Instead of liking him, she got angry. "Don't fuck with me Nick!"
This was no time for him to play around, she wanted out of the damn water! Her power flared with her anger. "You won't like me angry."
He pulled back suddenly with a little yelp and almost let go of the branch as well.
"No, I can see by your eyes you’re not to be fucked with!" he agreed somewhat breathlessly. “Something you should know, Sylvia's eyes are blue." Then he added casually, almost as if he were trying to convince himself of what he was seeing. "Yours are black. How’s that possible I wonder? In case you don't know, black is not a normal human colour." He accented the word 'not' heavily.
'I’m close," cut in Meeta abruptly. "Should I stun him?'
“So that he releases this twig and I go over onto the rocks below?'” she retorted wearily. This was possibly the worst day in her long life. Suddenly what he'd said sunk in. She'd been slow to understand him because of the cold. Her power was leaking through her eyes! That only happened in battle. Quickly she tried to lock it down, contain it. Her efforts only made things worse; she felt it waver and knew her eyes were flaring black once again.
“Shit, what are you and what have you done to Sylvia?" His voice was cold; full of menace.
Those were both questions she didn't intend to answer. However there was no time left for pretense either.
"If you don’t help me, this body will die."
"Body?" Now the anger was real. “I don't know what you are but clearly you’re not Sylvia. Sylvia’s a friend. Somehow you’ve taken control of her. I’m not doing anything until you explain what just happened. Then I may pull you in."
While he'd been talking something bad had been happening deep inside Sylvia's consciousness. She was waking, struggling toward consciousness. Katal-Tik could tell from the 'taste' Sylvia was coming up wild. This was no rational mind coming to take over, this would be a mind dominated by chaos and fear. This would be the Sylvia that had taken them over the embankment in the first place. Katal-Tik felt a moment of panic.
"We haven't time,” she shouted. “Pull me in now!"
"No!" There was genuine anguish in his voice. Katal-Tik wondered why he cared so much. She knew from Sylvia's memories they were not yet a mated pair. They were friends. She turned the concept over in her mind. It had a strange taste to her. Not unpleasant but different from her normal experiences.
"You may be a danger to others, not just Sylvia,” he finished worriedly.
There was nothing left for her but the truth.
"At the moment I’m in control. But she wakes. I tried to take her earlier but was unsuccessful and we ended up here. Sylvia is full of fear. She’ll wake in fear and force me to let go. Then all choice will be gone. This body will go over and die on the rocks below."
"And you‘ll die," he finished the thought for her. He was smart to figure that out so quickly. She liked smart.
“What are you?” he hesitated, then grimaced as he asked, “You aren't anything supernatural are you?”
"Meeta, what does he mean?"
She was very tired. Almost too tired to hold on. She was still holding Sylvia but her grip was loose and wavering. Why did he have to ask so many questions?
"He's a primitive. In his mind you could be a manifestation of some supernatural entity. One that is 'evil' presumably. Convince him differently."
"Not evil, alien," she whispered then sent Meeta a quick command and SHIP materialized above them.
"Alien?" He repeated in some wonderment, his eyes scanning SHIP. Then he noted Meeta inside the craft and paled visibly. Meeta with her big eyes and unnaturally long body was undeniably alien.
"Ok, I'm buying the alien part. What are you doing with Sylvia?"
Katal-Tik sighed. There was no going back now. “There is evil in your world. I hunt it. But I need a shadow."
"A shadow?"
"A body."
Sudden convulsions shook Sylvia. They'd run out of time. She felt her control ripping away from her. She could no longer stop the girl from waking. She let out her own scream of pain and anger.
"Decide now!"
Then there was chaos and she lost all control for a moment only to grab it back with a supreme effort of will. She saw the branch drifting quickly away caught by the current. Felt her body caught by strong hands. Lifted from the water. Not all the way though. Part of her still lay half submerged. She felt the tug of the current against her legs.
"Release Sylvia. Take me instead," he said.
"What?"
