“You ready for that tour now, Chloe?” Eve asked, holding out a hand to help her up.
She took it and got to her feet, bidding Abby goodbye with a smile and shaking off the weird feeling.
The Precognition Department was on Level Seven, which meant seven floors below the basement level that Chloe had seen before. Levels One through Six housed other divisions—Conventional Infantry, Intelligence and Reconnaissance, Sword, and Shield, which were those with offensive and defensive physical gifts, respectively. Those with offensive and defensive mental gifts were divided into smaller groups, based on skill—telekinesis, telepathy, pyrokinesis, teleportation—
Chloe's mind was swimming.
“What about the levels below us?” she asked.
“High security,” Eve replied. “Above your pay grade, I'm afraid.”
Eve showed her some other training rooms, smaller meditation areas with various items to aid with focus—candles, crystals, that kind of thing, as well as a dormitory style living area, kitchen, and cafeteria. They ended the tour in a large surveillance room filled with rows of computers, and a wall of monitor screens.
“This is where technology meets the metaphysical,” Eve explained. “We use this room to conduct research into our visions and predictions, and to try and utilize conventional means to narrow down when and where things may happen.”
“We sure could have used this a few months ago,” Chloe said, half to herself, running her finger over a computer keyboard.
“Well, you have it now,” Eve said with a smile. “Are you ready for some lunch? Our chef has quite a hand with mac and cheese.”
“Yeah, that sounds great,” Chloe replied, her stomach growling. “I need to stop at the restroom first.”
Eve started to answer, then her phone rang. She frowned at the screen. “I need to take this,” she said. “Can you find your way? It's just down the hall to the right.”
“Of course,” Chloe replied, but Eve had already turned away to answer the call, speaking in hushed tones. With a shrug, Chloe left the computer room and headed toward the bathroom. When she came back out, she turned left toward the cafeteria, only to stop short at the ding of an elevator.
She was confused for a moment, because it seemed to be coming from a different direction than the elevator she arrived in. Curious, she pulled an about face and followed the sound. The hallways were empty, but she forced herself to walk with intent, so she didn't look like she was sneaking around.
Even though she was totally sneaking around.
Then she rounded a corner and ran straight into a man wearing a white lab coat. He caught her by the elbows to steady her.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
He looked familiar—an older man in glasses with closely-trimmed gray hair and gray eyes. It took her a moment to realize that he was the man Gavin had been meeting with when she first showed up for her job interview. At the time, she felt a wash of odd familiarity.
She was feeling it again.
“Miss?” The man squeezed her arms and gave her a little shake. “Are you okay?”
“Oh, yes . . . yes, I'm fine.” She extricated herself from his grip and took a step back. “I'm sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going.”
“No, it's my fault,” he said, tilting his head to look at her more closely. “You're Chloe Blake, aren't you?”
She blinked in surprise. “Yes . . . have we met?” That would explain her odd déjà vu.
“No, no.” He pushed his glasses up with a finger. “I heard you'd be in the building. You and your friends are kind of celebrities around here.”
Chloe huffed, unsure whether she should be flattered or irritated. “I'm hearing that a lot today.”
“Yes, well . . .” He jolted a little. “Oh, I'm Stephen Barrett,” he said, holding out a hand. “Director of Interdimensional Travel.”
What?
“Seriously?” she asked, shaking his hand in a daze. “Interdimensional travel?” The hair stood up on the back of her neck. There was something about this man. She could feel it.
“I take it you haven't hit that spot on the tour just yet,” he said with a smirk.
Chloe shook her head. “No, I think I would have remembered that part.”
He flipped back the sides of his lab coat and slipped his hands into his pockets. “We've actually been researching for years, but it was only within the past decade or so that we made some real strides. Once we found the connection between genetic coding and the technological deman—”
“Stephen!” Eve appeared in the hallway, approaching them quickly. “Were you looking for me?”
“What?” He seemed a little flustered. “Yes, yes, actually, I was,” he said. “I just ran into Chloe here—”
“Who does not have the security clearance to be discussing your work,” Eve said with a pointed look.
“Oh.” Dr. Barrett deflated. “I didn't realize. I thought—”
“Well, it's not important now,” Eve said, hooking her hand through his elbow. “Come on to my office and we'll talk. Chloe, I'm sure you can find your way to the cafeteria?”
Chloe was feeling more than a little overwhelmed. “Yes. Sure I can.”
Eve pointed down the hall. “It's that way.”
“Right,” Chloe said, quickly walking in that direction. “Thanks. Um, nice to meet you, Dr. Barrett.”
“Same to you, Chloe.”
They walked away and Chloe forced herself not to watch them go. She hurried to the cafeteria and piled a plate with macaroni and cheese. The room was pretty much empty, except for a guy sitting in the corner eating a sandwich and looking at his phone. She took a seat on the opposite side of the room and took a bite of the food, chewing slowly, as she tried to make sense of the past few minutes.
There was something about Dr. Barrett, and Chloe had a feeling that there was something about his department as well. Interdimensional Travel? Who would have thought of such a thing?
But if there was interdimensional travel. That would mean there are other dimensions.
