The House of Fire

by M. Goldsmith

  “The way he treated you was cruel. I’m sorry, Brooke. I feel bad. I do. But none of the things you told me explains any of this.” Ash gestured with her hand around the lab. “What can you tell me about this place? Why am I here?”

  “I really wish I knew. Honestly, I’m in the dark here. My father is a complicated and brilliant man, but I never, ever, imagined he was capable of something this heinous.” Brooke placed her hand over her heart. “Please, Ashlyn, you have to believe me. My mother and I were never enough for him. He built CEB Labs in order to fulfill some need. Now it seems, this company isn’t enough either. I don’t know what he’s up to or what he wants with you. But I promise, if it’s the last thing I do, I’m going to find out.”

  “I need to get of here now. I don’t want to help your father with whatever crazy scheme he has going on. And Devlin is pure evil.”

  “You’re not kidding about Devlin. Don’t provoke him, Ashlyn. He’s ruthless and crazy. He was in the military for a long time, and I think that’s why he’s not quite right.” Twirling her finger next to her temple, she continued. “He’s been my father’s right-hand man for a long time. He makes my skin crawl, always has. I don’t know how to get you out of there or how to keep you safe from them,” Brooke admitted softly. Her shoulders dropped and she let out a deep breath.

  “I believe you, Brooke, I do. We need that damn remote to open the glass. If you can’t find it, I’m stuck here. But you can help me in another way. I need to know where we are. My people are coming to rescue me. Will you help me?”

  “Yes, yes of course I’ll help you. You are in CEB’s main headquarters in a subterranean level that’s supposed to be used for storage. But how can you be so sure they’re coming?”

  “There’s no time to explain. Trust me, I know they’re coming. Right now, you need to get out of here. Devlin told me Barrington has plans for me today. They could be back any minute. You can’t get caught here with me. My best chance is if you go now. Please, Brooke, I know you want to help, but go. Think of a plan to help my people get passed all this security. That’s what we need. I’m counting on you.”

  “I can’t leave you here. God knows what they’ll do to you, Ashlyn. I can’t let them hurt you anymore.”

  Ashlyn held up her arms. They had been covered heavily in bruises just last night, but today there was barely a mark remaining. “They can only hurt me so much. I have the ability to heal myself for the most part. Only a catastrophic injury can kill me. I’m not sure your father knows that yet. I’m not sure what he knows. Please, I’m begging you. Just go. Keep my secret safe. Make a plan, Brooke. Help me.”

  “This entire thing gets more insane by the minute. I hope you’ll explain all of this to me when we have more time. I’m not happy about leaving you to the wolves, but I’ll go for now. I’ll come up with a plan and be back for you with or without your people’s help. Don’t fight Devlin and my father, Ashlyn. It will only make whatever they have planned worse.”

  Brooke slipped out quietly. Ash didn’t have the heart to tell her it wouldn’t matter if she fought them or not. Devlin was going to bring her pain. Ashlyn had seen it in his glacial eyes. She mentally prepared herself for whatever they had in store for her. She would fight with everything she had inside her and so would her Fire.

  Not long after Brooke left, the telltale beeping of the keypad outside the laboratory doors sounded. Ashlyn’s entire body tensed. Charles Barrington entered with his guard dog Devlin at his heels. The synchronized beat of military boots echoed through the lab, as four men dressed in strange suits marched in. They carried what looked like giant plastic shields of some kind. Sweat dotted her forehead, and her stomach tangled in knots. Ashlyn had a really bad feeling about this.

  “Hello, Ashlyn. I hope you are ready to cooperate with some experiments I have planned for today. Your attitude has been less than exemplary. We will get what we want from you one way or another. I do hope you will not give Mr. Devlin and these other men a reason to cause you unnecessary pain,” Barrington commanded, in a condescending tone.

