“Fecal incontinence,” Smith read off his laptop, wiping away a tear of laughter. “It happens from a loss of bowel control—”
“Stop,” Kaira begged, hanging onto Graysen as she tried to stifle her giggles.
“She did say something about relaxed muscles,” A.J. pointed out, slapping his thigh as he chortled.
“So brilliant,” Yutika whispered, her face alight with pride.
The only one who wasn’t in hysterics was Michael. When Kaira pulled his bunny illusion away, it was to reveal him standing beside us again with a gloomy expression on his face.
“You’re my new hero,” I told him.
Michael ignored me and scowled at Kaira.
“A bunny?” he demanded. “How about a hawk or a snake?”
Kaira was still laughing too hard to respond.
“How did you know that would work?” Smith asked him.
Michael lifted a shoulder. “I Whispered to a couple of the scientists. They weren’t sure what would happen if it got injected into a person, but they all seemed confident the effects wouldn’t kill her…but also wouldn’t be pleasant.”
“Incredible,” Yutika said. “Seriously brilliant.”
For the first time since our fight with Blade’s army, Michael smiled.
“Thanks,” he said, ducking his head as a flush spread down his neck.
“I don’t think anyone’s going to be trying to make their own version of the MRP anytime soon,” Graysen observed, still chuckling.
Now that the crowd Valencia had attracted had dispersed, we were free to go back to the mine without anyone asking questions.
Two cars pulled into the driveway at that moment. The crew guys piled out, yawning and holding coffee travel mugs.
“Did we just pass Valencia on the road?” one of the guys asked. “She had all of her windows down and was screaming something about natural bodily functions.”
The Seven of us looked at each other and devolved into hysterics.
CHAPTER 46
The train car glided to a stop at the California end of the long tunnel. We clipped on our earpieces and mikes. All of the Mags in our group also had a pink mask in case the MRP gas was used against us again.
I wasn’t sure if I was relieved or disappointed that I hadn’t caught the hint of cinnamon or the heat of Diego’s magic since he left the mansion.
“Our priority is getting Lilly and the rest of the slaves out,” Graysen reminded everyone as we got off the train and hovered around the door that led into the mine. “Once that’s done, we’re going to destroy this place.”
We all nodded in agreement.
“Thank you,” I told all of them, catching myself before my voice hitched. “I can’t tell you—”
“You don’t have to, hon,” A.J. said, gently. “This is what we’re here for.”
Nodding, I wiped the back of my hand across my eyes before any tears could fall.
“Don’t go getting soft on us now, Hammond,” Adam ordered with mock seriousness. “Put your Steel pants on, and let’s go kick some ass.”
In response, I blew on my fists.
We left Smith behind in the train car so he could do Techie stuff. The rest of us went on to the tunnel that led up to the main part of the mine.
The tunnel was eerily quiet and empty. I wasn’t sure if it was because my friends had managed to get so many of the children back to Boston during our last trip here, or because some new horror was lying in wait for us.
Knowing the way the Remwalds’ minds worked, I assumed the latter.
“Good news,” Smith said, his voice coming through our earpieces. “I’ve hacked into the mine’s electrical system. I’m going to install a virus that’ll bring this whole place down once I activate it.”
“How are you going to manage that?” Yutika asked.
“My malware will get into the electric grid and short-circuit the system,” Smith explained.
At our dumbfounded silence, he said, “You know, like how your phone or computer can overheat, only a million times more intense. I figure once it catches fire, it’ll ignite the Agent S and kaboom.”
“Good thinking, Smith,” Graysen said, clearly impressed.
“There’s just one issue,” Smith said. There was something in his voice that made my hopes sink. “This malware will be enough to bring the whole mine down, but once I put everything in motion, there’s no way to stop it. It’ll take ten minutes from the time I set the virus for the electrical fire to catch onto the Agent S and ignite.”
“So if we want to destroy the mine,” Graysen said, “you have to set up the malware exactly ten minutes ahead of time?”
“Yeah,” Smith confirmed. “And once it’s going, I won’t be able to do a thing to reverse it. So we need to be damn sure we’re out of there by the time it blows.”
We all stopped talking when we reached the end of the tunnel. The open room was as busy as ever, except it wasn’t crowded with kids and carts brimming with Agent S the way it had been before. It was full of Synthetics.
Their cloaks undulated around them with every movement. They didn’t make a sound, which made their presence even more eerie. Their magic felt slimy and unstable.
The Synthetics congregated around the elevator, like they knew where we were headed…like they’d been waiting for us.
Yutika gulped audibly.
“Okay everyone,” Kaira whispered. “Here we go.”
Our normal appearances vanished and were replaced by exact replicas of the Synthetics.
“I left our hands looking normal,” Kaira explained. “That way, we can easily tell us from them.”
