In the Shadows (Metahuman Files Book 3)

by Hailey Turner

  “Hands everyone,” Trevor barked.

  Trevor and Madison put themselves between his brothers, so at least one of them had a grip on Zach, Caleb and Parker.

  “I thought you wanted to leave? How is this leaving? We’re by the window,” Parker said, trying to shake off Madison’s grip.

  She smiled at him, all teeth, and tightened her grip even more, judging by the wince on his youngest brother’s face.

  “Do you have them?” Sean asked as he grabbed Zach’s free wrist with tight fingers.

  “We’re good,” Trevor replied.

  Someone pounded on the door, their deep voice coming through a little muffled. “Mr. and Mrs. Delaney, we have a birthday delivery for you.”

  “Seriously? They’re going with the delivery man act?” Madison said with a snort. “How cliché can you get?”

  Sean closed his eyes, concentrating as he pushed his phase field through the seven other people linked to him by touch. The most people he had ever phased before in one go was twelve, not counting himself. He’d ached afterward, and had a feeling today would be no different, but it was amazing how adrenaline could lend strength to a person.

  Sean opened his eyes and pitched himself forward through the window, dragging everyone else with him out into open air right as the people on the other side of the door opened fire.

  11

  Red Star Cluster

  His family’s screams echoed in his ears as they fell to the courtyard. As soon as everyone was clear of the building, Sean altered his phase power just enough to give everyone more density, more weight, so they fell faster. The ground rushed up to meet them; he could feel his mother and brother fighting his grip.

  “Don’t let go!” Sean yelled.

  Madison whooped in glee when Sean made everyone fully intangible before hitting the courtyard and passing through the solid ground. The world went dark for a second or two as they sank through the ground of the courtyard and then the roof of the subterranean parking garage below. They came out on the first level into an immediate barrage of gunfire from the incline leading to the exit where two people stood armed with assault rifles.

  “Bones! Shield us when we land!” Madison shouted.

  “On it!” Trevor yelled back.

  Sean kept concentrating, focusing on keeping everyone phased through another layer of concrete and steel. They fell through to the second level of the subterranean garage and Sean lifted his phase power completely. Gravity had them falling the last couple of feet to the ground, everyone’s feet hitting with an echoing smack on the concrete. Sean let his mother and brother go, stumbling forward a step or two. His ears rang from a rush of blood to his head as the effort to phase a large group of people momentarily made him lightheaded. It passed in seconds, but by then, Trevor already had him by the arm and was hauling him to the SUV.

  “I’m driving!” Madison said.

  “No you’re not, we need you on offense,” Trevor barked.

  “I’ll drive, you two handle everything else,” Sean replied as he shoved Caleb forward with a hand in the middle of his back. “Move! Now!”

  Trevor abruptly stopped, throwing up a hand in the direction of their only exit out of there. The sound of guns going off echoed thunderously in the parking garage, but every bullet Declan’s people aimed at them crashed against Trevor’s telekinetic shield.

  “Holy shit, you’re a metahuman,” Parker exclaimed as he stared wide-eyed at Sean.

  “Get in the goddamn car!” Sean yelled.

  Shock made his family a little slow, but with Madison’s help, he got them into the armored SUV and buckled up. Madison claimed the front passenger seat while Sean got behind the wheel and slammed the door. He started the engine, put the SUV into reverse, and backed out with a squeal of tires.

  Trevor didn’t need to be told twice to get in the car. Sean waited long enough for Trevor to scramble inside and close the door before he slammed his foot onto the gas pedal.

  “Shields are holding,” Trevor said from where he sat between Sean’s parents on the seat bench, one hand extended forward.

  “How long can you keep them up?” Sean demanded as he nearly ran over the three men lined up on the ramp to the exit. They flung themselves out of the way at the last second, which was a pity, because Sean honestly wouldn’t have minded running them over.

  “If you’re gonna drive at the speeds I think you’ll hit, might be better for me to conserve my energy for when we need my power.”