  Devlin simply smiled at her with the promise of vile things to come written all over his face. Fearsome looking, Devlin was tall with black hair cut in a severe looking military style and his skin was tan, as if he spent many hours outdoors. Built thick with bulging muscles, his body was ultra-fit. Eyes the color of a midnight storm seethed, boring straight into Ashlyn. A raised, jagged scar ran from the middle of his forehead, along the outside edge of his eye, and down his right cheek ending in the corner of his mouth. It was apparent to Ash, Devlin carried many scars and not just physical ones. How else could a person hold such anger and rage?

  Ash knew Brooke’s advice not to fight them was sound, but she was strong willed with a passionate nature. Ashlyn Woods was of The House of Fire. She had an instinctive drive to fight rather than submit.

  With moxie, Ash stood up tall thrusting her shoulders back as she faced off with her enemies. “Go fuck yourself, Dr. Barrington. I have no intention of cooperating with you in any way, and I dare you to try to make me.”

  “I am certainly looking forward to seeing you in action, Ashlyn,” Barrington mocked, arrogantly. He gestured to the men dressed in the odd-looking suits. “Go set up on the other side of the lab. Ashlyn and I still have much to discuss before we get started.”

  “I have nothing to say to you. Except let me out of here before I make you regret this. You really have no idea what I’m capable of.” Ash narrowed her eyes feeling her Fire stir.

  “You’re right, young lady, but that is why you are here. I intend to discover the full extent of your oddities. We have studied your blood, your organs, and your bone structure. I have even done scans of your brain. We have learned a great deal from our medical studies, but now I wish to see the full force of these strange powers of yours. I will need all the data I can obtain to make my new drug. It will be sold to the government with the highest bid to enhance their soldiers.”

  “You are sicker than I thought,” Ash said, losing a bit of her bravado.

  Barrington ignored her statement. “Tell me about the brand you have on your palm. Who marked you? And for what reason?”

  Ashlyn instinctively traced the outline of her Guardian symbol with the tip of her finger as she often did when she was contemplating something. She knew she shouldn’t tell him anything about her Guardian mark. “None of your damn business.”

  “Ah, I see you are still not feeling obliged to comply. Well, let us begin with an experiment instead. I have a feeling you will change your mind rather quickly.”

  The men in the strange suits approached her glass prison surrounding it. Barrington and Devlin backed away behind the plastic shields, as Devlin used the remote to raise the glass wall. Ashlyn faced them. Her Fire hovered near the surface, and her hands and fingers tingled. One of the men grabbed her roughly, and her Fire erupted surging toward him. To her dismay his grip remained firm still biting into her flesh.

  “The suits are fire retardant. Didn’t think we were dumb enough to face your flames without defenses, did you? These shields also screen us from you and your temper, Firecracker,” Devlin taunted.

  Dragging her, the soldier deposited her about five feet in front of three tables with concrete tops. The cavernous laboratory had been cleared on one side except for the tables. The first one was piled high with logs which smelled like Aether’s forest. The second was covered with thick metal sheets and the third held a shimmering cluster of amethyst colored crystals. Flanking her, two of the men stood with guns pointed at her. Ash’s heart pounded when she realized they were tranquilizer guns. Her gaze flickered anxiously between two men behind her holding imposing metal sticks tightly in their thick grips. Her Fire perceived danger and drifted up and down her arms and hands.

  “Are the heat sensors connected, Devlin? I want to register how high the temperature rises on the samples, as well as the room temperature,” Barrington questioned.

  “All set for our li
ttle Firecracker here to strut her stuff.”

  “Now, Ashlyn, if you would please demonstrate for me the capacity of your power by setting the contents of each table alight. One at a time please.” Barrington made his request as if he were asking her to pass the salt at the dinner table.

  “Sure thing. I’ll get right on that, as soon as hell freezes over, you asswipe,” Ashlyn said, unable to stop herself.

  Crossing her arms over her chest, defiant, Ash stood firm. Devlin signaled the men behind her with a nod of his head. Searing pain shot through Ashlyn’s left shoulder blade. Groaning, she grabbed for it. The burning sensation subsided quickly. But before she even fully recovered, another zap shot through her buttocks jolting her forward. The pain was intense, but Ashlyn remained upright thinking this wasn’t as bad as the Taser they had used.

