by Sophie Davis
“Come on, Tals. Not now,” Erik sent. “Stay focused.”
Slightly taken aback, I met my boyfriend’s churning eyes across the table. He’d either been in my head while I’d been in Riley’s, or he was also exploring the boy’s mind, wading through the thoughts and memories. Regardless of which one, Erik knew what I was about to say. Levelling my gaze at Riley, I readied to gauge his reaction.
“James Wellington is from one of the Poaching families?” I demanded.
Riley’s eyes went wide, the flames morphing into a raging inferno that seemed to leap from his irises and across the table to burn my skin.
Damn, the kid really was powerful.
“James isn’t one of them.” Riley’s tone was hard as granite. “I know what you’re thinking. He’s not a bloody traitor. He would never, never, turn another Chrome over to those bastards.”
Even if I hadn’t been inside Riley’s head, there was no doubt he was telling the truth. Flashes of disjointed memories danced through his mind. James telling Riley about his messed-up childhood. How his family disowned him for being Talented. How he’d lived on the streets, barely surviving. How he’d been caught by the Poachers not long after, only released after a girl named Bryn intervened on his behalf.
“Who’s Bryn?” Erik and I asked in unison, leaving little doubt that we were both taking liberties with Riley’s private thoughts.
The poor kid put on a brave face, pretended as though having the two of us rifling through his memories wasn’t giving him a heart attack. But I knew better. We’d terrified him. Riley had never encountered the likes of Erik and me before. And he was positive he didn’t care for our Talents.
“She’s James’s sister,” Riley said with impressive calm.
“Can you get in touch with her?” I demanded. “Can she help us find out where this auction is being held?”
Brand, Frederick, Henri, Angus, and Janelle were clearly lost by this point. Penny was the only other one who understood what was going on. But only because she was also eavesdropping on Riley’s thoughts.
“No, love, afraid not,” Riley answered, feeling genuinely sorry. “I haven’t a mind as to where she is, it would take some sorting. And we don’t have time for that. The auction is tomorrow, according to my sources.”
With his discouraging words, I deflated. For a minute there, I’d been hopeful that Bryn would be the key to find Kenly. From Riley’s mind, I knew he was telling the truth. He had ideas about how to find Bryn Wellington, but tracking her down might take days. And we didn’t have days. Kenly didn’t have days. Since I was still tuned in to Riley’s thoughts, I learned who his “sources” were. There was a network of freedom fighters in London who worked behind the scenes to keep Chromes from being nabbed by the Poachers, since law enforcement was perfectly happy to pocket some extra cash for looking the other way.
Another name floated across Riley’s mind: Willa.
“Your girlfriend?” I asked. “How can she help?”
Just then, my communicator beeped. Annoyed with the interruption, I swore and checked the display. No surprise, it was Victoria.
In her classic style, the message was brief and to the point.
Status update?
I pressed ignore, cringing at the firm lecture I’d surely endure for not responding immediately. But seriously, the woman had the worst timing.
Evidently Riley was growing accustomed to having someone voice his thoughts, because he didn’t bristle at my question.
“She’s a Viewer. She’s been tracking Kenly and James ever since they didn’t come home last night.”
Unable to help myself, I stared at Riley for a stunned second with my mouth agape, speechless. This kid had to be joking. He couldn’t have led off with that fact?
Erik felt the need to state my opinion, one he shared, for the group.
“That might have been a good piece of information to share when we first asked how you knew Kenly and your friend were missing,” he grumbled.
Riley stared down at his hands guiltily.
“You’re right to be cross, I should have told you. It’s just…I was hoping to keep her out of this mess.”
He hesitated, but then wisely continued before we went diving back into his brain ourselves.
“You see, Willa’s gifts don’t work quite like most Viewers, probably not like those you are all accustomed to. She more feels people more than sees them. At first, she felt nothing. Which probably means Kenly and James were drugged. But then….” He shuddered involuntarily. “Well, let’s just say Kenly’s scared. Terrified even.”
