Red Awakening (Red Zone)

by Janet Elizabeth Henderson

  Running the towel under the warm water, he added several pumps of fragrant soap in the hope that the scent would fill the air and take away the metallic smell of blood. She didn’t move, didn’t register his presence at all. Gently, he lifted one foot and then the other, taking care to wash every trace of blood from them.

  “You need to come back to me, baby. We’re in trouble here, and I can’t get you out of the building without your help.”

  There was no response.

  Mace felt something race through his body, straight to his heart, where it slammed into him. He stumbled back a step. It took a second for his stunned mind to realize what it was, because the last time he felt it was when he’d watched his mother die.

  It was fear.

  He was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to bring Keiko back to him. Afraid he couldn’t protect her.

  Afraid.

  With shaking hands, he tossed the blood-soaked towel into the basket beside the sink and grabbed a fresh one to dry her feet.

  He couldn’t understand it. He’d sworn to himself as a child that he’d never let anyone make him feel afraid again after his mother died. And they hadn’t. When his grandfather had beaten him, he hadn’t been afraid. He’d mainly felt acceptance, because he knew there was nothing he could do to stop it. When he’d been kicked out of foster home after foster home, again, no fear, only acceptance. There’d been no fear on the battlefield with his Army Ranger unit, either. No fear in the few minutes after the bomb hit and he knew his country had betrayed him. And no fear when he woke a century later, in a different world from the one he’d known, with different genetics than he’d been born with.

  But in that bathroom, standing before Keiko, he found he was terrified. All because of a tiny woman with a big personality who had somehow worked herself under his skin in a way no one else had ever managed.

  “Please.” He finished drying her feet, inspecting them to make sure there wasn’t even a speck of blood on them. “Keiko, come back to me. The blood is gone. It’s okay now.”

  Lifting her, he cradled her in his arms, pressed his back to the wall, and slid down to sit on the floor, holding her tight in his lap. He wrapped himself around her, using his body heat to chase away the deadly chill that had her in its hold. He pressed her cheek against his chest, over his heart, hoping the sound would somehow, miraculously, help her calm her own riotous beat. His other hand stroked her back. Comforting her, soothing her, coaxing her back to him with his touch.

  What’s wrong with her? The bat sounded lost.

  “She’s in shock. I think stepping in blood was the last straw for her. She’s been through a lot.” And wasn’t that the understatement of the century.

  Fix her, was the imperious demand.

  “I’m trying,” he hissed instead of shouting, which was what he wanted to do.

  He searched for something to tell her. Something beautiful to replace the horror in her mind. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t think of any pretty imagery to give her. There were no halcyon childhood stories to tell. No tales of wonder he could weave for her. All his traveling had been done in the name of war. His childhood had been a series of nightmares that became normal. And now, now he lived in the most dangerous area in the world and earned a living as a mercenary and smuggler. There wasn’t one memory in his mind that wasn’t tainted with violence, suffering, or the grime of survival.

  Mace had never felt more helpless in his life.

  “Help me.” He forced the words out, asking his other half for something beautiful to share with this woman. Something that would give her a reason to come back to him.

  To them.

  The bat didn’t hesitate. Tell her this.

  Mace focused as a series of images and words appeared in his mind and he translated them. Whispering them to the shivering, unresponsive woman in his arms.

  “The night is beautiful,” he said. “It’s a secret place. When the world sleeps and the noise of the day fades to nothing. It’s the time when creatures like me come out to play. We dance in the air, looking for food, for company, for a mate to share the magic with. There’s color in the night. People don’t realize because they’re used to the luminous shades you see in the sun. But there are lots of subtle colors to see in the soft glow of the moonlight, too.”

  Mace felt her relax into his body a fraction. It was enough to keep him talking.

  Tell me more, he said to the bat. I think it’s getting through to her.

  The bat kept talking in a series of images and words that only Mace would ever be able to interpret. And he continued to translate the bat’s story, giving Keiko the only part of him that wasn’t tainted by evil and death—the freaky little rodent that shared his DNA. “The perfume of the night differs from the day. During the day, the sun warms the flowers, encouraging them to release their scent. But at night, blossoms don’t need such encouragement. They willingly open their petals and release their fragrance. It’s subtler than the flowers that enjoy the sun, because there’s less competition at night with so few flowers that bloom in the darkness.”

  Keiko’s breathing began to slow under his touch, and he continued to gently stroke her back. He swallowed hard, his throat tightening at the signs she might be coming back. He hardly dared hope.

  “Sound travels farther in the dark. One call can echo for miles. And if you listen hard enough, you can tell whether the call is a warning or an invitation. Because in the night, the creatures are always searching. They look for food or comfort. But they’re always searching. During the day, creatures, people, often sit and watch the world. You can’t do that at night, because the darkness brings out the predators, and you have to be careful.”

  Her breathing slowed beneath his hand, and Mace held her a little tighter. A little closer.