  “We can do this all-day, Firecracker.” Devlin mocked her, rubbing his hands together. “You ready to show us what you’ve got yet?”

  “Drop dead, you sadistic pig!” Rage overtook her, and Ash knew her face must have been as red as her hair. Her Flame rocketed toward Devlin melting his shield. The heat forced him to drop it to the ground and back away.

  Devlin signaled his men. Rapid, unrelenting jolts of electricity continued to pierce random parts of her body. Ashlyn fought to remain upright to no avail, and she sank to her knees from the pain, panting. One of the goons yanked her back to her feet. The onslaught continued lasting for what felt like hours.

  “What do you say now, you little bitch?” Devlin ridiculed.

  “G-g-going, to, to, to, f-f-ry you, prick.” Ashlyn sputtered, fighting off the effects of the electricity.

  Weak, she raised her hands. Her Fire, suppressed by the unyielding voltage, remained buried. Approaching her, Devlin pulled his arm back and drove his fist directly into her face. Agony ripped through her eye and cheek. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. Three more jabs to her ribs followed, taking Ashlyn back to the ground. Finally, a series of electric shocks had her curling into a protective ball.

  Standing over Ashlyn, with the scrape of metal against leather, Devlin unsheathed a long, serrated blade from his belt. “Are you done being a pain in the ass? Or should I carve up that pretty face of yours?” With practiced hands, he menacingly spun the knife around. Then slowly, he began running his fingers along the edge of the blade. He sneered; his scar twisting his features further.

  Ashlyn couldn’t move. Her survival instinct battled with her need to fight. Her Fire fought a battle all its own, reaching for the surface, yet unable to protect the Guardian. Devlin yanked her to her feet, roughly taking hold of her shoulders, and spinning her around until the knife grazed her throat.

  “Enough of this bullshit! You do as the boss says, and light the goddamn fire!” Devlin roared directly in her ear making her wince. Dragging the knife across her neck, he sliced her with the blade.

  Warm and sticky, blood trickled down Ash’s neck and chest. Trembling on shaky legs, she felt the fight leave her. With her head down, Ash watched her blood flow steadily, staining the front of her hospital gown scarlet.

  Devlin released her and pointed her toward the three tables once again. “Now do it! Or I’ll cut you like I mean it next time.”

  Desperately fighting off the effects of the electric shocks, Ashlyn took a deep breath. She winced from the pain to her damaged ribs calling desperately to her Fire. Flames emerged traveling up her hands, arms, and fingers, answering her call. Facing the first table, she raised her hands throwing her Fire onto the pile of logs. They burst and crackled blooming with vibrant colored flames. Next, she turned to the table with the metal sheets. Targeting her Fire onto the pieces of metal, they gradually began to melt. Blue flames skimmed the surface, and the puddle bubbled like a pile of molten lava. Focusing her attention on the third table, sweat beaded along her forehead, and her arms shook from the exertion. Ash closed her eyes as she concentrated on the beautiful crystals. They took all of her energy to burn, but they did not erupt in flames. They simply melted into a pile of oozing liquid.

  Ashlyn dropped to the floor depleted of energy. She nearly gagged. The air smelled toxic from the mixture of blood and the charred remnants of Barrington’s experiment and Devlin’s torture. Taking advantage, Devlin swooped in and delivered several kicks to her already damaged ribs as well as her arms and legs. “Take that, Firecracker.”

  The next thing she knew, Barrington was beside her and pressed the plunger of a needle into her arm. He chuckled maniacally. “Well that was quite helpful. You will rest now, and we will address your injuries. Sleep well, young Ashlyn. Our work here has just begun.”

  Ashlyn’s last coherent thought was of Hawk. She had to believe he and the other Protectors would free her before these madmen finally killed her. She said a silent prayer as darkness took her. Please, Hawk. Find me. Save me. I need you.

  ****

  Hawk

  As the endless stretches of highway buzzed by, Hawk stared blindly out the passenger side window and relived his time with Ash in the Atrium. She took his breath away; so beautiful, so strong, so brave. If he didn’t get to Ash soon he feared he would lose control of his powers, or worse yet, his mind. He needed to show her how much he loved her and not with words. He wanted to use his hands, his lips, his body. Ash had a seductiveness about her without even trying. Her allure was as powerful as her Fire. River’s voice roused him from his musings, and Hawk’s body hummed with tension and frustration.