“But alive?” I pressed. “Kenly is alive?”
“Definitely,” Riley agreed.
“What about this James guy? How is he?” Henri asked. He’d been quiet to this point, though not disengaged. Knowing Henri as I did, he was probably cataloguing each word Riley said and determining the best way to use the information.
“James is bloody pissed off. And gutted, over not protecting Kenly. Maybe a bit scared, as well,” Riley said, a pained grimace accompanying the admission as if he was somehow betraying James by telling us the guy was smart enough to understand the fate he was facing. “But mostly angry,” Riley loyally added.
Feeling stupid for having not considered the possibility before, I looked first to Erik, then Penny, and then Frederick. All three were capable of Viewing. Frederick, the only natural-born Viewer of the three, was the best bet. Then I remembered that Frederick had never met Kenly. Strong as he was, he might not be able to track her without a reference of some sort. In the past he’d found people with as little to go on as a photograph, but it wasn’t like we had one on hand. Frustrated, I wracked my brain for other ideas.
“Do you want me to try?” Erik sent.
Hesitantly, I debated his offer. Erik really didn’t need the added stress it would cause. Viewing was pretty foreign to him, and he’d been unable to get a good handle on it. Which, of course, further aggravated my already tense boyfriend.
“Really, Tals, it’s fine. I can give it a try.” Erik added. “I just need to be somewhere I can concentrate.”
“Are you sure?” I asked, torn between my worry for Erik and my fear for Kenly.
“Of course,” he replied, giving me a small, reassuring smile.
“Yeah, okay. Let’s finish up with Riley, have him go get Willa, and then you can try,” I sent back.
While Erik and I were carrying on our private conversation, the real one had ceased to exist. Silence had fallen over the table, and everyone was watching us, waiting for me to decide the next move. Even Brand had finally acquiesced to my leadership role, aware that I held a lot more information than he did.
“Where is Willa? We’ll need her. You say the auction is likely to take place tomorrow? That’s a tight deadline, but we should be able to make something happen,” I said, already mentally tabulating all of the red tape that needed to be cut to pull off this mission in such a short timeframe.
“She’s here,” Riley announced.
Stupidly, my eyes darted around the pub, searching for a girl I’d somehow missed when we walked in.
“In the back,” Riley added. “I’ll get her.”
With that, Riley slid off of his chair and headed towards a door that lead to the kitchen.
“What are we missing?” Henri asked, as soon as he was gone.
I gave them a quick rundown on what I’d found in Riley’s head. Most of it they’d already surmised from our conversation. Suddenly, everyone was talking at once.
“It’s not a lot to go on,” Janelle hedged.
“We don’t have enough intel,” Penny added.
“Do you think Victoria will sanction a rescue?” Henri asked doubtfully.
“Do you have a picture of Kenly? I’ll try to view her,” Frederick offered.
“I should check in with the council, I reckon,” Angus pronounced, already pulling out his communicator.
“Hold on guys,” I said, raising my voice to
be heard over the din. I held up my hands, in a signal to quiet the barrage of questions, suggestions, and comments flying at me from every mouth in the vicinity. Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm the swirling tide in my stomach.
“Angus,” I began, once I could hear myself think. “You call Victoria and let her know that we are positive Kenly was abducted.” I met Erik’s turquoise eyes across the table. He nodded in response to my unasked question. “Tell her we can locate Kenly. Ask her to authorize a rescue attempt.”
“Tell her we’ll need sufficient backup,” Brand added. “We,” he gestured around the table, “won’t be enough.”
Angus looked to me for confirmation, which sent Brand’s blood pressure soaring. Nodding to Angus, I stifled an inappropriate smile. Yes, pissing off Brand Meadows was always a bonus, even in the direst of circumstances.
“I agree the intel is lacking,” I said, facing Penny now. “But I can’t just….”
Unsure how to finish the sentence, I trailed off.