  “The best time is twilight, when the world hovers between day and night and colors fade to gentler shades while the songs become softer. If you time it right, you can glide in the airstream between the warm day and the cooler night. It’s like floating on a wave. The silver shades of twilight surround you, and the air fills with joy as the night creatures wake. It’s paradise. A secret world that only a few explore.”

  There was a stirring, a soft movement, and Keiko’s slender fingers splayed across the dip in the middle of his chest.

  A surge of hope shot through him, and he gently brushed her hair back from her face. “Are you back with me, baby?”

  There was no reply; she just pressed her palm to his bare skin. Branding him with her touch.

  The bat resumed its story, and Mace whispered it to Keiko. “The blackest, darkest part of the night is the most secret of all. It’s the time when creatures tiptoe and hold their breath for fear of discovery. It’s the time when magic happens.”

  Is she okay now? The bat sounded worried.

  I think she’s coming back to us.

  “What kind of magic?” Keiko’s tiny voice said.

  Every muscle in Mace’s body went taut, and he forced them to relax. “Hey, you’re with me again. That’s great.” He put a finger under her chin and tipped her face up. Her pupils weren’t as large as they’d been, and color edged into her cheeks. “You had me worried there for a minute.”

  Her cute little nose scrunched as she tried to remember what had happened and how she’d ended up on the floor, in his arms.

  He didn’t want her going there—the sudden uncovering of a memory could send a person straight back into shock. “You’re fine now. It’s gone.”

  She jerked upright, lifting her toes to study them. Her bottom lip trembled. “I can still feel it on my skin.”

  “I wish there were something I could do about that.” He meant every word.

  “I-I stood in a dead person’s blood.” It was barely a whisper.

  “Yes, you did. But it’s over now. It’s gone.” He gently turned her face so she was looking at him and not her feet. “We’re in trouble here, princess. If we aren’t careful, we could e
nd up stuck in the middle of a war. It’s just a matter of time before Enforcement storms the building to take out Freedom. You don’t have time to process what happened. You need to put it all in a box and lock that shit up tight. Don’t even think about opening it until this is all over and we’re far from this building.”

  She searched his eyes. “Is that what you do?”

  Mace snorted. “I’ve got trunks filled with shit stored in my head. I don’t plan to ever open those suckers up. As far as I’m concerned, denial is way cheaper and more effective than therapy.”

  She gave him a tremulous smile. “I don’t think I can cope with this, Mace.” She whispered her confession. “I thought I could, but I’d never seen a dead person until today. I’ve never been around violence. I’ve never been in danger. I watched my friend being murdered, and then I stood in the blood of another person who’d died just as violently. I can’t get it out of my head. I don’t know what to do or how to behave. I feel like, any minute, I’m going to break completely.”

  “I won’t let that happen.”

  “You can’t stop it, though, can you?”

  “Yes, I can. And I can do that by getting you out of here and taking you to a place where you can heal.” He took a deep breath. “Sitting around and trying to guess what’s going to happen isn’t doing us any favors. I hate to ask, princess, but I need you to go back into the security room, access the panel, and shut down surveillance. Otherwise, Freedom will still be able to watch us when we try to sneak out of this building.”

  She froze, her eyes widened, and she visibly swallowed. He expected protests. Screams. Arguments. Instead, he saw a flicker of determination and the bravery he’d come to expect from her.

  “I-I can’t walk in there again. You’ll have to carry me. Or find me some shoes.” Her voice shook.

  He looked around the room. It was long and divided into two parts—the first a restroom, the second a changing area. And where there was a changing area, there were lockers. He shifted her to her feet.

  “Are you okay to stand?”

  She nodded.

  “Good, then you splash some water on your face while I see if I can find shoes that’ll fit you.” He gave her a second to make sure she was steady on her feet before he went searching for lockers.

  He found a wall of them at the end of the room. The lockers didn’t look like the metal boxes from his youth—these were cubbies built into the wall. Each with a frosted glass door secured by a palm-print lock. Mace didn’t have time to break the locks, so he used the butt of his rifle to smash the glass.

  Third time proved to be the charm. There was a pair of high tech “smart shoes” inside. He took them back to Keiko, knowing that even though they were slightly too large, the upper part would tighten to fit and keep them on her feet.

  The bat, who still hadn’t returned to his skin after covering the camera outside the security hub, fluttered around in the air above him. You’d better get back home before she gets mad again, Mace told it.

  With a mental sigh, the bat landed on his shoulder and sank into his skin.

  When he went back into the restroom area, Mace found Keiko resting against the sink. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her lips trembled.

  “Slip your feet into these.” He passed her the ugly, black shoes.

  “Wonderful, thank you.” She beamed at him as though he’d given her a diamond ring, and he felt himself blush again. This reaction to Keiko was going to get him laughed out of his team.

  “You ready?” It was a dumb thing to ask. He needed her out of there whether she was ready or not.

  “Yes.” Her hands were shaking, although she tried to hide it, and it was clear that the thought of walking past the blood and bodies again was freaking her out.

  He could help with that.

  Without asking, he scooped her up in his arms.

  “What are you doing? I have shoes now. I can walk.” She wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “Getting you past the bodies. I’ll put you down at the panel. Close your eyes if you need to.” He toed open the door to the security hub.