I glanced at the silent, cloaked Super Mags. Sure enough, their hands were gnarled, cracked, and bloody. A little shudder passed through me when I caught sight of the tubes sticking out of the backs of their necks. There was something creepy and distinctly non-human about them.
“Are you sure you’re up for this?” Graysen asked Charlotte, who stood between him and Emory.
Charlotte looked down at Sir Zachary, whose fur was standing on end as he growled quietly at the Synthetics.
“We’ve got this,” she said.
Her golden eyes flashed, and then the little girl was gone. In her place was a beautiful black-and-white Border Collie. Unlike our appearances, which were illusions, Charlotte had really become what she appeared to be. She whined softly to Sir Zachary.
The two dogs looked at each other. Then, they both shot off like bullets.
Charlotte and Sir Zachary split off in opposite directions, their bodies hunched low as they raced around the Synthetics. They bared their canines and snapped at the Synthetics’ ankles.
The Synthetics all turned their hooded gazes onto the two dogs. One of them opened his mouth, displaying double rows of pointed teeth.
“Oh my—” Kaira began.
The Synthetic screeched.
The sound was like nothing I’d ever heard before. The cement walls reverberated. Cracks appeared between my feet. I felt something wet and sticky trickling out of my ear. When I reached up to touch it, my fingers came away stained with blood.
My friends’ mouths were moving, but I couldn’t hear more than a jumble of senseless words. Blood streamed from their ears.
“Sir Zachary!” A.J. shouted.
Relief at discovering I wasn’t deaf turned to terror. Sir Zachary was facing off against a line of Synthetics.
When Sir Zachary reared onto his hind paws, the rest of us got the hell out of his way.
Sir Zachary opened his mouth. Fire spewed out.
The Synthetics let out harsh wailing sounds as a wall of fire surrounded them. Some of them allowed themselves to be herded by Charlotte, moving wherever they could to avoid the fire. The rest fought back.
A wall of ice appeared between Sir Zachary and the Synthetics.
Border Collie-Charlotte transformed again. This time, she became an enormous polar bear.
Charlotte rose up on her hind paws an
d roared.
The sight of her was almost as terrifying as all of the Synthetics combined. The creatures must have agreed, because they tripped over their cloaks as they hurried to get away from her…and ran right into Sir Zachary’s flames.
The only problem was that there were only two of them against all of the Synthetics. And the ice-wielding Synthetic was a match for Sir Zachary’s fire.
“What do we do?” Yutika asked in a panicked voice.
“Sir Zachary and Charlotte can hold their own,” A.J. said. “For a little while, anyway. Let’s get moving. I’ve got a trick up my sleeve, but it’ll only work once.”
We didn’t waste time asking him for details. We ran to the elevator on the far side of the room.
We went up to the isolation chambers on Level 4. With my magic no longer impeded by the Energy Manipulator, I had no trouble wrenching the doors off every single one of the cells. My friends hurried in after to help the kids back out to the elevator. Most of the kids were hysterical and too weak to walk on their own.
Their skin was covered with grime and their clothes were in tatters. Some of them were even barefoot. I took one look at the cowering, bone-thin children and saw red. These kids were afraid of us because they’d had a lifetime of learning to fear adults.
What kind of monster did this to children?
Michael Whispered to the kids, calming them enough so they trusted us to carry them out.
We worked quickly. We focused on the job so we wouldn’t all succumb to our fury over how these kids had been treated. We couldn’t afford to lose our heads…not yet, anyway.
I promised myself that the ones responsible would pay.
“First group coming your way, Smith,” Graysen said, lifting a straggling little boy in his arms and carrying him after the others.
It was especially slow going, because with my magic interrupting theirs, the kids didn’t have their Steel strength. Some of them scrabbled on hands and knees because their legs were too weak to support the rest of their bodies. Charlotte and Sir Zachary kept the Synthetics occupied while the rest of us carried, dragged, and cajoled the children down the tunnel that led back to the train.
Given what had happened on Level 1 of the mine last time, we decided not to push our luck with trying to find the supply shaft that led all the way up to the surface. We figured it would be safer to take the kids straight back to Boston. Besides, none of us was especially interested in ending back up in California territory, only to have to battle Blade’s insane followers to get the kids the hell out.
It wasn’t a perfect plan by any means, but it was the best we had.
“Go,” I told Smith, once the train car held as many as we could fit.
There were a few whimpers from the kids as the door to the train slid shut. I felt badly that we couldn’t explain to them what was happening, but there wasn’t time.
Michael stayed with the next batch of kids who would board the train as soon as it came back, keeping them calm while they waited.
“The isolation chambers on Level 4 are cleared of slaves,” Adam announced. “We’re gonna go check the offices on Level 3.”
“The rest of us can deal with Level 2,” Graysen said. “I saw a bunch of kids heading up that way the last time we were here.”
