Red Awakening (Red Zone)

by Janet Elizabeth Henderson

  “Somebody’s watching us,” she said.

  Not yet they weren’t, but it was only a matter of time before they were spotted.

  “Ignore it,” Mace ordered. “Focus on what you need to do and turn that corner. We’re nearly there. Another step, baby. Take it now so I can stand beside you. My arm doesn’t bend this way naturally.”

  “I can do this, I can do this, I can do this,” she chanted in barely a whisper.

  “Yes. You can.” And he’d never been prouder of anyone in his life. She was terrified and still going on. It was more than some of his military teammates had been able to do.

  She slid over another step, and he pressed his back to the sharp edge of the building as he followed her around. A light beam slid over them, wavering in the night as the helicopter shifted. They had to get inside before the camera found them—otherwise his face would be splashed over every newsfeed on the planet. He was a stranger, an unknown entity, out on a ledge with the press secretary of the most powerful governing company on the planet. Of course they’d want to investigate him.

  Way to go undercover.

  Looking past Keiko, he spotted the window they were aiming for, exactly where the floor plan said it would be. “We’re nearly there. Five more steps until we’re past the window. We need to go past it so that I can hold you and break it with my other arm. Then I’ll lift you inside. We can do this. But we need to do it now. If that chopper has an onboard camera, our whereabouts will make the news. We might as well have an arrow over our heads telling Freedom where you are.” Because he had no doubt that the terrorists were monitoring the media coverage over the comm channels they’d left free for their use.

  He watched Keiko take another small step to the left as a telltale itch rippled across his shoulder blades. It was a sensation he’d become used to over the past three years, one that told him their time was running out—in more ways than one.

  “Nearly there,” he said to Keiko. “Just three more steps and we’ll smash that glass.”

  A cold sweat broke out on his brow as he felt a familiar tingling under his skin, as though something was trying to break out. The muscles on his back tightened as he fought the sensation, his body working to keep his secret contained. This was the worst time to let it out. His breathing became shallow. Two steps. Just two steps to the window. A beam of light slid over them again as the chopper searched for a focus. He held his breath until the light passed. Keiko stepped past the window, and he followed, feeling the frame against his back.

  One more step and he was on other side of the window. He held on to Keiko, his hand still wound tight in her dress, as she trembled, still chanting encouragement to herself. Mace didn’t hesitate. He lifted his free arm and rammed his elbow into the glass. It took three bruising blows to shatter it.

  “Mace?” Her voice broke, signaling she was at the end of her resources.

  “Nearly there. The window’s gone. Now we can get you inside.”

  The helicopter light returned and danced across the building near them. Mace knocked out as much glass as possible using his elbow before he tugged the pillow covers from his waist and laid them over the sharp edges of the frame.

  “I’m going to put my arm around you. I’ll hold on to the window ledge to keep us both anchored, and then I’ll lift you past me and into the building.”

  He gripped the inside of the window, his hand cushioned by the covers, and held on tight, hoping the glass hadn’t poked through the cloth to slice his hand into pieces. He wouldn’t know if it did; there was so much adrenaline in his system that pain meant nothing. He only hoped he wasn’t bleeding. He couldn’t leave DNA evidence behind.

  “You’re going to what?” Keiko’s voice was a high-pitched squeal. “You’re going to lift me? Over you? Away from the building? Away from the ledge? You’re going to dangle me out over nothing?”

  “Breathe, Keiko,” he snapped. “Freak out later. You know I won’t let you fall. I have a good grip on the window, and I’ll have a good grip on you, too.” He uncurled his hand from the back of her dress.

  “No,” she screeched.

  He smacked his hand back onto her body to hold her in place. “Stop it. The hardest part is over. We do this one thing, and then we’re done.”

  He felt her fight to control her breathing. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, shattering his cold, hard heart. “I’ll try harder.”

  “It’s going to be okay,” was all he could manage to say in return. It was a pitiful response to her courage.