And if there are other dimensions. And Ethan is here, but not here, as Gavin said, maybe he could be . . .
It was too crazy to even think about, wasn't it? But Chloe's world had been nothing but crazy since she arrived in Gatesburg and moved into that Victorian.
What if . . .
What if Ethan was in another dimension?
And if he was, what if Dr. Stephen Barrett, Director of Interdimensional Travel could help her find him?
Chloe pushed the macaroni around on the plate as the thoughts whirled in her head.
Yes, there was something about Dr. Barrett.
And Chloe was going to find out exactly what it was.
“Nothing. I've got nothing,” Chloe said, frustrated. She sat across from Eve, on a pillow in one of the smaller meditation chambers. They'd been at it for more than an hour, as Eve tried to guide her to access her gift, but so far, no luck.
“You have to be patient,” Eve said, squeezing her hands. “All of this takes time.”
But Chloe didn't have time. She'd been at WARDEN for almost a week and time was running out. She could feel it.
“Let's try something else.” Eve got to her feet and went to a low cabinet against the wall. She opened a drawer and pulled out a few small items, and Chloe took the opportunity to stretch out her legs and try to relax.
Eve sat back down across from Chloe and handed her a silver ball, about two inches in diameter. “What's this? Chloe asked. The ball was smooth and warm, warmer than she'd expected, and as she held it in her hand, she realized it vibrated quietly.
“It's a focusing orb,” Eve replied. “Here, hold it like this.” She reached out and arranged Chloe's hands so the left was palm up, across her body, holding the orb, and her right palm down over it.
“Hold it lightly,” Eve said. “You'll feel it move once you establish a connection, so don't freak out.”
Chloe peeked through her fingers, e
xamining the ball skeptically. “A connection?”
“Close your eyes and reach out to it with your mind,” Eve said. “Our thoughts, our gifts, are like electricity, flowing out of us and through everything around us. Once you can establish a connection with the orb, it will help boost your power, kind of like a battery, and it can help you access your visions.”
Chloe heard a rustling sound and opened her eyes to find Eve getting to her feet.
“I'm going to leave you to it,” she said. “It may be easier for you with no distractions. Stay as long as you like, but leave the orb, all right? That technology can't leave the building.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
Eve smiled in acknowledgment and left the room.
Chloe held the ball up closer to her face, looking for the source of the vibration and heat. But it appeared completely solid, with no seams or creases. Shrugging, she moved her hands back to the position Eve had put them in, cradling the orb lightly between her palms.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
Again.
And again.
She wasn't sure exactly how to establish a connection with the orb, so instead she focused on her breaths, her heartbeat, the feeling of warmth and buzzing in her hands. She tightened her muscles one by one and then made them relax.
After a while, Chloe lost track of time, had no idea of how long she'd been sitting there. She was wrapped in warmth and darkness, the vibration from the orb flowing out over her hands, up her arms . . . through her body.
The vision came out of nowhere.
It began like the others, oppressive darkness closing in on her from every direction, pressing into her skin, filling her lungs until she couldn't draw a breath. She tried to open her eyes, tried to see, but her eyes were already open and there was nothing to see. Nothing but the thick, stifling blackness.
Then in a flash, the vision changed and she was in a room. It was circular, so she assumed it was somewhere in WARDEN, since that seemed to be the theme of all of the sub-basement levels. In the center of the room she saw a raised platform, about six feet across, with a lighted pad right in the middle. Surrounding it, various work stations placed on rolling carts littered the floor, holding computer screens, control panels, keyboards, and flashing lights in an array of colors.
Chloe approached one of the work stations and examined the screen. It took a moment for her to understand she was looking at some kind of medical readout—heart rate, blood pressure, temperature—and in the lower left, Containment: 100%.
At a noise behind her, Chloe whirled and came face to face with Gina Talbot. She grabbed Chloe's upper arms and squeezed, her eyes swirling with inky black smoke. Chloe tried to break free, but Gina only laughed, tightening her grip.
Then Dr. Barrett ran into the room, but he didn't seem to see either one of them. He leaped up onto the platform, turned to stand facing forward on the pad in the center, and in a flash of light, he vanished.
And Chloe was back in the meditation room, gasping for breath. She dropped the orb and it rolled across the floor, coming to a stop next to the pillow where Eve had been sitting. Chloe curled onto her side, hands clutched into her stomach, lost and overwhelmed at the powerful vision.
What was that?
It took a long time before her heartbeat slowed and she sat up. She crawled over and picked up the orb between a thumb and forefinger, not wanting to prompt another vision. She put it away, back in the drawer. Surprised to find it was after five o'clock, Chloe gathered her things and left the room.
It was jarring to emerge from the elevator into the lobby, into the real world. Like stepping out of a movie theater into the bright sunshine.
She walked home, lost in thought, wondering how the pieces of the vision fit together. Ethan. Gina. That was easy. Gina wanted to take Ethan's place and, according to Chloe's vision, it looked like she was going to do that.
Chloe shuddered at the thought.
But Dr. Barrett. And that weird room. Chloe could only assume that had to do with the interdimensional travel that he'd mentioned.
