by Sydney Addae
Thomas met Lizzie’s shocked gaze. “Well, that’s interesting,” she said.
“Yeah, it is,” Thomas said.
“What about the festival? Will he send someone for you or come himself?” Thomas asked.
“What?” Matteo asked, with a slight frown.
“Festival? In town? Will he show up?” Thomas said.
“No. He has never come this far.”
“Can you get him to come? We can intercept him, have a discussion, see if we can change his mind,” Thomas said.
“You... you want him to come here? Want to talk to him?” Matteo asked.
“Not here. We’ll meet him down the mountain but he’ll think he’s here.” Thomas’ gaze remained on Matteo.
“I can bring him here,” Noah said.
“Fewer casualties if he came on his own. We can scan him. Find out who he’s working with, the location of any other labs. We need to shut this down as soon as possible,” Thomas said.
“Interesting coincidence the last man on the list is connected to the man we need to shut down the lab,” Tip said.
No one said anything.
“Another reason to intercept Owen, get another perspective on what’s going on,” Thomas said into the silence.
“I don’t want him anywhere near my family,” Matteo said shaking his head.
“Understandable. Have him meet you 10 miles before the barrier you erected. Will that work?” Thomas asked.
“What do you want me to tell him?” Matteo said a few moments later.
“Tell him you want to talk. Tell him the experiments need to stop. Tell him whatever you think will make him come and not a subordinate. Doesn’t matter who he brings to the party as long as he comes,” Thomas said.
Matteo’s eyes widened as he returned Thomas’ stare. Eventually, his gaze landed on each person but lingered on Lizzie.
She nodded at him.
Matteo swallowed, took a deep breath. “Alright, I’ll contact him. When do you want him to come?”
“What’s the best time to meet with him?” Thomas asked.
“I will see when he can arrive,” Matteo leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
“Mind links?” Tip said.
“Seems like it,” Damali said. “Mia, what’s your take on him?”
“Neutral. The only emotion that slips through his walls are his distress over what Owen is doing and his attraction to Lizzie. I think he’s genuine.”
“Same here,” Pearl said.
“Lizzie, you’ll need to replicate the hotel and town off the highway,” Thomas said.
“No problem,” she said.
“Pearl will appear as Matteo to draw him in. Then Mia and I will try to get answers from him after Noah secures him,” Thomas said.
“He will be here at sunrise. I gave him an address outside the borders,” Matteo said standing. “I can take you there.”
Thomas held up his hand. “We’ll go later.”
“He will arrive before sunrise. He may be on his way now,” Matteo said.
Lizzie stood. The others followed. “I can hold the shell for several hours. After he arrives, I’ll create the rooms for you to use.”
“How do we know he’s telling the truth? What if he’s stringing us along and there’s no Owen? Is there any way to verify if this guy’s for real or not?” Tip asked.
Silence.
“I believe I know a way,” Lizzie said. She walked over to Matteo, took his hand and walked behind the others toward the front entrance.
“You have a beautiful home,” she said softly, looking around.
Thomas stepped ahead of them, not too far, but enough to give Lizzie some privacy. Tip stopped, looked at Matteo and Lizzie, shook his head and walked out.
“He is jealous for you? Was he your lover?” Matteo asked as he watched Tip leave.
“What? No. He’s... none of us are like that. We’re family.” She shook her head. “We are all close friends.”
“I see.” He exhaled. “That means you’ll be leaving when they leave, back to America?”
“Yes. I have a home there and work, just as you have here,” she said and stopped. “Thank you.”
He frowned. “What have I done?”
“You’ve flattered me with your attention. It’s been...” She took a deep breath. “Decades since I’ve met anyone I could even consider going on a date with. It’s... I had forgotten how nice it feels.” She moved closer to him. Her gaze flicked from his mouth to his hungry stare.
Matteo pulled her close for a kiss.
Thomas pulled out of Lizzie’s link and shut it down from the others. The sizzle still rang in his ears.