  Sean nodded curtly as he took the rounded corner of the ramp to the first floor at a rubber-burning speed. “SUV is armored. We’ll make do.”

  Madison braced herself against the dash as she opened up the vehicle’s comms. Sean let her deal with getting a live uplink since he was too busy racing out of the garage while under fire. Sean glanced at his side mirror, catching sight of several cars pulling into the street with a squeal of tires, before snapping his gaze back to the road ahead of them.

  “I don’t think they’re going to just let us go,” Sean said as he yanked on the wheel and took a hard left on a red light.

  He cut between three cars, nearly clipping one of them. Horns ripped through the air in protest, but Sean had more important things to worry about.

  “They never fucking do,” Madison said. “Nova to Alpha Team, do you copy?”

  “Alpha Team?” Caleb practically shrieked from the far back seat.

  “Apollo to Nova, we copy,” Jamie said, his voice coming loud and clear through the SUV’s speakers. “Status?”

  “Packages secured, but we’re running a little hot. Could use an extraction right about now. ETA?”

  “Fifteen minutes,” Annabelle answered swiftly. “Headquarters is tryin’ to clear the skies for us.”

  The cracking sound of bullets slamming against the reinforced rear windows had Sean instinctively ducking, just for a second. His brothers yelled, grabbing at each other in fear as they tried to duck. Sean spared half a second to get eyes on them in the rearview mirror to make sure they were okay.

  “We’re gonna need you guys to cut that time in half,” Sean said.

  “Workin’ on it.”

  “Get out of the city center,” Jamie ordered. “You have Declan’s people and a Sons of Adam cell on your six. They aren’t going to care about civilian casualties like we do.”

  Sean swore. “That’s cover for them.”

  “We know.”

  The CIA always let other people do the dirty work for them. Sean could see how the fallout would be spun when the fight was over. It wasn’t going to be pretty.

  “We’ll head for Highway 203 South. Can you track us?” Sean said.

  “We have you on satellite through an uplink with headquarters. If things get bad, have Nova send up a signal.”

  Another barrage of gunfire against the rear window had Sean grimacing. Movement out the corner of his eye made him look at the side mirror, catching sight of the motorcycle coming up fast behind them. He shoved his hand down into the open compartment on the door and grabbed the H&K MP 19 submachine gun Madison had stashed there.

  “Take the wheel,” Sean snapped.

  Madison didn’t argue, just grabbed the wheel while bracing herself on the dash, eyes on the road ahead. Sean snapped off the safety and grabbed the handle on the ceiling for support as he twisted in the seat. Keeping his right foot on the gas, he dug his left knee into the cushion as he phased half his body through the closed SUV door and window. The demarcation in his body between solid flesh and his intangible half was a strange sensation in his gut he’d long ago learned to tune out.

  The motorcycle was two car lengths back, carrying two people. Sean raised his weapon and took aim, pulling the trigger and holding it down. Bullets sparked against the protective shield the motorcycle had protruding between the handlebars. The driver and his passenger ducked down to get out of the line of fire, but the wheels were fair game. Sean angled the weapon lower, letting off another round of shots that tore throu
gh the front wheel.

  The tire blew out, metal scraping over asphalt as the front arm of the motorcycle hit the ground. Both men were thrown from the motorcycle as it flipped end over end, skidding across the street. Sean didn’t see where they landed, only saw the way the cars around them veered frantically out of the way.

  Sean retreated into the SUV, going solid, and handed Madison the MP 19. She relinquished the steering wheel back to him and took the submachine gun, holding it in her capable hands.

  “How far to the highway?” Madison asked.

  Sean quickly cut across two lanes to take a right turn. “Couple of minutes.”

  If they ignored all the rules of traffic, the red lights, and one-way streets, then yes, a couple of minutes. Sean eyed the chrono on the dash.

  Yeah. A hellish couple of minutes.

  Madison cocked her head to the side, listening intently. It was a few seconds before Sean heard the sirens in the distance. She raised an eyebrow at him. “Cops.”