And her vision seemed to validate Chloe's suspicions that Dr. Barrett could help her . . . help them . . . save Ethan.
She had no idea how—or why—he would help them.
But as she climbed the steps to the Victorian, she was even more determined to find out.
“So what exactly are we supposed to say?” Maia hissed under her breath as they walked into WARDEN the next morning. After Chloe's encounter with Dr. Barrett, and her remarkable vision, there was no way they were letting her go back alone. Fortunately, Maia had no classes on Fridays, and Dylan was off until the evening shift at the coffee shop, so they were free to accompany her.
“They're expecting you,” Chloe said . . . again. “Just follow my lead and act natural.”
Dylan snorted, and Chloe elbowed him as they neared the security desk.
“Hi—” Chloe snuck a look at the guard's nametag. “—George. Um, this is Maia and Dylan. I think Gavin's expecting them?”
George consulted his computer screen. “Sheridan and Kennedy,” he said, reaching for a couple of temporary badges. He handed them over. “Keep these on you at all times,” he said. “They'll get you set up with permanent I.D.s in H.R.”
“10-4!” Dylan said with a little salute. Chloe barely resisted hitting him. Instead, she grabbed his arm and led them both toward the elevators. “Thanks, George!”
“So . . .” Maia began when they got in the elevator. “Where do you think they'll put us? I mean, to train.” She glanced toward the camera near the ceiling. They'd discussed the constant monitoring at WARDEN, and everyone knew to watch what they said.
“I'm not sure,” Chloe replied. “They'll team you up with others with similar gifts. I imagine you'll get more physical training. I spend most of my days sitting on a pillow meditating.”
“That doesn't sound too bad,” Dylan said wryly. “Think you can get me in on some of that? I could use a nap.”
Chloe rolled her eyes. “There is no napping,” she said haughtily. “Just very focused meditating and vision . . . having.” When Dylan laughed, she ignored him and led them out of the elevator and toward Gavin's office.
Anne took Maia and Dylan to H.R., and they agreed to meet for lunch, outside the building. Chloe felt a little nervous, like a mother bird pushing her babies out of the nest. She had no idea what they were in for and wanted to watch out for them.
But this was all part of the plan.
She went to the private meditation room she'd claimed as her own, checking in with Eve in her office on the way. Chloe knew she had to make everything look right, so she tried to meditate and access her gift for the next hour or so, but she was so anxious she could barely sit still, let alone let her mind wander.
She got up and made her way to the bathroom, then walked past it in the direction of the second elevator she knew existed somewhere. Walking briskly, she nodded at those she met along the way. Chloe had come to realize that successful snooping was reliant most of all on looking like you knew what you were doing, and were supposed to be doing it.
And luck. Lots and lots of luck.
She found the elevator tucked into an alcove, but a man and a woman she didn't know were waiting for it, deep in discussion about a television show or a book—she wasn't sure which. When the doors slid open, Chloe hesitated only briefly before entering behind the couple. She pulled out her phone and acted like she was answering a call, ducking into the far corner.
“Would you mind hitting eight?” she asked in what she hoped was an offhand manner before returning to her bogus phone call. “And then he told her he was leaving. No warning. No nothing. Yeah, I know.” She watched the woman out of the corner of her eye press the button for Level Eight and Chloe tried not to let the relief show on her face. The woman raised her eyebrows at the man, smirking as she listened in on Chloe’s conversation.
“Well, she burned all his clothes,” Chloe said, s
peaking quietly, but knowing they were eavesdropping. “He said he was going to sue her.”
The doors opened and the couple walked out and turned to the right. Chloe went left, letting out a long, shaky breath. She could hear them laughing behind her and quickened her steps.
Like the other floors, Level Eight was circular in shape. There were no windows on this floor, however, no way for her to peek into the rooms and laboratories to see who and what was inside.
So now what?
She spotted a sign for a restroom and ducked inside, locking herself into a stall. She was quiet for a moment, listening for any indication there was someone else in the room.
All was quiet.
Chloe took a deep breath and closed her eyes, reaching for her gift. If there was ever a time she could use a hint of what to do next, this was it.
She pictured the room from her vision—the computer screens, the platform, the lights overhead.
“Okay, where are you?” she murmured to herself. To her surprise, she felt a jolt—a kind of tug, really, deep within her. Chloe's eyes flew open.
She left the bathroom and turned left down the hall, the—something—pulling her along, leading her. Chloe followed the hall around the curve, then left down a smaller hall, right . . . and . . .
A door.
Chloe knew, like she only knew when the knowing came from her gift, that this was the room.
She reached out for the doorknob, but it was locked. Of course.
“Now what,” she muttered, eyeing the security pad to the right of the door.
“Chloe?”
She whirled around to find Dr. Garrett standing right behind her.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
Chloe didn't even think about the lie before she said it. “Gavin sent me,” she said. “For training.”
She must have kept her voice steady, her gaze strong, because Dr. Garrett keyed a code into the pad. “Here? But you're a seer.”
“Right,” she said. “But he thought my gift might be able to help you find potential targets and travelers.” Where did that come from?
Super Heroes (The New Super Humans #4) Page 13