Katal-Tik could barely think. She still held Sylvia in check. Had to. She was too weak to maintain cohesion after Sylvia came back. She’d die.
"I mean I'm volunteering to take her place."
Katal-Tik tried to consider his offer but the effort expended maintaining control made true thought impossible. The way the girl had reacted. So much fear. Despite the scan she was an unfit candidate.
Meeta spoke anxiously, "Remember your training, like to like. Anything else and there will be consequences!"
“Worse than dying?"
She decided. Being so close to death, life had more meaning.
"You'll need to open yourself completely. If you resist we’ll both die." A little lie to keep him honest couldn’t hurt. Without his help she’d never make it. It was only possible now because they had direct physical contact.
He nodded. "But let's be clear. I'm talking about shared control. Just until this evil you mentioned is dealt with. A partnership. Give me your word."
She struggled with the concept then mentally shrugged.
"You have my word."
She felt him pull her ashore, felt the ground against her body, the warmth of his hands cradling her head in his lap. They were strong, firm hands and excellent contact points. She shifted her consciousness. Kicked away from the chaos with all the power left in her. She felt the surprise, the fear. Saw him suppress it and open himself. He'd done as promised. Yes, they would share, but not today, not just now. She had a hunt to continue and the hunt was everything. She moved in, closing all the doors behind her. With his help, it was easy.
Chapter Three
“Belliah says Kailex has moved. He‘s somewhere below us.”
Kat's voice was distant. She was listening to things I couldn't hear. Probably Belliah. I spit out the name. It was another I didn't like. I smiled. I liked "Belle" better. With all those beautiful teeth it was appropriate. I passed the new name on and received only impatient silence for my efforts. So, Belle was a maybe. I waited for her reaction. An image of rows and rows of teeth came to me unbidden.
Crap! Belle was a much better name. I thought of a place I’d visited as a kid. Held the image in my mind. A lake with mountains. A peaceful grassy meadow. Then tried to project it along with the name "Belle". A moment later the same image came back to me with a feeling of acceptance. I nodded. Belle it was.
I cursed. We'd been moving up the ventilation shaft and that had worked for us, aside from the small problem of the tengi. Now, however, the shaft had narrowed considerably and I was having to crawl my way through it. I could feel most of my injuries only as sore spots, except for my ribs which were still giving me trouble. I supposed the constant movement was keeping them from setting properly. Sweat poured off me in insane amounts and I was incredibly thirsty. And hungry. My blood rushed faster thinking about the hunger. Just another day in the asylum.
“My foot and shoulder feels good Kat. You're healing skills are amazing.”
“Your Beast heals you. I am simply teaching it to be more efficient.”
She kept referring to my "Beast" like it was real. When pressed she’d said it was something already in me. In all of us. She'd just woken it. The animal part. She said it would strengthen over time. I bit down on the thought. Deal with it later, I decided.
I'd come to the end of the shaft and was looking through the grill at a pretty standard, if expensively furnished conference room. Two long tables ran the lengt
h of the room, meeting at one end to form a V. Heavy leather chairs populated the length of the tables. An even bigger chair sat at the junction of the V. Clearly, this was where the boss sat. An expensive projection system hung from the ceiling aimed at the wall, which was featureless and white.
“This ability to heal is amazing!” I said, pleased but also worried. Secretly I was afraid that even if I survived this crazy experience, I'd be left a cripple. Having broken a foot, some ribs and ripped my shoulder tendons all in a single hour hadn’t changed my thinking. My chances of escaping this hunt in one piece seemed pretty slim. When it was over I wanted to recognize the man in the mirror. This ability to heal major injuries gave me at least a chance of that.
I pushed my fingers through the metal grating and pulled the vent cover away. The metal was heavier and stronger than expected but still pulled back easily for me, accompanied by light screeching noises. I put the torn grating gently to the side. No doubt about it. I was a lot stronger. I thought about it but was afraid to ask Kat how long we'd been on the hunt. My body had gone through changes since I met her. That would have taken time. How much time I wondered.
