by Raven Steele
"Can I see the work you've done so far?" I asked.
He glanced down at his watch. "I have to go to a meeting, but come back in the morning. I really would like your expertise. Roman assured me you could help. I hope so because I fear with how anxious Victor is, whatever I'm creating is extremely dangerous."
"I think you may be right. I'll devote all of my time to it."
He came to his feet. "Thank you. Please tell Roman hello and I hope he is safe."
"He is." I walked to the door. "I'll see you tomorrow."
I made my way back through the maze of counters and desks, my mind on Victor. I couldn't believe he was going to try and create more people like him. It didn't make sense. Someone could easily battle him for his position if they wanted to. His strength, heightened senses, and speed would no longer be special to just him.
"Are you leaving so soon?" a familiar voice asked.
I turned around, my heartbeat picking up when I came face-to-face with Emma. "I'll be back tomorrow."
"Hey, sorry if I came across as bratty earlier," she said. "You obviously have this position because you deserve it."
"I'm sure many others are just as qualified, if not more. I just got lucky." I inhaled a slow breath, the tension of meeting Victor draining from me.
She narrowed her eyes. "I know we just met, but you seem so familiar to me. Where did you go to high school?"
"Private school. Outside of the city." I should've been more prepared with an exact answer. I never intended to get close enough to anyone for them to ask personal questions beyond the typical: Where do you go to school? Where do you work? What are you majoring in? The usual chit-chat for someone my age.
"I really should be going," I said.
She stepped in front of me. "Hey, I don't have to work at the diner tonight. I know you already rejected me once, but I thought I'd ask one last time. Do you want to get dinner or something? I have the feeling you've lead a really interesting life and would like to know more."
A sinking feeling settled inside my gut. I wanted so badly to go with her. The fragrant smell drifting off of her was enough to make me want to take her in my arms and never let her go, but I couldn't do that. Not ever. Her life meant too much to me.
I lowered my gaze, afraid to look at her when I lied. "I'd like to, but I can't. I'm sorry."
She gave a sad smile. "It was worth a try. Have a good night, Adam."
She turned around and walked away. My heart ached to go after her. She was the only thing in my life that brought peace in an otherwise chaotic environment. If only things were different.
It was still light outside, but that would change after a couple of hours. Instead of walking above ground in the sunlight, I found the closest entrance into the tunnels. I used it as a shortcut to go across the city until I surfaced near Oz's apartment complex. He wasn't expecting me this early, but I was anxious to get started after my encounter with Victor.
Beneath the shade of a bus stop shelter, I turned on my phone and looked for the text Oz had sent me with his number. I messaged him that I was ready to get started right away.
A second later a text returned: Still sleeping. Get dinner. Lit Mexican on Opal Street. See you soon.
I glanced up. One block over was Opal Street, much of it exposed to the sun. I cringed at the thought of having its light touch my skin, but there was no other way.
Keeping my head down, I darted across the street. The back of my neck began to sting, as did the skin on my arms. I folded them to my chest to protect them as much as I could until I could hide within the shade cast by the many tall buildings.
As soon as I reached safety, I exhaled a breath and rubbed at the back of my neck waiting for the sharp sting to pass. I was mindful not to touch near my tattoo, afraid I might rub off some of the makeup concealing the black ink.
It didn't take me long to find the Mexican restaurant Oz was talking about. The place was more crowded than I preferred, so I hung back beneath an awning to a health food store and waited for it to die down. Eventually the dinner rush ended and I slipped inside.
I ordered my food and grabbed a table away from the window, fully expecting to eat alone, when Oz walked in. He spotted me right away and came to join me.
He plopped into the chair across from me, dark circles under his eyes. "This sucks. I only got a couple of hours of sleep. The police kept me forever!"
"What for?"
"They had a bunch of us fill out reports about what we saw and heard. Not like they are going to actually do anything with the information. Did you already order food?"
I nodded. "What do you think is going to happen to those men I tied up?"
"They are still in police custody. There were too many witnesses for the police to ignore what Victor's men did. Those who came forward only did so because they were empowered by the Crow's actions. People are talking about it everywhere."
My order was called out from behind a kitchen counter. I retrieved the food and sat back down. Oz reached over and grabbed one of my tacos. He took a big bite and moaned. "I'm starving!"
I frowned but didn't say anything. I picked up the other taco and proceeded to eat while I thought about our next move.
"What have you been doing today?" he asked through a mouthful of food.
"I started a job. At Bodian Dynamics in Victor's science division."
"For real? How did you manage that?"
"Roman, my mentor, set it up. I'm trying to figure out what Victor is working on there. So far it doesn't look good." My hands instinctively curled into fists.
Oz swallowed the food in his mouth. "After the police station, I drove to the abandoned elementary school. Place looked pretty empty, but in the back there were three parked cars. I also noticed a bunch of cameras and a security system. We're going to have to be careful."
"Can you get us inside?" I asked.
"Of course I can. Their system looked a few years old. Rookie mistake not updating it."
"Good. Once I'm in, you can wait for me."