  River mumbled through the phone to Cadence, “Yeah…okay…no…just a sec.” He handed the phone to Hawk. “Put this on speaker, and grab the laptop under your seat.” Hawk balanced the phone in the console and reached under his seat for the laptop. The computer sprang to life when Hawk raised the top. River spoke again, “Go ahead, Cadence, send it through.”

  The computer screen flashed images in rapid succession, like a strobe light in a dance club, as the downloaded information appeared on the screen. Hawk noticed a company logo he quickly recognized as Barrington Laboratories. It was followed by a series of articles and then tons of photos whizzed by. The barrage of information screeched to a halt stopping on the face of a young woman. The caption underneath the photo read; Dr. Brooke Barrington, Assistant Director of CEB Laboratories.

  Hawk couldn’t hold back his reaction, and a slight breeze picked inside the Hummer. “Holy crap! The Brooke, that Ashlyn met is Brooke Barrington. Barrington! As in Charles Barrington. I’ve got to warn her not to trust that woman.”

  “Calm down, Hawk. Ash told you the woman wanted to help her,” Kai said. He leaned over the seat inclining the laptop with Brooke’s photo into his line of vision. “Plus, look at her. Does she look like someone capable of hurting anyone? In fact, there’s something in her eyes, maybe she truly wants to help Ash,” Kai said.

  Quill grabbed the laptop right out of Hawk’s hands. “Let me see.” Hawk glared at his friend as he brought the screen close to his face and froze. Quill appeared fixated on the woman’s image. Hawk noticed her spectacular blue eyes and wondered if Quill might feel some kind of connection to this Brooke Barrington. Hawk shivered at the thought.

  His friend deposited the computer back into his lap as if trying to break Brooke’s spell. “Kai’s right. Look at that face. She wouldn’t hurt a fly. I think she looks, um, sweet, you know, innocent.” Quill dropped his butt back down onto his seat. “Does it say anything about her in there? Maybe she’s a distant relative of—”

  “You two are kidding, right? Innocent looking, my foot. Her last name is Barrington. You can’t think that’s a coincidence. The bastard must have sent her to Ash to deceive her into thinking she can trust her. The cagey prick is up to something. We’ve got to get to her now, River.” Low level vibrations made the Hummer shimmy a bit as Hawk’s powers took control.

  River responded in an even tone, “Hawk, I’m doing the best I can to get us there. You need to get in control. Ash has held her own so far, I’m sure she can hang in there a litt
le longer. She’s tough. She’s a Guardian. She’s going to be all right. Now hand the laptop to Brack and let him do the search. You three are as emotional as a group of woman at a PMS convention.”

  “Holy shit, River, you actually cracked a joke. Hey, I wonder what Lily would think about your PMS convention comment. How’s about I give her a call and we’ll see if she thinks it was really funny?” Quill joked. He whipped his phone out and held it up.

  “Don’t even think about going near my woman, Robbins. She may be small, but she’ll kick your ass. And when she’s done, I’m going to kick it even harder,” River answered, with a chuckle.

  “You wish, man,” Quill bantered back. Then he twisted in his seat to face Brack. “Enough of this BS, I want to know more about this Brooke woman. What you got there, Brack?”

  Quill seemed captivated by Brooke’s picture, and Hawk wondered if he would need to save two people from the Barringtons. Bracken smiled and relieved Hawk of the computer. “It says, Brooke Kylie Barrington was born on March 5, 1982. She is the only child of Dr. Charles Edward Barrington and Olivia Claire Royce-Barrington. She attended boarding school in England from the time she was eight years old until her graduation. She holds a degree in Pharmacology, has a Master’s in Chemistry, and earned a Doctorate in Biochemical Engineering. Graduated top of her class from Princeton. It also says Brooke became the Assistant Director of CEB Labs five years ago, and her office is located in their main headquarters.”