“What are you doing?” asked Kat, interrupting my thoughts. “I told you we needed to be quick. Go back and take the shaft down.”
“I'm tired of creeping through these shafts. Besides I'm afraid we‘ll run into another of those tengi. I've had my fill of them. And I can make better time if I just use the stairs.”
“Leaving the ventilation system is unwise. It increases visibility, leaving you vulnerable to ambush.”
“But it increases our speed which, so far, has been your biggest complaint. I‘m getting out now.”
Before she ordered me not to, I hopped down to the floor. I landed lightly, without making a sound. I paused at the door and listened. Nothing. Working my way to the stairs I proceeded down. Taking the elevator would be pushing my luck. Any building with a tengi patrolling the ventilation shafts had to have cameras in the elevator. I thought they’d have cameras in the stairwell as well but so far I hadn't seen any. Maybe they were hidden. One problem at a time.
I'd gone down three floors before I heard the stairwell door I'd just past open above me.
“Control says he's below us.“ The voice was firm and emotionless. It was spoken in a whisper I easily over heard. Apparently, all my senses had been upgraded. The person connected to the whisper sounded professional, a level or two above the usual security hack.
“You down there. I know you can hear me. We have you on camera. You can’t go anywhere without us knowing. Give yourself up before this gets ugly!”
Fat chance of that happening I thought. I'd heard the distinctive sound of safeties being flicked off on semi-automatic pistols. That meant they had rounds already chambered. These boys were playing for keeps. I hurried down the stairwell thinking I should be able to out run them. Wasn't I faster, stronger, better now?
Running worked for two more floors before footsteps started coming up from below. They were boxing me in! An obvious strategy I should have expected. But I was still new at this. I took the only avenue remaining and went for the nearest door. Locked! Shit! They clearly had some kind of automatic locking system. Probably could lock or unlock any door in the building from the Control Room. Guys coming from above and from below; men with guns.
“This might be a good time to review your whole ‘no weapons’ policy Kat. This is ridiculous.”
Since I was trapped and in danger of being shot, a little anger colored the tone of my admonition. I'd done a brief stint in the army and had some training but everyone knew guns trumped knuckles.
“There is no honor in killing from a distance,” was Kat's terse reply.
“I'll try and remember that while I'm being shot full of bullet holes,” I replied. This was ridiculous. “What do you expect me to do?
“I expect you to survive. Use your speed. Up close they‘re no match. When it comes time, I’ll help.”
No choice. I crouched behind the railing and waited for the footsteps to get closer. Suddenly a bullet slammed into the railing next to my head and I had to move! I vaulted the stairwell and fell ten feet onto one of the men coming up. He went down without even seeing me. The other, a thick, balding man with tiny eyes swung his gun to get a bead on me. I jigged to the right as it went off. He’d just tried to kill me! I grabbed his gun wrist and twisted. It broke with a wet snapping sound that surprised me. My actions had been effortless. Then I turned, still gripping his wrist and hip tossed him down the stairwell. He went a lot further than I’d intended. And a lot harder. Christ, I was much stronger! Dread filled me. I might have just killed a man!
That thought passed pretty quickly as bullets poured down from above. These men weren’t out to arrest me. They were shooting to kill! The man I'd landed on moaned and started getting up. I kicked him in the head. Taking the stairs five at a time, I raced downwards.
“New plan Kat! We hide below and get Kailex when he tries to leave.”
Kat's response was immediate.
“Either you do this now or I will!” She hissed. The threat was clear. She wasn’t messing around. Do not pass GO unless it led directly to Kailex. I suddenly realized just how much she hated this guy.
“You did notice I’m being shot at, right?”
I got no answer. The next door I put my shoulder to. It gave way like kindling, opening into another office. I hurried to the ventilation grill on the wall.
“Back we go,” I whispered.
This time I replaced the grating so it at least looked like it hadn't been disturbed. How much help that would be with the door in pieces I wasn’t sure. I was still pretty new at this. I climbed steadily downward for some time.