"No way. I'm going, too." He took the last bite of the taco in his hand and wiped at his face.
"How exactly do you plan on defending yourself? Do you carry any weapons in that fanny pack of yours?"
His eyelids became slits and he inhaled slow and deep. "I already told you, it's not a fanny pack. And I might just have some weapons in here. You don't need to worry about me. I can take care of myself."
I turned toward the front of the store where a window was beginning to darken. The sun would set soon. "Let's head over there and watch the school for a few hours. I'd like to get a better idea what we'll be walking into."
"You care if I sleep in the car? My brain needs to rest."
"It's fine." I stood. "Let's go."
He jumped behind the wheel of a VW bug that looked like the bottom might fall out from rust. The doorknob didn't quite work right when I got inside and I had to slam the car door a couple of times to get it to close properly.
Oz drove across town and parked kitty-corner from the abandoned school. In no time at all, he was fast asleep, curled up in the backseat. I kept a close eye on the building across from us as darkness covered the sky. The front of the school had been tagged in graffiti and the lawn surrounding it was mostly dirt. At one point, it might've been a beautiful school, but now it was only a faded memory of a better time. Pigtown hadn't always been a bad place. It didn't even used to be called that when my father was around to make sure the city stayed safe. It was simply the west side of Coast City. But then Victor took over and everything changed.
I tapped my fingers on the dashboard feeling anxious. I needed another victory like this morning to really give people hope. If people could feel more of it, they wouldn't be so afraid. And if people weren't afraid, they could fight back.
It was almost midnight. Oz was still sleeping. I quietly exited the car and circled the school. Where there were three cars earlier, there were now six. They must've come up on a dirt road be
hind the school.
I was careful where I walked, mindful of the cameras in the rear of the building. At some point, we would have to take those out.
It took some time, but I discovered a blind spot in the camera's field of vision. I stuck to it and stayed hidden in the shadows until I reached a boarded-up window. I peeked through the cracks. All I could see was an empty hall with a faint light at the end. I pressed my ear to the boards, just barely making out voices from within the school. It was hard to tell how many.
I considered going to the roof, but wasn't sure what advantage that would give me. Instead, I circled back around and returned to the car. I turned the key in the ignition and re-parked the car where we had a better viewpoint of the rear of the school. It had been a while since I had driven. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed it.
This part of town was darker than other areas, as most of the streetlights had been shot out. Those who preferred darkness often flocked here to conduct all kinds of shady business. I planned on bringing all of their crimes into the light when the time was right. This city would no longer be shrouded in darkness.
I waited a little bit longer before I finally reached back and shoved Oz's leg when one car left the school parking lot. He sat up with a start, nearly hitting his head on the roof of the car. "Is it time already?"
"It couldn't get any better. Some people just left."
He stretched his arms high, yawned, then picked up his fanny pack off the floor and cinched it around his waist. He moved to open the door, but stopped and looked at me. "I know I don't know you that well and we just met, but I trust you. I have to ask you a favor."
I shifted in the seat and cleared my throat, feeling suddenly uncomfortable. "What is it?"
He stared at me for a moment, almost as if regretting what he was about to say. "If anything happens to me, please make sure my sister is taken care of. I'm all she has."
"Can I ask what's wrong with her?"
"Brain tumor. Doctors found it six months ago. It's too risky to operate on so we're just waiting…" He swallowed and tightened his hands.
"There's got to be someone who can help her," I insisted. "They do brain surgeries all the time."
He placed his hands in his lap and looked out the window. "There's this wonder doc on the other side of the country that might be able to help, but the surgery will cost over a hundred grand. I don't have that kind of money, and our mom's no help. I haven't seen her for over a month."
"Is she missing?"
"Nah. She'll turn up. She got hooked on rhino dust about a year ago."
My muscles tensed. So many lives destroyed because of Victor. "Don't worry about your sister. Nothing's going to happen to you tonight. I promise."
He searched my eyes, then nodded. "Thanks, bro. Oh, I brought something for you." He fumbled around in a plastic bag behind the driver seat and removed a mask exactly like the one he had given me earlier. "I figured you would forget yours."
"Thanks. I'll hang on to it from now on." Keeping my identity separate from my personal life was going to be even more important now that I worked at Bodian Dynamics.
I pulled the mask over my head. "Let's do this."
13
We jogged across the street and crouched below the branches of a smaller tree.
"Take out that camera first," Oz whispered and pointed to a camera on the corner of the building. I picked up a small rock and tossed it hard. It hit the small lens, shattering the glass. If anyone came out to investigate, I would take them out. I'd actually prefer that. Fewer people for me to face inside.
"Good aim," Oz said. "Now get the one above the back door and we should be good."
I darted across the uneven, dirt-covered lawn, scooping up another pebble. When I was within throwing distance of a small camera several feet above the backdoor, I threw the rock so hard it got stuck inside the lens. I turned around and motioned Oz forward.
He hurried to the back door and examined the security's digital display directly to the right of the door.
"They make this too easy," he mumbled.
From within his fanny pack, he removed the same electronic box he had used to crack the safe back at the warehouse. He popped out the keypad cover and clamped two wires from his device onto two others wired into the system.