  “Thank you,” she whispered and settled into him.

  “Don’t thank me, Keiko. This is the least I should do. I want so much more for you than the horror you’re experiencing.”

  “You’ve got such a gentle heart, Mace.”

  What the hell? “Don’t even think that shit. If my team hears you say that, I’ll never live it down.”

  “Don’t worry.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “I’ll make sure everyone knows you’re a badass.”

  “Thanks.” Although he would have been more reassured if she hadn’t smiled when she said it.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  “There are a few things I need to know before we blow the system,” Mace said as he deposited her in front of the control desk in the security hub. “First one, how many Freedom fighters are between here and the front doors. Then I want to look outside, see if there’s a way through Enforcement. After that, we can shut the cameras down. Now, stick your magic fingernail in the panel and bring up the feeds from all cameras on the ground floor, inside and outside the building.”

  He took up position in front of the screens: legs apart, arms folded, glaring. It looked as though he was about to go to war with the images.

  Keeping her eyes away from the rest of the room and the bodies she knew were there, Keiko accessed the panel and sent a command to the network to show the camera feeds he needed. She felt as though she’d been wrung out and hung out to dry. Every nerve ending in her body was raw, and she hated it. Later, after this was over, she planned on having the world’s most epic meltdown. Until then, she needed to be strong—for her and for the freaky Viking who was stealing her heart with the way he cared for her.

  “Enforcement’s getting ready for an assault,” Mace said. “It looks like there are only a few Freedom fighters between us and the front doors. If we take the back route, we should minimize how many we encounter, but we need to go now, before Enforcement enters the building.”

  Movement on the screen showing the elevators on their floor drew their attention. Two Freedom fighters, a man and a woman, emerged once the doors opened. They were armed. And they were heading straight for the security hub.

  Their time had run out.

  “Shut down the system now,” Mace ordered as he strode toward her.

  Keiko sent a command to the system, and the screens went blank.

  “Run for the doors and wait beside them. I need to rearm and deal with the cameras.” He turned toward one of the fallen men and divested him of his weapons. “It’s a clear path from here to the door. Nothing in your way. Don’t look down. Just run.”

  Keiko snapped her eyes from the dead body and did as he said, trusting him to keep her from stumbling or walking into something else she really couldn’t cope with. Blasts behind her had her spinning to see what had happened. Smoke billowed from the panel on the wall and the control desk. Mace tossed something toward the screens and then ran for her. He was by her side in seconds, grabbing her hand and pushing through the door. He dragged her in the opposite direction from the elevators.

  “Stay quiet,” he whispered. “And run.”

  She didn’t have to be told twice.

  …

  Mace held Keiko’s hand tight as they ran down the corridor, away from the main elevators. There was another set at the other end of the building, ones usually used for deliveries, and beside them there were stairs. They’d head to the basement and hole up until he found a way out of this mess.

  “Too fast.” The gasped words came from behind him, and he glanced over his shoulder.

  Keiko’s face was red, and she was panting hard.

  “Your legs are too damn short,” he told her.

  She frowned but didn’t have the breath to reply. Mace didn’t hesitate. He scooped her up, tossed her over his shoulder, and kept running. She didn’t complain, just wound her h
ands in the shirt she’d returned to him and held on tight.

  There was a shout behind them. A panicked warning. And then an explosion that rocked the building. Mace smiled as he ran. He wondered if Freedom had enjoyed the surprise he’d left for them in the security hub.

  They turned a corner. The elevator bank was straight ahead, and beside it, the entrance to the stairwell. He put on a burst of speed, reaching the stairwell door just as the elevators began to open and three men stepped out. No, not three men—two men and a mountain.

  Freedom had cut them off.

  It was too late to change direction. His momentum took him forward. And he barreled straight into them.

  He flung Keiko from him. “Run,” he roared.

  She landed on her feet, wobbled, cast him a terrified glance, and then ran for the stairwell door.

  “Get her,” the mountain ordered, and the two smaller men started after her.

  Mace grabbed one of the men as he passed and threw him back at the giant. The second man dodged to the side, slipping past Mace and following Keiko into the stairwell. The door closed behind them with a thud.

  All Mace could think about was getting to Keiko. Protecting her from the man who was chasing her. With dizzying speed, he turned his back on the giant and ran for the stairs. But he only managed to take two steps before a huge, meaty hand settled on his shoulder and spun him back around to face his opponent—just in time to see a fist come straight at his face. He dodged. Not fast enough. The blow hit the side of his head, making him stagger back. There was ringing in his ears, and it took a second longer than he could afford to stop the dizziness that swamped him.

  When he looked up, the giant was bearing down on him. There was no getting away from the man. All Mace could do was call to his bat and send him after Keiko.

  Follow Keiko, he shouted at his other half. Find her. Stay with her. I’ll come for you both.

  He felt a snapping sensation on his shoulder blade before the bat shot out from under his shirt and flew away. A second later, the moving mountain descended on Mace, raining blows he barely managed to dodge.