by C. J. Hill
Her parents. Her sister. Her friends. Her life. Overdrake could rip them all away. Right now.
She had to stop a moan that tried to escape from her lips. Coming into the compound hadn’t been heroic, it had been stupid. But she wasn’t going to babble or cry in the face of danger, even though she wanted to do both.
Overdrake lifted the sleeve of his jacket, checking the time on his watch. He was already counting down the time. Five minutes. She might be dead in five minutes.
Jesse hadn’t said anything over the earpiece, but she doubted he would agree to trade places with her. He had to know that Overdrake wouldn’t keep his word and set her free, even if Jesse came. Besides, Jesse’s life was more valuable than hers. He had the best chance of killing the dragons.
He needed to cut his losses, like he’d been trained.
She didn’t want to hear him say it, though. She didn’t want to hear his apology explaining why he had to think of the people of D.C. instead of her.
She yelled out, “Don’t do it, Jesse! Leave!”
The huge man reached over and slapped her across the mouth. On someone without extra strong skin, it would have drawn blood. On Tori it just stung.
The roof was nearly done closing. That would make it easier to escape—if she could come up with a way. She scanned the building, hoping for an idea. Nothing. Nothing. Why couldn’t she stop shaking long enough to think straight?
Through her earpiece, she heard the others making plans.
Jesse said, “Dirk, take Bess, and I’ll go back for Tori.”
“No,” Dirk said. “You shouldn’t go. I’m dropping Lilly off. I’ll get Tori.”
Lilly, sounding put out, said, “You can’t both go. Someone’s got to get us over the fence.”
Dr. B’s voice came over the radio. His calm tone had worn away, replaced by raw worry. “Coordinate what you’re doing. Go off plans, not impulses. Captains?”
Silence filled Tori’s earpiece, and then Jesse barked out, “Dirk, get back here! I’m the one he asked for. I’m her captain!”
“Are you going to leave us stranded here?” Lilly demanded.
Jesse didn’t answer her. “Tori,” he said, “I’ve got to help the others over the fence. If you’re still wearing your earpiece, tell Overdrake I’m coming, but I might not make it in five minutes.”
So, he would sacrifice himself for her. How sweet. And how utterly foolish. She wasn’t about to let him do it. She turned to Overdrake and called out, “He won’t come. He’s leaving right now.”
And if he was smart, he would.
CHAPTER 37
Dirk pressed the gas pedal of the bike, urging it to go faster. Taking Lilly to the fence had delayed him, but it was necessary. He couldn’t leave her in the middle of the grounds, and besides, with Lilly and the rest of the Slayers needing help over the fence, Jesse wouldn’t fly back to the habitat—at least not until he’d gotten everyone else to safety. Hopefully, Jesse wouldn’t come at all.
The Slayers had gone over these types of scenarios in practice. Lilly hadn’t spoken to him for three days last year because he’d let her die in a hostage negotiation instead of putting the rest of his team at risk.
But it was different now that it was real. And it was different because Dirk knew he was the one his father really wanted. He’d known it from the instant Tori was captured. His father had heard Dirk say over the radio that he would take the bike on the far side of the building. When his father saw Tori cornered and jumping back onto the roof, of course he’d thought it was Dirk. Until yesterday, Dirk was the only one who would have made the jump.
So now his father said he wanted someone to fly up and take Tori’s place. That, Dirk supposed, was his father’s way of punishing him for opening the roof. Dirk had not only punched in the right code, he’d used his voice to deactivate the voice recognition lock.
His father knew Dirk would come for Tori, and knew how Dirk would do it. Yeah, that would be a little hard to explain to the other Slayers later. If his father let him return with them, that is. Perhaps another part of Dirk’s punishment was that he had to stay behind. Maybe his father would reveal who Dirk was to everybody.
No, Dirk decided, gripping the handlebars tighter. As long as any of the Slayers were functional, his father wouldn’t give up his best tool for spying on them. Dirk was safe in that regard, at least.