  Slowly, he released his hold on the back of her dress and moved to wrap his arm around her.

  “Hold on,” he said. “Nearly there.”

  The light from the chopper returned, dancing in the air before it steadied on them. They just couldn’t get a break. Now they were the focus of whoever was in that craft, which meant they were on the news—and there was nothing he could do about it.

  The beam of light blinded him, and he couldn’t shield his eyes because one hand was holding on to the window and the other was sliding around Keiko’s waist. All he could do was angle his head and feel his way as he slowly inserted his hand between Keiko and the wall. Once he had his arm around her, he’d get her out of there fast. She weighed nothing, and he had a good grip on the window frame. In seconds he could have her through the window and safe.

  He almost had her in his hold when he felt it. A popping sensation in his shoulder, followed by a shudder through his system.

  No! he silently roared.

  But it was too late.

  His other half, the genetic mutation the world couldn’t know about, was free.

  It all happened at once. His arm closed around Keiko’s waist, just as the high-pitched screech of a newly free animal rent the air. Wings fluttered in front of his face before his other half swooped around them. And then headed straight to Keiko.

  The beast brushed against Keiko’s hair and face. Fluttering with joy as it investigated her. Her body tensed. Her muscles spasmed. She sucked in air and let out a scream.

  “Bat! Bat!”

  Her hands flew up to knock the stupid creature away from her. All reason had fled. Torn from her by the terror of the bat flying into her face. It was the last straw for her. She jerked backward as time slowed. All Mace could do was watch the freeze-frame horror as Keiko lost her footing on the ledge. Her arms flew out. Her body dropped. Her mouth opened, and she let out an ear-piercing scream. Mace lunged for her, his arm already halfway around her. But it wasn’t enough.

  She slipped through his grasp.

  And fell.

  Chapter Thirteen

  CommTECH headquarters

  New York City, Northern Territory

  “Do you need us to send our security forces to supplement your efforts in securing the research facility?” Ju-long Lee asked. The CEO of Lee-Chan Medical, one of the four leaders of the territory, couldn’t quite mask the mockery in his tone.

  “No, thank you.” Miriam remained gracious, even though it was clear to everyone at their virtual meeting that she’d just been insulted. None of the four territory leaders would ever let anyone else’s forces set foot on their soil. They may have a mutually beneficial alliance, but there was no trust involved.

  Ju-long gave her a courteous bow. As usual, he was dressed in a traditional black tangzhuang. The fit of the silken suit made his stick-insect proportions seem like a portent of death. An image that fit perfectly with the way the octogenarian ruled his territory.

  “What are the chances that these terrorists will manage to obtain information about the faulty chip?” Serge Abramovich’s hologram showed him lounging behind his ostentatious desk in the European Territory. The marble-topped, carved wooden monstrosity had once belonged to King Louis XVI—before his unfortunate encounter with a guillotine.

  “We won’t let that happen.” What right did they have to question her abilities? She was the strongest leader on the planet. She was their business partner, but that didn’t mea
n she answered to them. “My heads of security are minutes from Houston. They will handle this unfortunate situation personally.”

  “Ah, the Mercer twins.” Sandrine Cherbourg, leader of the Southern Territory, practically purred the words. Behind her, a view of the Sydney Opera House filled her office window. It was a spectacular sight that did nothing to make up for the fact that Sandrine was in charge of the smallest territory. Something that irked the deadly-ambitious woman to no end. She focused her catlike eyes on Miriam. “One day, I might succeed in wooing the twins from you.”

  If reputation was anything to go by, Sandrine had probably already tried. But as both men were still alive, the rumor that she ate her prey after sex was obviously false.

  “The question is,” Ju-long said as he paced his spartan office, “how did this happen in the first place? Have you contacted our partner in Freedom?”

  Miriam bit her tongue to stop her sarcastic response. She hadn’t risen to the heights of leader of the most powerful company in the world without using every resource at her fingertips. In return for a hefty fee, their pet Freedom leader made sure any terrorist attacks his group planned were directed where Miriam and the others wanted them to go. Which meant their competitors mainly bore the brunt of the protestors’ violence.