Lizzie had met her match.
“AHEAD IS THE END OF my protection,” Matteo told Thomas. He and Lizzie sat in the back seat of Thomas’ vehicle. “I will increase it. Tell me if you sense anything.”
Curious, Thomas nodded.
Lizzie leaned into Matteo with her head on his shoulder. Thomas wondered if she would remain with her man or return to the compound. They had been close friends for decades and he would miss her but none of them would stand in the way of her happiness.
An electric current ripped through Thomas as they drove down the road. “Whoa,” Thomas said. “Was that it?”
“What?” Lizzie looked confused.
“Yes, Thomas. Stop and try to drive the way you came,” Matteo said.
Thomas explained to the others what just happened and the experiment he was undertaking. He turned his car around and drove. Nothing looked the same as the road he had driven before.
“This road bypasses the barriers I have in place. Eventually you’ll arrive at your destination without ever coming close to my village or hotel,” Matteo said proudly.
“Did you feel something?” Lizzie asked Thomas.
“An electric shock,” Thomas said turning the car around to meet the team.
Matteo patted her hand. “It was a mild shock, just enough for the test. I will keep it at that level until we return after dealing with Owen.” He brushed his lips against her cheek.
“Did you feel the shock?” Thomas asked Lizzie.
“No. No I didn’t.”
“I am her man. Nothing I do can ever hurt her,” Matteo said, meeting Thomas’ gaze in the rear-view mirror.
“Good to know,” Thomas said. They reached the others on the road and continued driving.
“Just ahead is about the location I’ve told Owen to meet me,” Matteo pointed to a level area of ground with several tall trees to the side of it.
Thomas pulled over and parked. The others stopped behind him and got out.
Lizzie patted Matteo’s cheek. “I’ve got to go to work. Come with me.”
“Work?” Eyebrows furrowed he slid out the back seat behind her.
“Where do you want it?” Lizzie asked Thomas.
He looked at the road and walked several feet away from it. “Start the entrance to the town up there. Since he’s meeting Matteo in town and not the hotel, make it the most realistic.”
Lizzie nodded, turned and stared at the location. The next moment, a replica of the town appeared in the site Thomas dictated.
“What?” Matteo yelped as he looked around. “This... you did this, my Lizzie?”
Thomas watched as Matteo touched the plants, the walls and the sign on the post. The others spread out, inspecting the buildings, providing Lizzie feedback.
“It even smells the same. So realistic,” Matteo said as he sat on a bench in front of a small cafe.
“Good, it needs to look the same to fool Owen and anyone he brings with him,” Lizzie said before turning to Thomas. “Where will you take him?”
Thomas looked around and then spoke to Matteo. “Where would he expect you to meet him?”
Matteo took a moment to answer. “Here in town. It’s too early for the shops to be open, so he’s expecting it to be just us. He won’t come alone. He will attempt to overpower me, perhaps curtail my ene
rgy so that he can take me. He’s tried it before. I told him I was tired of the games and would come to an agreement with him.” He stood and walked to Lizzie. “I don’t want him to see you. He will attempt to take you and I can’t allow that.”
Lizzie frowned. “He won’t see me. I’ll be with the others. But you should know I don’t back down from fights and can hold my own. We all train and are excellent at combat. I’m not a weak woman to hide behind anyone. You need to know that upfront.”
They stared at each other a few moments before Matteo took her hand and kissed the back of it. “For the first time in decades my heart is alive. I have a hope of living a decent life. It is a gift I never expected. If this is what your team is capable of...” He looked at the illusion. “I will try to remain passive and not react unless you are in danger.”
“We’re a team. This is what we do, search and rescue stuff. Let us work, okay?” Lizzie leaned into him and brushed her lips against his. “Okay?”
“What shall I do while you work?” he asked.
Pearl walked toward them.
Matteo jumped and pushed Lizzie behind him. “Madre de Dio.”
“Not quite,” Pearl said sounding and looking like Matteo. “Just a little window dressing.” She walked closer and took his hand for a few moments.