The night air whistled by. The grounds were deceptively quiet. Dirk reached around his neck and tore the video feed off. He wasn’t about to let Dr. B see what was going to happen next.
Theo’s voice came over his earpiece. “Dirk, are you all right? Your video went dark.”
“I’m fine,” he said. He’d have to come up with an excuse later as to why the camera had come off his neck. Just one more complication to think about.
Man. He’d only met Tori three days ago, only liked her for one of those days, and, talk about your doomed relationships, if she remained a Slayer he’d have to fight her one day. But here he was anyway, ripping up the lawn to make it to her in time.
She was his counterpart. He hadn’t expected to feel so strongly about that fact, but then, he’d never expected anyone, anywhere, to understand him. When she’d touched his hand, he’d realized it might be possible.
Dirk didn’t have a plan, couldn’t clear his mind long enough to put one together. There was only anger. Anger at himself, anger at his father. But he knew one thing: He wasn’t going to let his father hurt Tori.
CHAPTER 38
Tori watched Overdrake pace back and forth on the edge of the roof, scoping out the grounds.
“Jesse won’t come,” she said again, loudly enough for her voice to reach the microphone in Overdrake’s hand. “But you probably already know that, like you know everything else about us.”
Overdrake’s gaze slid back to her. “Bartholemew was a fool to let you come here. Untrained, untested—you were bound to blunder about and get caught, weren’t you?”
She didn’t answer. He was only trying to upset her, even if what he said was true. By getting caught, she was putting both Dirk and Jesse in danger. She hadn’t thought of any way to escape and she only had minutes left. Or perhaps by now it was seconds.
“What is your gift, anyway?” Overdrake asked. “Hearing what a dragon hears? Not very useful, that talent. You led your friends right into trouble, didn’t you?”
His accusation sent more pain spiraling into her gut. When she heard the men talking near the eggs, she should have considered the possibility that it was a trap. But how could she have guessed that Overdrake knew about her gift? She’d only discovered it yesterday.
Tori turned away and looked out onto the expanse of grass below the building so he wouldn’t notice the tears gathering in her eyes. She didn’t want to let him see her cry.
Speaking softly into her earpiece, Dirk said, “Don’t listen to him, Tori. None of this is your fault. I’m almost there.”
“You can’t fly, can you?” Overdrake asked mockingly.
She didn’t answer. Obviously, she couldn’t fly or she wouldn’t have been stuck on the top of this building.
Overdrake shook his head at her. “Untrained, untested, and pitiful.”
The criticism hurt more than it should have. Only Jesse could fly. It wasn’t her fault she was Dirk’s counterpart instead of Jesse’s. Tori slid her foot into one of the black circles to see if she could budge it. It moved, but held fast to the roof.
“They’re supermagnets,” Overdrake said. “Funny things, aren’t they? When they’re next to steel or other magnets they have such strength. But by themselves,” he said pointedly to her, “they have no power.”
She didn’t miss the analogy. She was alone and powerless.
She thought of Dr. B’s question: Would the mission be worth it if someone died in the process?
It was going to be her. She would die, and they hadn’t even destroyed the eggs. It was bitterly unfair.
One by one, the mouthpieces went
silent. The group was turning them off. Perhaps they thought Overdrake had taken her earpiece so he could listen in on their conversations. It was a logical assumption. Tori wondered why he hadn’t.
When the soft hum of Dirk’s motorcycle went quiet she felt especially alone. She wondered if Jesse had turned off his mouthpiece, too.
As though Jesse had read her mind, he said, “I’m on my way. Tell Overdrake. That’s an order.”
Tori remained silent. It was her only hope of protecting Jesse. If Overdrake killed her before he arrived, Jesse would turn around and fly off.
Tori looked out at the grounds below her. It was harder to see in the distance now that the roof lights were on. She wondered where Dirk was and what he planned to do. Shooting either type of gun against these men wouldn’t accomplish anything. They were too well protected. He would only put himself in danger by coming anywhere near the building.