  “Great. Just what we need. Any chance the MDF can warn them off?”

  “I’ll check with base.”

  Sean let her handle the comms again while he kept his attention on the road ahead. He’d never been so grateful for the tactical mobility training he’d gone through at the CIA and MDF in his life. That didn’t mean their escape was easy.

  Because it wasn’t.

  Cutting through traffic, taking corners on two wheels at times, and letting Trevor telekinetically drag all four wheels back to earth while dodging the occasional burst of gunfire was enough crazed excitement to give him a heart attack. But getting out of the line of fire motivated Sean like nothing else, which meant he never took his hands off the wheel.

  They were halfway to the highway onramp that was their next destination when four cop cars came barreling around the corner two blocks ahead of them.

  “Aw, fuck,” Sean snarled. “Do they know we’re MDF?

  “Apparently the local police aren’t happy with what’s going on and are refusing to listen,” Madison said.

  “Oh really?” Trevor said derisively from the backseat. “Someone’s getting fired after this.”

  Sean mentally recalculated their route, saw the cop cars ahead on the street, and made a split-second decision that had everyone sliding over their seats as he yanked the wheel to the left. The SUV spun out in an arc, wheels squealing over asphalt as he got them pointed in the direction of a parking garage entrance of a business building.

  Bullets slammed against the reinforced plas-glass window, impact circles marring his view. The attack didn’t come from the cops, not unless cops were driving undercover vehicles and authorized to shoot military-grade weapons.

  Sean gunned the engine, slamming through the flimsy gate to the garage and into the cavernous space. He followed the glowing holographic signs that pointed to the exit on the opposite side of the building. The loud pop that came after the latest barrage slamming the rear of the SUV shuddered through the vehicle. The SUV jerked and lost traction for an instant, damage assessment coming up red on the dash.

  “Lost a rear tire,” Madison announced grimly as she brought up the emergency mode. “Initiating emergency traction.”

  Most military-grade vehicles could lose a couple of tires and still function adequately enough. The rims would expand, folding out metal ridges that would give them enough grip to keep driving. They wouldn’t be able to drive at top speed, but considering the weight of passengers they were dealing with, Sean figured that was an acceptable loss.

  They punched through the pay gate at the other exit, the SUV skidding into the street as Sean kept them on the move. He rerouted them back to the main avenue that was their route to the highway, Declan’s people still on their tail.

  “Oh, fuck this,” Madison said as she twisted around in her seat. “Bones, Give me the AKR.”

  Trevor dutifully hauled out an AKR-75 assault rifle from under the middle seat, passing it over to her. Madison braced the rifle buttstock against her shoulder, holding onto the headrest of her seat with her left hand for balance.

  “Can you phase me and drive at the same time?” she asked.

  In response, Sean took his hand off the wheel and gripped her belt with tight fingers. He split his attention between the road and Madison as he pushed his phase power through her body. Her upper body went intangible, the rest of her remained solid to compensate for the traveling speed. Sean was keenly aware of the transition area in her body as his power flowed through her.

  Madison got her feet underneath her and stood up on the front passenger seat, disappearing through the roof of the car.

  “Bones, keep her steady!” Sean yelled as he cut through traffic.

  Bones leaned forward and wrapped an arm around the back of Madison’s thighs, keeping her pinned to the seat.

  “Oh my God,” Naomi said, sounding stricken. “You’re a metahuman. You got hit with Splice.”

  “Not the time, Mom!” Sean snapped as he took a corner a little wider than he would’ve liked. Driving with one hand while being chased by the enemy wasn’t easy.

  Her background as a doctor meant she had a better understanding of Splice than the average person. Sean just didn’t have time to think about the horror in his mother’s voice, not when the people dogging their six were intent on killing them.

  The sound of Madison’s weapon going off, set to fully automatic, rang in Sean’s ears as they hurtled down the street. Someone in the New Seattle Police Department must have gotten out a public warning, because he was seeing noticeably fewer people on the road in their vicinity.