“Amazing,” Matteo whispered, unaware Pearl had accessed snippets of information regarding Owen from his memories.
“Max and Tip are in position,” Noah told Thomas.
“Good. As soon as they see Owen, they’ll let us know what to expect. Lizzie, you and Matteo go to the end of the road near the hotel with Damali.” He pointed toward the back of the illusion. “Wait to hear from me.”
Lizzie took Matteo’s hand and walked off.
“What’s the plan?” Noah asked. He stood slightly behind Mia with his hands on her shoulders.
“When he arrives, Pearl will try to talk to him. I’ll stand behind her as security and attempt to scan him. If he becomes belligerent, tie him up with the mist. I’ll do a deeper scan.” He looked at Mia. “See what you can learn about him as well.”
“If he brings a lot of people?” Noah asked.
“Tip and Max will keep them busy until I get the information we need. No matter what, those labs will be shut down.” Thomas met each person’s gaze before stepping toward the table to wait.
Pearl yawned, rubbed her eyes and followed. “This has been a long day.” She side-eyed Thomas. “Relaxing weekend, right?”
He stretched his legs as Noah and Mia disappeared in the shadows. “So far so good. We’ve learned a lot more than we thought we would.”
“Is Lizzie going home with us? Or is she staying here?” Pearl asked the question they were all thinking.
“I don’t know. She hasn’t said anything to me.” Thomas didn’t want to think about it.
Pearl nodded and took a seat.
An hour later, Tip spoke. “There’s an SUV headed this way. Can’t make out the number of people but my first guess is he is not alone. ETA 15 minutes.”
“If the meeting is at sunrise, how does he expect to meet Matteo this early?” Pearl asked as they stood and walked to the middle of the street.
“Mind-link. He’ll tell him he’s here or just head to the hotel.” Thomas altered his appearance slightly. Darkened his hair and eyes, rounded his face more and added a few inches to his height so that he stood closer to 6’8”.
Pearl looked up at him. “Nice. Should make him pause at least.”
“Berserkers don’t pause. They don’t think. They just start swinging. I may need to hit him a couple times so Noah can lasso the mist around him,” Thomas said.
“Five minutes, they’re driving close to a 100 miles per hour,” Tip said.
“Everybody, get in position,” Thomas said.
“They stopped. Three men got out and are running toward the woods. Enhanced humans. We’re on them,” Max said.
“Don’t kill them, contain them first. Mia, see if you can learn something from those men,” Thomas said as the sound of an approaching vehicle came closer.
Pearl stood in the middle of the road with her arms crossed as the driver in the SUV slammed on the brakes.
“Why are you standing in the middle of the road?” the driver yelled.
“Waiting for you,” Pearl said.
“Lizzie, ask Matteo if Owen reached out to him?” Thomas said.
“No. Not yet,” she said.
“Tell him to let you know immediately if Owen does,” Thomas said.
“Alright.”
The van door opened. Two men exited. The driver had to be Owen. He had the look of a berserker. Large, blond stringy hair and beard, muscular. Around Hawke’s size and height. The other one was thinner, shorter around 6’2”, with a slender muscular build, thick reddish brown short hair, hazel-green eyes, triangular face, goatee. He looked familiar.
Thomas couldn’t immediately place him. He wore a long black coat with his hands in his pocket as he stared at Pearl.
“Who is that?” Pearl asked.
“An interested friend,” Owen said and pointed at Thomas. “Who’s that?”
“An interested friend,” Pearl said with a smirk.
“I know this guy, the one in the black,” Noah said.
“He does look familiar,” Thomas said watching Owen.
“The multiplier. Hermes,” Noah said. “This is the dude that was with the guy who destroyed my house. Former military. What’s he doing here?”
“I don’t know,” Thomas said. His gaze flicked to the man in black. “Place a heat signal on him now, so that when he multiplies, I hit the right target.”
“Done. Why is the military involved with this?”