Overdrake checked his watch again. “It’s been five minutes. Perhaps your friendships aren’t as thick as I’ve been led to believe. Your comrades abandoned you.” He walked slowly back to her side. “Just another of life’s disappointments, but fortunately you won’t be required to deal with it for long.” He pointed his gun at her head again.
Every muscle in her body tensed, waiting for the shot.
“My assistant will tie you up,” Overdrake said. “If you make any sudden moves, I’ll fire. Do you understand?”
She nodded, although she didn’t understand the point of tying her up when the net already held her fast.
One of the gunmen brought over a pair of sharp shears. Two others hefted a thick metal chain. It was long, between thirty and forty feet. A large collar connected to one end, the other end had a hook with a latch.
“We planned to use this when we needed to tether the hatchlings,” Overdrake said. “It should work to keep hold of you.”
The tall man waved over the other men on the roof so that they made a semicircle around Tori. Two of them pointed rifles at her. The other used the shears to widen the hole in the net until it slipped off her shoulders.
The tall man removed her weapons. She itched to leap, to plow into Overdrake and take him hostage, but too many men had guns pointed at her. She couldn’t take them all out at once.
Her gaze flickered upward. This would be a good time for Jesse to appear. Or Dirk. She longed to hear one of their voices issuing instructions. If only they had some sort of plan.
But no one spoke. The only sound was the chain scraping against the roof as the henchman took off her bulletproof vest and clamped the collar around her waist. It dug into her ribs, unbending. Her breaths were already coming too fast and too shallow and the collar only made it worse.
Tori’s family was miles away, unaware. She wanted another day, another hour with them, a chance to say good-bye.
Overdrake watched her being shackled. “Such a pretty girl,” he said into the microphone. “Such a pity.” Then he pointed at one of the gunman. “Hook the end of the chain around the gearbox so I can show our guest the work we’ve done on the habitat.” He strode over to her, smiling coldly. “Don’t struggle. My men are trained marksmen. It would be a shame to waste their energies cleaning little bits of you off the roof.”
She stepped away from him, then kept stepping backward toward the edge of the roof.
“I’m not going to kill you,” Overdrake said. “Well, probably not. Assuming you survive the fall, you’ll hang in the habitat until you get a good strong dose of the ether. You’ll be happier without your powers, without your memories.”
The men holding onto her chain yanked it, trying to keep her from going farther back. They needn’t have bothered. She’d reached the edge of roof and she had nowhere else to go.
“Before you pass out,” Overdrake said, closing the distance between them with deliberate steps, “let me remind you that you failed. None of you can defeat me. I can outmaneuver you and outfight you at every step.”
She heard the soft hum of a motorcycle nearing the building and looked down. Dirk had come. Overdrake saw the motorcycle, too. He grabbed hold of Tori with more strength than she thought possible. She resisted, trying to twist away from his grip, but it proved useless. Overdrake hefted her above his head as though he were the one with extra strength instead of her.
He’s one of us, she thought wildly. The dragons give him powers, too.
Dirk looked up at her, but she couldn’t see his expression through his visor. Before his motorcycle had come to a stop, he jumped off and let it fall to the ground. He took two running steps toward the building, and then she couldn’t see him anymore.
Overdrake turned and stepped over to the opening in the roof, still holding her aloft. She grabbed at the only things she could reach, his arms. If she clung on to him, he wouldn’t be able to throw her. She caught hold of his watch, but it didn’t help. He tossed her into the hole and the watchband simply broke off in her hand. It fell somewhere down below her.
I won’t scream, she told herself. I won’t give him the satisfaction. She gasped in a breath and held it. The walls went racing by in a blur. If the chain slipped, she’d fall to her death.
The chain went tight, and the collar bit into her stomach, punching the air out of her lungs. She didn’t dare breathe in, not here where the air was tainted. She bounced, then swung back and forth. Rocks and trees went spinning through her field of vision.