  “Arnold James confirmed that this is an unsanctioned attack by a splinter faction of their group.”

  “In other words, nobody ran their plan past the leadership before they implemented it,” Ju-long said.

  “Perhaps they suspect that their leadership is compromised,” Sandrine added.

  “Or they’re just dumb,” Serge said. “I hope the data in the research facility is secure. If the plans for that datachip are made public, we can kiss goodbye to a hefty profit. Not to mention company stock will fall. Our positions are riding on that information remaining secure.”

  “Why are you stating the obvious, Serge?” Sandrine drawled. “Is it because you’re sober? Maybe you should pour a glass of that whiskey you like so much. You’re much more interesting when you’re drinking. And anyway”—she cast a spiteful glance at Miriam—“CommTECH’s stock is already falling.”

  “Careful, Sandrine.” Serge cocked his head and gave Sandrine a considering look. “Your claws are showing.”

  “I agree with Serge,” Ju-long said. “You may have to sacrifice your people to ensure the data remains secure.”

  Miriam fought the urge to roll her eyes. Oh, if only she’d thought of that all by herself.

  There was a knock at the door, which drew her attention from the holographic people taking up virtual space in her pristine office. The door opened silently, and her personal assistant, Damien, came in.

  “I’m sorry to interrupt, ma’am.” His voice was toneless as usual. Miriam wasn’t sure if Damien felt emotion. It was one of the things she liked best about him. “We have visual confirmation that Keiko Sato is alive.”

  Now, wasn’t that interesting? She supposed Freedom thought to exchange the press secretary for the rest of their demands. Amateurs. People could be replaced. It was the research that couldn’t. She inclined her head, and her ever-efficient assistant brought the newsfeed up on the screens covering the wall opposite her desk. There was silence as each of her holographic counterparts tuned in to their own newsfeeds.

  But instead of the Freedom leader threatening Keiko and making unreasonable demands, the screen showed the press secretary clinging to the outside wall of the sixty-seventh floor of the research facility. And she wasn’t alone.

  “Who is the man with her?”

  Damien consulted his notes. “Mace Armstrong. Freelance newshound.”

  “Is he with Freedom?” Ju-long asked, though he had no right to address her staff.

  Miriam gritted her teeth. Now wasn’t the time to reinforce their tenuous hierarchy. As soon as this latest situation was dealt with, she was going to ensure that her fellow leaders were aware of the boundaries she placed around them.

  Damien glanced at her before answering, which reinforced her confidence in the man. “Not that we can tell. We’re still digging.”

  “What of the scientists? Are they still alive?” Miriam asked. The other hostages meant nothing to her. Although they weren’t irreplaceable, recruiting new scientists and getting them up to speed on time would be a tremendous inconvenience.

  “We only have the broadcast that the terrorists made”—he checked his datapad—“almost an hour ago. There has been no confirmation, either visual or otherwise, since then.”

  There was no need to ask if this latest information regarding Keiko had gone to the Mercer brothers. Damien knew his job.

  The harried cry of the newscaster drew everyone’s attention back to the newsfeed.

  “It looks like there’s a disturbance on the ledge. Yes. There’s a bat. Keiko seems to be shooing it away.” The newscaster’s voice carried ghoulish excitement. “She’s slipped! Oh my goodness, she’s slipped from the building. Keiko Sato is falling!”

  “Well, that’s unfortunate,” Miriam said as she watched her press secretary lose her balance and topple from the ledge.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Keiko fell.

  The world tilted as her hands grasped at nothing, and her mouth opened in a soundless scream. Adrenalin surged through her in a wave that left every nerve screaming in agony. The building disappeared. Air rushed past her ears, the volume deafening. The sky surrounded her. Sucking her in. Clinging to her with greedy fingers. Her breath was pushed from her lungs. Suffocating. She was suffocating.

  In.

  The.

  Air.