"What are you doing?"
"Jamming their signal so it doesn't trip their alarm when we go inside." He typed a few more commands. The door clicked. "Open it."
I cracked it just enough to slip inside with Oz right behind me. We were in a long hallway. Much of the tile on the floor had been scraped up, leaving only a rough, cement subfloor. To my left was another hallway full of lockers. Many of the doors had been ripped off and the rest had been spray-painted. There were even a few cots in the hallway as if people had been sleeping here.
"This way," I said, following the sounds of voices. There were many filtering their way to me through the walls. "I think they’re in a gym."
"How can you tell?"
"Voices are echoing. Maybe a cafeteria."
My second guess was right. I shoved Oz aside just as we reached two double doors. I peeked inside a narrow window. There were about ten people inside, four of them holding semi-automatic shotguns and pacing around the outside of the room. A giant circular, metal machine unlike anything I had ever seen before spun slowly in the center. Steam rose into the air. Four hoses fed into it at different points, two at the top and two at the bottom. The other end of the hoses dumped into four large barrels.
Two of the people were dropping a white powder into the giant machine while others sat around as if waiting for whatever was cooking to be finished. The smell in the air was pungent, like vinegar and ginger burning at the bottom of a pot. Behind the giant machine, six tables had been laid out. Stacks of money were on one table and scattered papers on another. A woman sat at the table with the money and fed one hundred dollar bills into a metal counter.
What's the plan?" Oz whispered.
"I'm thinking." I surveyed the layout of the room. The second I walked in there, all guns would be fixed on me. Even though I was fast, I needed some kind of protection. I turned around and hurried back down the hall. Oz trailed after me.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
I found a locker with a door still on its hinges. I gripped it tight and ripped it free. It shrieked loudly. I froze, listening closely for anyone who might've heard me.
"If you plan on using that as a shield," Oz said, "a bullet will go right through it."
"Probably, but it will make it harder for them to hit something important if they can't see me."
I returned to the double doors and reached down for the knife in my right boot. I locked eyes with Oz. "You need to find a place to hide while I take care of this. Don't come out until you hear silence. Got it?"
He raised his hands in surrender and slowly backed up. "This is all you, man. I'm going to go hang out in the little boy's room."
I glanced through the window again taking in everything about the room. The hardest part was going to be not killing anyone. I had never taken a life before and didn't want to start now. I had to remember my training. Stay focused.
I decided to go for a grand entrance instead of a silent entry. I kicked open the doors and tossed the knife hard at the closest guard. The handle hit him directly in the head, knocking him to the ground.
When I heard the familiar sound of guns clicking, I raised the locker door in front of me. Adrenaline raced through my veins as I zigzagged toward the two men with shotguns. They fired directly at me, doing their best to take off my head, but they didn't account on me being so fast. I darted between them before they realized what was happening. Their guns continued to fire until their own bullets hit each other.
Another gunmen opened fire just as I slid beneath the closest table. A bullet grazed my shoulder, sending a searing pain through my flesh. I cried out, dropping the locker door and sprinted for cover. Gritting through the pain, I gra
bbed a hose out of a metal machine and sprayed the chemicals at the gunman. He screamed and fell to the ground, clawing at his face.
I paused to make sure he was alive. He was in pain, but he would still live.
More gunfire caught my attention, a handgun this time. I jumped next to the large vat of chemicals and crept around it, listening to the sounds of footsteps on the other side that were attempting to sneak up on me.
I glanced up, briefly meeting the gaze of one of the women in the room. Terror filled her countenance, but she didn't seem afraid of me. She frantically stuffed the money into a duffle bag. Another woman did the same with the paperwork. They must not leave with it.
"Go around," a male voice said.
Two sets of footsteps began to circle the machine. I guessed whoever was coming on the other side of me also had a gun. I bent down to retrieve the other knife in my boot. Rushing to my right, I leapt into the air when I saw the man and threw my knife at him. Surprisingly, my aim was off and the blade sliced the side of his face. At least it was enough to make him drop his weapon. I landed on the ground and smashed my elbow into his temple. He dropped to the ground.
I spun around, took three steps, and kicked at the underside of the table with all the money on it. It flipped upward several feet. Green dollar bills flew into the air. I kicked at the table next to it, doing the same to the paperwork. The women screamed.
"Get out!" I yelled at them, my voice thunderous. They did as I commanded and ran out a back door in the corner. I felt a little bad for them. When Victor found out they had left the money and paperwork behind, they would probably be killed.
"You're a dead man," the last man said, his tone eerily calm and matter-of-fact. He appeared around the side of the great machine. He was bald with a metal stud pierced through his eyebrow.
I bent down and grabbed the table. In a quick motion, I swung it at the man, but he managed to knock it away from him with not so much as a grimace. He stormed toward me and took the first swing. I ducked and smashed my fist into his stomach. Air exploded from his lungs and he doubled over. I threw an undercut punch to finish him off. Blood misted the air along with his two front teeth. He collapsed to the floor at my feet.