“I know,” Penny said. “I agree. We have to try.”
While Angus stepped away to call Victoria, the rest of us began talking strategy. Being military-minded, we all had the same plan: brute force assault. We wanted to storm wherever the auction was being held and rescue as many Talented and Created as possible. The finer details, like how UNITED would handle the influx of Created into containment, were dismissed in favor of the more immediate issues. Rescue. As far as I was concerned, dealing with the refugees was UNITED’s problem, not mine.
Unfortunately, all of our strategic planning went out the window as soon as Angus reported back from his conversation with Victoria. Apparently the councilwoman thought storming in was too obvious. She’d made it clear that it should only be used as a last resort. Instead, Victoria wanted us to go the undercover route, posing as buyers at the auction. Angus also passed along an irate message from Victoria to me about not ignoring her messages, and an order to call her immediately.
That was sure to be a fun conversation.
Because I did need Victoria’s help to pull off the mission, I slid off my barstool to step aside and obey the summons. Surprisingly, the councilwoman did not bite my head off the moment she answered. Instead, she instructed me to take the team to a safe house and await further instruction. Evidently some lackey of hers was sending the coordinates to my communicator as we spoke. Then she bit my head off. With a sigh, I braced for her barrage.
“I am giving you a lot of leeway, Agent Lyons,” Victoria barked. “A decision that not every member of the council agrees with, as you well know. Not to mention the fact that you have Agents Kelley and Crane with you. They are both supposed to be under close, reliable supervision. I do not think I need to tell you—”
Though I’d planned to let her spout her tirade without interrupting, we were wasting valuable moments. With my nerves already frayed from my impatience to find Kenly before she was sold as a Talent slave, my temper was shorter than I am.
“I get it, Victoria,” I cut in. “I was in the middle of an interview. I am sorry I ignored your call. I’d say it won’t happen again, but we both know I can’t guarantee that. You put me in charge because you believe that I am capable of handling things, so please just let me.”
No reply came for several long moments, making me check to see if the connection was still intact. It was. Crap. Silence from Victoria was never a good thing. Had I overstepped my bounds? Had I finally pushed her over the edge? Was a team of UNITED agents about to shoot me full of tranquilizers and haul me off to Vault?
“You know, Agent Lyons…against all odds, I do believe I was right about you,” the councilwoman began.
That was probably not a good thing.
“You are proving to be a more than adequate leader. It pains me to admit it, but you have real potential.”
I snorted, picturing Victoria choking on the compliment she’d just paid me.
“Now, take your team to the safe house. There is a large wall screen in the conference room. As soon as you arrive—and I do mean as soon as you arrive, not after you’ve had time to explore, raid the kitchen, or feed Erik’s libido—you and every member of that team are to call me so that I can brief you on the plan.”
Most of what she said faded into the background, but the comment about Erik reverberated. Hating myself for giving in to embarrassment, I blushed what was surely a deep shade of crimson. Seriously, every drop of blood in my body seemed to pool in my cheeks. Victoria acted like Erik and I were just some ridiculous teenagers who found it impossible to keep our hands off of each other. That was so not the case.
Erik was barely even a teenager anymore.
“Natalia?”
Lost in thought, I’d tuned out Victoria and the rest of her directives. She’d obviously said my name several times, since she rarely called me Natalia. Victoria only resorted to my first name when she was exasperated.
“I’m here,” I said quickly. “Sorry.”
The councilwoman’s eye roll transcended the vast physical distance between us.
“I will call you the moment we arrive. We will call you the moment we arrive. I was planning on taking Riley and his girlfriend, Willa, with us. I think they can help with the rescue.”
“Fine. Just remember they are civilians, not trained fighters. Their safety will be your responsibility,” Victoria said.
“I understand.”
“I am also sending another team to the safe house, other members of the taskforce. Do you have any requests? They will be part of the covert operation, and therefore working closely with you and yours.”