  With nothing to stop her.

  Nothing to break her fall.

  Nothing.

  She was weightless. Out of control. Plummeting to her death. Being eaten alive by the night.

  And then, in the belly of the beast, everything became still, and a peace like she’d never felt before descended. Time meant nothing, and for one endless second, she felt free.

  Absolutely, wonderfully, free.

  And then her body jerked to a halt.

  The moment shattered. Something caught at her ankle. The ferocious hold felt as though it would shatter her bones. She tried to scream but only whimpered.

  With arms flailing and fingers clawing at nothing, she felt the sky swing past her. The building rushed to join it. The earth was above her and then beneath her. One second, she was falling; the next, swinging up. Multicolored lights became streamers in the blackness.

  The pressure released from her ankle, and she hit something solid.

  Not the ground. Not the ground. Not the ground…

  A strong arm wrapped around her, pressing her face into solid flesh, over a racing heart. She gasped for air. Each breath a desperate agony. Her nails dug deep. Clinging to whatever—whoever—had stopped her fall.

  Solid.

  Safe.

  Secure.

  Never let go.

  “I’ve got you. I’ve got you,” the voice murmured.

  Cold. So cold. Every muscle ached as she shook violently. She burrowed deeper into the warmth surrounding her. She couldn’t get close enough to feel truly safe.

  “It’s okay, baby. It’s okay.” It was a whisper that penetrated the terror holding her mind hostage. “I’ve got you. It’s okay, princess. I’ve got you. I didn’t let you fall. You’re fine. You’re okay. I’ve got you.”

  An arm held her tight as she wrapped herself around her rescuer. An immovable strength that held her together when she was crumbling apart. Shredded by terror. She could taste it. Smell it. Every breath she took was filled with rotten, fetid fear.

  “You’re okay. Fuck, baby, stop crying. You’re okay. I’ve got you.”

  The words cracked through the thick veil of terror that shrouded her.

  “D-don’t c-curse.” She squeezed the words out through chattering teeth.

  “I’ll never curse again if you stop crying.” An impossible ask. For both of them.

>   Keiko rubbed her face against Mace’s shirt, the smooth cotton soothing her. Slowly, she became aware that her hands were curled into the fabric. Her legs were wound around his waist as he held her tight. A mountain of a man, surrounding her with his strength.

  “C-can’t stop s-shaking.”

  He nuzzled her hair. “I know. Just stop crying. I can cope with the shaking.”

  Impossibly, against all the odds, a smile broke through her tears. She bit her bottom lip in an attempt to keep her words in, but they came out anyway. “I fell.”

  It was there in her mind. An unspoken accusation. He’d let her fall when he’d promised her she wouldn’t.

  Of course, he heard the accusation she couldn’t quite voice. “Only a little bit, princess. Not more than a foot or two. I caught you. I told you I wouldn’t let you fall to the ground. I didn’t promise that you wouldn’t slip.”

  She didn’t know why she did it—maybe because she didn’t have the words she needed. It just happened. She opened her mouth and bit him. Hard. Punishment for letting her fall—just a little bit.

  “Hey! I saved you.”

  “You let me fall.”

  “We’ll argue about this when we’re inside. And stop biting me, woman.”

  She froze. Of course they were still outside. She felt the breeze in her hair. She heard the sounds of the city. She just hadn’t been able to face it yet, and part of her still couldn’t. She didn’t want to be outside, on the ledge, inches from repeating the most terrifying experience of her life. Her shaking increased, and she held him tighter.

  “I need to get you inside.” His voice was soft. She could hear an apology in it.

  “I can’t.” It was stupid and illogical, but it was also the truth. She couldn’t leave his hold. She couldn’t look out into the night. She couldn’t stand on the ledge. She just couldn’t. “I really can’t.”

  She shook her head hard before burrowing into his shirt, breathing in the fresh scent of air-laundered cotton along with the musky aroma of man. Not any man. This man. His scent was imprinted on her now. Even blindfolded, she would know him.