She twisted around until she faced up. Gripping the chain, she pulled herself, hand over hand, toward the opening in the roof. Fresh air would be blowing inside from the hole. She would be able to breathe up there. She might even be able to crawl out of the opening and take the men by surprise.
She could hear Dirk up on the roof shouting at Overdrake. How had he gotten there so quickly?
“Let her go,” Dirk yelled. “She doesn’t matter to you.”
Overdrake’s voice held barely controlled rage. “Do you know what matters to me? Destroying my enemies.”
She kept pulling herself upward. Without her extra strength, she wouldn’t have been able to do it, and she wouldn’t be able to do it for long if she didn’t get some oxygen.
A scuffling noise sounded up above her and then Overdrake spoke again. “What did you think would happen when you came here? What?”
Dirk yelled, “You wanted someone to take her place? Here I am. Let her go.”
“I’ll let her go when I’m ready.”
Tori hurried, pulled harder, kept her eyes on a patch of starlight above. Her lungs ached; it was getting hard to hear. Her ears buzzed—no, it wasn’t her ears—the roof was moving again, closing.
Overdrake had never planned on releasing her if someone came to take her place. When the roof closed, it would most likely cut through the chain, and she’d fall to the ground.
Perhaps that wouldn’t have killed her if she hadn’t climbed up the chain, but now that she had …
She pulled herself up faster. She had to make it to the opening. She couldn’t, but she had to keep trying. Up! Up! The word repeated in her mind with such concentration she no longer heard what Dirk and Overdrake yelled at each other. Her body ached. Her gaze zoomed upward, closer to the hole. At first she thought it was a lack of oxygen and this floating feeling meant she was losing consciousness.
She breathed in, letting the air rush into her lungs. And yet, she still soared upward, out of the hole, over the roof, and into the night sky.
She was flying. Flying!
A cry of joy nearly sprang from her lips. Yes, I can do this. She pushed up through the air like a bird, the air rushing by her face and fingertips.
Jesse had told her that a Slayer’s extra skill manifested itself when one was under attack. She was glad this talent had finally shown up.
The chain rattled, then went tight again, this time pulled upward. It had been looped around a gearbox and hooked onto itself. She was stuck, leashed to the roof.
Dirk and Overdrake stared up at her, their conversation halted. Th
ey stood close together, an odd mirror image of each other. They were the same height and build, and both had an arm raised, pointing a finger at the other in accusation. Dirk had no restraint, no net or chain. Perhaps Overdrake knew he didn’t have to use them. Dirk had willingly turned himself over.
The tall man saw Tori and lifted his rifle, aiming it at her. She jerked backward, but the motion was clumsy. She didn’t know how to control her movements in the air or switch directions. Fear pulsated through her, making everything louder, sharper. At this distance he wouldn’t miss, and Overdrake had taken her helmet and bulletproof vest.
Before he could pull the trigger, Dirk rammed into the gunman, pushing him over. The blast discharged somewhere out across the roof.
But the rest of the men had guns, too, and she was floating helplessly above them like a piñata. It was only a matter of time before everyone took a shot at her. She tugged at the collar around her waist. How could she get it off? She didn’t see a strap or a buckle. The solid metal sides had fused together.
Something in the air off to her side caught her attention. Jesse swooped down toward the roof like an avenging angel. He plunged into the gunmen first. They fell backward like bowling pins, splayed out on the roof, rifles scattering every which way. Then he flew to the box where the chain was linked, tethering her to the roof. It only took him a moment to unhook. Without it holding her down, she shot up into the sky.
While she wondered how exactly to change direction, Jesse grabbed Dirk and soared off the roof. Jesse looked back over his shoulder at her. “Hurry!” he called. “Get out of their sight!”
He might have told her how. She still zoomed upward from inertia. The roof and the men shrank below her. Some of the men stared upward, but thankfully none aimed their guns at her. Perhaps they couldn’t see her through the blaze of the roof lights. She wasn’t sure if she would be easier to spot when they turned off the lights, but she didn’t want to stick around to find out.