“Here! This is the floor.”
I had no idea what floor I was on anymore. Another locked door. I gave what I thought was an exploratory kick and the wood frame burst, exploding off its hinges. Now that wouldn't alarm anyone. Crap! I was so bad at this.
I stepped through into the foyer of the building. First floor. As office buildings go, the reception was beautiful. Everything looked expensive. Marble floors. The front of the building tempered glass. The kind that tinted with the sun. Huge marble columns pulled the eye to the vaulted ceiling. A fresco similar to the ones in the Sistine Chapel decorated the space above. For a moment I wondered if I was seeing things. The image of God creating Adam was different, updated. I laughed thinking it must be a joke. God was bald with striking intense eyes and a roman nose. He looked down on us with a slightly smug expression on his face. Adam looked different as well. Leaner, almost emaciated. Instead of looking at his creator, he was looking down. Subservient. I revised my opinion. Maybe not a joke. Possibly psychological trauma.
“Kailex!”
I nodded. I was beginning to understand Kat’s dislike for the man. I had a sudden thought.
“Why didn't we come through the front door? It would have been so much easier?”
We hadn't exactly been stealthy. Not to mention we'd gone up several floors needlessly before being forced to retrace our steps back down.
“Belliah found Kailex's private entrance which allowed us to escape surveillance. Coming through the front door would have brought the guards to us. Also, since you ask, I expected to lead the hunt. If that had happened there would have been little noise and no discovery. Our partnership has been a disappointment.”
“We agreed to call her Belle,” I interrupted. “Well, I'm pretty sure Belle agreed.” I didn't want Kat thinking too hard about our partnership. She was right. I hadn’t been stellar so far.
Abruptly a pleasant "ding dong" sounded followed by a deep, amiable voice. I heard it everywhere so it was being broadcast throughout the building.
“Hello little shadow. At least I assume you're a shadow. I couldn't help noticing on surveillance that you seem a little, shall we say, stronger than the ordinary break-and-enter criminal. Although I am puzzled why you‘re having so much difficulty fin
ding me. That‘s not normal shadow behavior. The last two shadow's came right to me.”
The voice sounded amused but quickly took on a sneering tone, “Their trouble began when they found me. You need to be smarter. Look what happened to them. Dead and gone. All that potential. Wasted. And now it's your turn. You should run. Better to live little shadow. But then, you aren't the one in control are you? You’ve a Hunter inside you. I've been informed it's the vaunted Katal-Tik this time. I guess the Games Master finally decided to send his best little Tik after me. I can't wait to meet you Katal-Tik. I've a friend I made just for you. An Elite. A null. You’ll play no mind games with him.” Then he laughed. It was the kind of patronizing laugh that made you want to rip his lungs from his chest.
“Fuck you,” I thought to myself.
He was obviously stalling me. Trying to keep me in once place until his men caught up. They must be close. It was time to leave. Then my whole body just froze. I stood there wobbling for a second from my forward momentum. Behind me I heard the security guards pounding down the stairwell. They'd be through the door in seconds and I was standing there unable to move the smallest muscle.
“Kat! What are you doing?” I whispered urgently, forgetting for a moment she was in my head and could hear my thoughts.
“He‘s here. Leaving is not an option.”
A guard's big frame filled the doorway. I was twenty feet away and in the open. I was going to die. I felt Kat take control.
He raised his gun and fired as I jerked to the left. The bullet whizzed by so close I could hear it. The guard tracked my movement and fired again. I jerked forcefully to the right. I was moving now. Coming straight at him. He fired two more times in quick succession. Both misses. Now I was on him. Grabbing his gun hand I pulled him through the door and smashed him face first against the wall. His gun flew as his hands came up to cushion the blow. No chance of that happening. I changed my grip and took his head with both hands, bringing him over my shoulder onto the marble floor. His head made the same cracking sound an egg makes when you break it. I wanted to be sick but I wasn't in control.
The God Hunters Page 4