  Which meant Declan’s people had more room to maneuver than they did.

  The vehicles coming up behind them split and began to weave over the lanes, making it harder for Madison to target them. He could hear her swearing before the gun went silent. She sank back into the car, thrusting the rifle at Trevor and let it go. The gun, free from Sean’s phase field, solidified and landed with a heavy smack in Trevor’s hands.

  “We need more firepower,” Madison said.

  Madison popped back up to a standing position. Seconds later, an explosion erupted behind them on the street, causing two vehicles to skid wildly out of the way. Sean could hear Madison cackling in glee even through the thick plating of the SUV.

  “That’s right, motherfuckers! Get ready to play!” she yelled.

  “Is she always like this?” Sean asked as he tried to keep them on the road while Madison lobbed energy bombs from her hands at the enemy. The explosions were all he could see in the rearview mirror.

  “Sometimes she’s worse,” Trevor confessed.

  Madison bought them enough time that Sean could get around the next corner without taking bullets to the side of the vehicle. She sank back down into the car and Trevor removed his arm so Sean could return her to solidity.

  “Your power is pretty cool, but mine’s a lot more fun,” Madison said with a teeth-baring smile.

  The smell of heat and chemical fire made Sean’s nose twitch. “So glad you think so.”

  They were coming up on the onramp now, where about five cop cars were blocking the entrance to the highway.

  “Bones,” Sean gritted out.

  “I see them,” Trevor said as he leaned forward, gripping the edge of the seat. “Keep going. I’ll make a hole.”

  Sean kept his foot on the gas, trusting in Trevor to clear the way. Seconds later, the squad cars ahead were all lifted into the air and shunted to the side, clearing the way to the onramp. He was dimly aware of the sound the rear rim made as he pushed the SUV to go just a little faster. They shot up the onramp, coming up on the highway and needing to merge. Sean cut between two cars while Madison accessed the comms again.

  “Nova to Alpha Team, ETA?” she demanded.

  “Five minutes,” was Jamie’s calm answer.

  Several cars exited the onramp some distance behind them. Sean snapped his gaze back to the road ahead when Bones leaned forward, pointing in the
distance at the elevated highway coming up fast that crossed over theirs.

  “Better hurry the fuck up,” Trevor barked out.

  “Is that an RPG?” Madison said, leaning forward.

  “Can you shield against that kind of weapon?” Sean asked.

  Trevor grimaced. “Yeah, so don’t stop.”

  Sean obeyed and kept driving even though his hindbrain was saying get out of the fucking way. Trevor braced himself against the front seats, never taking his eyes off the incoming threat. The small burst of fire lit up the shooter from behind as the rocket-propelled grenade streaked through the air, heading right for them.

  His family screamed when the grenade slammed into the invisible barrier of Trevor’s telekinetic shield meters ahead of them in the air. Roiling red fire and black smoke from the explosion spread through the air above the lanes of the highway, kept at bay by telekinesis. They drove underneath the blanket of fire, the surreal blast blocking out the summer sky.

  “Get me up again,” Madison said, pointing at the roof.

  Sean grabbed her belt again and pushed his phase power through her. Madison stood up on the seat, bracing one foot against the dash. He couldn’t see her, but they saw the results of her efforts as they got closer to the overpass. The glittering arc of an energy bomb cut through the sky, her aim just as good as Kyle’s this close to the target.

  Her energy bomb hit the parked vehicle up above, right as they drove under the overpass. An explosion echoed through the air as they came out on the other side, more smoke rising into the sky. Gunfire slammed into the rear of the SUV, the reinforced window becoming cloudy from impact dents. Declan’s people and members of the Sons of Adam terrorist group were still on their tail, no sign they were willing to give up the chase.

  Sean hauled Madison back into the car, ignoring the faint ache beginning in the back of his head. He wasn’t close to overusing his power, but his head was definitely not happy with the number of people he’d phased today in such a short timeframe. Phasing himself was as easy as breathing. Phasing other people required a lot more effort.