Cash as we descended.
"It's not much further," I reassured him. He didn't say anything, just nodded and held tight to the railing.
When we reached the common area, Mia was walking by. It looked like she'd just gotten out of the shower and was on her way back to her room. Her wet curls were draped to one side and she was wearing pajama shorts, carrying her toiletry bag. When she saw Jason, she beamed. That was, of course, until she saw me following after.
“I didn't expect you to show your face here again.” Mia sneered, stopping in front of us. She folded her arms and leaned against the couch. Her gaze slid from me to Dozer, Glitch and Cash following close behind me.
Glitch walked right up to her and studied her closely. “Damn, Liv, she’s like a mini you,” he said, earning himself a fierce look from Mia. I stepped a little in front of him, giving him a warning look.
Mia’s grin curled wickedly and she laughed. “What’s wrong? Afraid I’ll bite?” She taunted.
“I’m afraid you’ll torch,” I said pointedly.
“A valid fear.” She smirked again.
“Guys, this is my sister, Mia.”
She extended her hand to Glitch as though she meant to shake it, and right before he would have touched her, I slapped his hand away. In the same instant, her palms and fingers burst into flames.
Glitch didn’t seem to care that she would have burned him. “I think I'm gonna call you Blaze," he said excitedly. "Oh, what about Fire Fingers?”
"Ew." Mia cringed and shot me a glare. "Who are these people?"
"They're my friends." I turned back to the guys. “Just don’t get too close to her."
Dozer was taking in the common room, awe pinging through him in bursts whenever he looked at something new. "This place is incredible."
"Where do I know you from?" Jeri asked him.
Dozer shook his head, and Jason came to his rescue. "He was with ACT, but he's with us now."
Jeri's eyes widened and I felt his momentary reservations melt away when he looked at Jason. "Alright then. Follow me."
As I passed Cash, I met his gaze. He was confused and cautious, looking around the common room with suspicion. I reached out and touched his arm, drawing his gaze to me. “We’re going to be okay,” I promised.
Cash offered me a smile and nodded. “What's the plan?"
I turned to Jason and Jeri, who were quietly discussing something amongst themselves, and I felt this growing sense of urgency and secrecy between them.
“Last I saw her, Stone was in the training rooms in the Black Corridor,” Jeri replied. “I’m going to go find her. I tried the communication system, but it’s down too."
“They paralyzed our internal systems?” Jason asked.
Jeri nodded solemnly. “Without that comm system, I have no idea what’s going on in other parts of the facility. And I haven’t seen anyone in a while,” he let out a worried sigh. "We have to proceed carefully from this point."
My heart fluttered anxiously.
“I want to know what’s going on,” Mia demanded loudly, stomping her foot.
“ACT found us,” I said, hushed so maybe she would get the hint and stay quiet.
Her lips twitched and I felt all the resentment spill out of her, replaced by growing panic. "They're coming now?" She asked shakily.
"They might already be here," Jason admitted quietly.
“I’ll go find Stone and the others. Everyone else, start evacuating the lab dorms. If you find someone, haul ‘em out quietly," Jeri instructed. "There's a van out front. The lab crew can take that to the safe house. They know the protocol."
"We meet back here in the common room. This is structurally the safest spot in the facility. If the emergency protocol starts, you need to get here fast," Jason announced to all of us.
"How will we know if the protocol starts?" Glitch asked.
"Trust me, you'll know," Jason said in a low warning tone. “Everyone needs to be incredibly careful. Keep your eyes peeled and ears open. We don’t have the luxury of believing that Hawthorn hasn’t already been infiltrated. The
y’ve had a big head start and they've already hacked our system. If you see them, don't hesitate, because they definitely won't. Got it?”
Everyone agreed. I sent Dozer, Glitch and Cash with my sister to the lab dorms so they could start evacuating the scientists and I went straight for Bebe's room.
Jason grabbed me by the wrist. "She wouldn't be there. Follow me."
Jason led me to my bedroom. When we opened the door, it was dark, seemingly untouched since the last time I'd been in there. Everything was quiet, but I didn’t feel like we were alone. I took a deep breath and tried to clear my head. In that moment, she came shining through.
“Bebe?” I whispered, and it wasn’t even a heartbeat later that I heard the faint reply come from underneath my bed.
"Livi?” Bebe squeaked.
I dropped to my knees and peered under the bed, lifting up the skirt to see a pair of wide, bright eyes staring at me. We reached for each other. I pulled her out, holding her tightly in a fierce hug.
“Bebe, what are you doing under there?”
“I saw a scary man,” she said quietly against my neck. I pulled her away from me so that I could look into her eyes. Having heard her too, Jason knelt down beside us.
“What do you mean, Bebe? Where did you see him?” He asked solemnly. I felt a chill roll through him and the paranoia settled in.
“There were men walking around looking through things, and I got scared. I hid under the bed. One came into the room, but he didn’t find me,” she said, eyes wide, a hint of pride glowing inside her.
Jason reached out and scooped her into his arms. "We need to go. Now."
Our time had officially run out. ACT had gotten in and we couldn’t stay there any longer. We headed for the exit, and right as we hit the common room, so did Jeri. Over his shoulder, he was carrying Stone’s assistant, Connie. She had a huge gash across her forehead and a bruise that spread over both eyes. Her pale blond hair stuck to the side of her head in a bloody, matted clump. She was alive, but barely. Jeri was hurt too. He was limping, and blood leaked from a bullet hole in his thigh. He'd propped Connie over his right shoulder, but his left shoulder looked strange. It wasn’t hanging right.
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