“Crystals that extend the life of humans? Behavioral control? Take your pick,” Thomas said.
“Give me the formula, I need it.” Owen held out his hands. They shook.
“Will you stop experimenting on people? Shut down your lab?” Pearl asked.
Owen looked at Hermes. “It’s not my lab anymore. I sold it.”
“To who?” Pearl asked.
“That’s not important,” Hermes said. “What’s important is Owen promised the information that activates the crystals. He said you would give it to us.”
Pearl frowned. “I don’t know you.”
“You don’t have to know me. Believe me when I say it’s in your best interest to turn over the information to us so that we can help the people Owen messed over,” Hermes said.
“He moved. One of his persona's is coming up along the side of you,” Noah said.
“I sense him,” Thomas said watching Owen.
“Will you stop the experiments?” Pearl demanded.
“Yes,” Hermes lied.
“Hermes duplicated again, this time his base is heading in my direction and leaving the persona to talk to you,” Noah said.
“Tie him up with the mist. I want to see what happens to the rest of him,” Thomas said.
“Well this is interesting,” Tip said. “These are former soldiers like Noah. Matteo has them buried in the ground with just their heads exposed. Mia is scanning them now.”
“Tell him no deal,” Thomas told Pearl and prepared to take out Owen.
“If you don’t stop the experiments, we have no deal,” Pearl said.
“What?” Owen yelled.
Hermes duplicated four times and came at them. Thomas stood in front of Pearl while she prepared to take out the Hermes coming toward them from the side.
Thomas punched the first Hermes who reached him and knocked him back into the van. Owen morphed into a larger size and ran at Thomas.
Pearl ducked a blow and kicked Hermes to the ground. He fizzled and disappeared. She stepped out of the way as Owen threw several punches at Thomas. A few landed. Most were wild. Thomas reared back and punched Owen in the stomach.
“Oof,” Owen said bending forward as the air left him. Thomas punched him beneath the chin, sending him flying t
hrough the air. He hit the top of the SUV and slid to the ground.
“Get whatever information you need from him. Hermes is calling for reinforcements,” Noah said.
Thomas placed his hand on Owen’s forehead. “There are two of those memory bubbles here. I’ll break them after I’m done.” He paused. “He’s dying. We couldn’t help him if we tried. They’ve run all kinds of experiments on him. Recently. Matteo had been his friend, tried to help him. He sold Matteo out and would’ve killed him for the formula. I’m releasing his memories. Maybe we’ll learn who’s behind all of this.”
Owen’s eyes opened and blazed with anger. He tried to move, but the mist held him fast. Thomas broke the other memory bubble. Owen’s gaze widened as he stared up at Thomas. Tears filled his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “Please kill me so they cannot use me again.”
“Mia’s nearby scanning Hermes. I don’t want him to see either of us, although I’m sure he remembers the mist,” Noah said.
Thomas shared Owen’s death request to the team. “What do you think?” he asked.
“He’s dying and wants to die in peace, give it to him,” Max said.
“It’s better than being used and doing things against your will,” Tip said.
“I agree. I’d want you to do that for me if I’d been used like that,” Damali said.
“Same here,” Pearl agreed.
“Matteo believes it would give his friend peace and asks if he can say goodbye,” Lizzie said.
“I’ll come to you so he can come out here.” Pearl turned and walked toward the hotel. Moments later, Matteo walked out alone. He stood next to Thomas and stooped to speak softly to Owen.
“I’m sorry it has come to this. You are not well. I wish you had found me sooner,” Matteo said.
“No. It’s better this way. Be careful. There is a group coming. Powerful. Like us but not like us. They lie and are not honorable. They want the Kirlethanium. I told them everything about it. Please forgive me,” he whispered.
Matteo nodded slowly. “I know. You are forgiven.”
“They will not stop. Leave this place, hide from them if you can. I have... I told them about you and the others.” Owen closed his eyes as tears ran down his cheek. “Please, kill me so they can no longer use me.”