“Whoever you want is fine,” I said, attempting to be agreeable until I thought better of it. “Just not Olenginski, if that’s okay. That guy has no love lost for the Created. He might screw up the mission on purpose.”
“I do agree with you there. Agent Olenginski is not quite right for this assignment. In fact, after his little outburst this morning, I am reconsidering whether he is right for the taskforce at all. I will make my selections shortly and the agents will be at the safe house by late this evening.”
“Sounds good. Talk to you soon,” I replied.
“Goodbye, Agent Lyons.”
In anticipation of a reprimand from Victoria, I’d stepped outside to call the councilwoman. Being chastised in front of my friends didn’t bother me—if I was being honest, it happened rather frequently—but I hated giving Brand the satisfaction. If he’d heard Victoria’s side of the conversation, there would have been no room on the hovercraft for Riley and Willa with Brand’s big head along for the ride.
When I turned around to head back inside, though, I had an audience. Janelle, Henri, Frederick, Angus, Brand, Riley and two girls were huddled by the door to the Giraffe, all staring at me with obvious curiosity. Penny and Erik were also with the group, wearing matching smirks. They’d evidently heard both sides of the conversation.
“How much time do you think Victoria spends wondering about our sex life,” Erik sent. “Must be a lot if she knows how often my libido needs to be fed.”
My blush returned with a vengeance.
“Yeah, well, looks like you’re going to be hungry for a while, buddy. I have strict orders to put you on a diet.”
Erik laughed out loud and my heart melted. It was so rare for him to laugh these days, genuinely laugh, that the sound was music to my ears. Humiliation was a small price to pay if it meant I heard that melody more often.
IN ADDITION TO Riley and his girlfriend, our group gained a third newcomer. Her name was Honora Sands, a ghostly pale girl around Talia’s age. She was shy and a little in awe of us UNITED agents, as if we were some sort of fabled superheroes her parents had read her bedtime stories about. Only, in reality, we were a lot scarier than Honora had envisioned.
Spending so much of my life at the McDonough School, I often forgot how off-putting others found some of us. Even those who were our kind. More so than the others in our group, Talent like mine, Talia’s,
and Penny’s was something many found intimidating. Even if they didn’t understand why. Others found the abundance of raw Talent alluring, wanted to be close to us as if some of the power might rub off onto them. The latter was understandable to me, since I craved the closeness of other strong Talents. As did Talia. It was that desire, that calling from other’s gifts, which allowed us to recognize Talent in another.
Reactions like Honora’s usually bothered me, but today I found her fear sort of heady. Maybe that made me a weirdo. Maybe all of the physical power that came along with my Created Talents had finally burned enough holes in my brain that I was losing it. Nonetheless, it eased the feelings of helplessness.
The short flight to the safe house was filled with one rapid-fire question after another, lobbed in quick succession at our three new British friends. Riley, the self-appointed spokesman for the trio, provided most of the answers, with the girls chiming in to fill in the gaps.
While listening to the horror story from the beginning, my mood grew shadowy very quickly. As much as I found Kenly’s actions at the Hamilton inexcusable, no one deserved the experience she’d been having. And yet, my misery was deeper still than the empathy I felt for the girl. Hearing what Kenly had been through while in London made me feel like a piece of shit. It was my fault. I’d told her to run. I’d told her to go somewhere no one knew her. At the time, I’d figured she’d just choose some obscure state to hide out in. Like Idaho. After all, that was how my parents kept me out of TOXIC’s hands for so long. We’d hidden in small towns and stayed off the radar. That was what I’d assumed Kenly would do.
Part of me knew I was taking responsibility for something I’d actually held no control over. A whisper of logic deep within me tried to battle the darkness. How was I supposed to know that Kenly would cross an ocean because of me?
No matter the number of times I asked myself that very question, the guilt refused to abate.
“Stop beating yourself up, Erik. Please. It isn’t your fault,” Talia’s mental voice broke in through my self-reproach as the hoverplane began to descend in the English countryside.