“No,” I said, thinking about the vault full of liquid Agent S vials on that level. I didn’t know whether Diego had already come and gone, but I’d promised myself to let him take what he needed. “Start at the nursery on Level 1.”
“On our way,” Kaira said.
I felt like a traitor to my friends and everything we stood for, but there was also relief. I was no longer in Diego’s debt.
“Sir Z’s exhausted,” one of the crew guys said. “And Charlotte isn’t looking much better. They’re not gonna make it much longer.”
“Get Charlotte and Sir Zachary back to the tunnel,” A.J. ordered. “I’ll deal with the Synthetics.”
“A.J., what—” I began.
Before I could finish, I heard a sound like tinkling bells. I barely had time to press myself to the side of the dark tunnel as dozens of glass vials came zooming my way. The vials shimmered with the liquid green Agent S inside.
They had come from the train tunnel and were clearly being controlled by A.J.’s magic.
“A.J., what?” I began.
“Oops,” A.J. replied. “Did I forget to mention to Diego I kept these?” He cackled to himself.
“Where did you hide all of this?” Kaira asked.
“In the train tunnel,” A.J. replied. “I figured no one would accidentally discover them there.”
“You little genius!” Yutika shrieked.
“Damn, A.J.,” Graysen said. “Good thinking.”
“You could have mentioned it to me,” I grumbled. “Would have saved some time dealing with Diego and the vault.”
“Oh honey,” A.J. said. “First, we both know keeping secrets isn’t your thing.”
I was about to express my deep resentment on that unfair statement, but A.J. continued.
“And second, we had to get Diego back to the mine to help rescue Lilly. I was afraid if he knew I still had the stash from his apartment, he’d try something crazy pants, like kidnapping you.”
I humphed. A.J. was right, but he didn’t need the confidence boost from hearing me spell it out for him.
A trail of glittering Agent S vials led the way to the main room on Level 5. From my position at the mouth of the tunnel, I could see the vials hovering in mid-air over the Synthetics’ heads.
“Seven, make sure you’re out of the way,” A.J. said calmly.
My position gave me a clear view of the green vials when they overturned. I backed farther into the tunnel as the Agent S splashed down, and the Synthetics’ screams began.
The Synthetics writhed and screeched as the Agent S burned straight through their cloaks. Some of them were rolling on the ground as their skin dissolved and turned to steam. Nausea surged through me at the sight of white bones beneath shredded skin.
Perversely, the Synthetics’ agony was making them seem less zombie-like and a whole lot more human. The smell of burnt flesh filled my nose. I hurriedly put on my gas mask to get some fresh air before I threw up.
Less than a minute later, the Synthetics were gone. Their clothes, skin, and bones had completely dissolved. The only evidence that they had been here at all was a giant hole in the ground where the Agent S had eaten through the floor.
“You had to, A.J.,” I said in a hoarse voice, knowing how he must be feeling. “They would have died when we collapsed the mine, anyway.”
“I know,” A.J. replied heavily. “But I’m guessing these Synthetics had as little choice in what they’d become as the slaves. And a life’s a life.”
I wanted to hug him right then, but more children were coming down the elevator with the crew team.
I scanned their tiny, scared faces, looking for hazel eyes.
The older kids struggled to carry the infants. The crew guys helped by using an empty cart to move as many of the kids out of the elevator as fast as they could.
“I don’t see her up here, Bri,” Kaira said into my earpiece. “We haven’t done the very back yet, but I don’t think she’s here.”
As soon as the elevator was free of children, I jumped on with Michael. We went up to the nursery on Level 1, where Kaira and Graysen were already waiting.
It looked nothing like it had the day before. The metal cribs had been tipped over and kicked to the side of the room. The metal toys strewn across the floor looked disturbingly like little corpses.
I went straight to the panel in the wall where Felix had taken Lilly. When I didn’t see a door, I punched through the wall.
I stumbled into another room that was slightly smaller than the nursery. Metal, child-sized beds were lined up in neat rows. The beds, along with the rest of the room, were empty.
“We haven’t checked everywhere yet,” Graysen said, coming to join me. “
We’ll find her.”
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I started back for the elevator, feeling like thousand-pound weights had attached themselves to my legs.
“Oh shit,” Yutika said across our earpieces.
“What?” the rest of us asked at once.
“Yutika, what’s wrong?” Michael demanded, his cool demeanor unraveling. “Are you hurt? Where are you?”
“Level 3. The—”
A loud thump traveled across our earpieces. Michael shouted Yutika’s name.
We all raced to the elevator.
Michael leapt off before we came to a complete stop. I was right behind him. What we saw made us both freeze…until Yutika screamed again.
CHAPTER 47
Synthetics were everywhere.
Their cloaks swirled around them as they encircled Yutika.
“Michael, no,” I gasped.
He ignored me. He didn’t even try to Whisper. He just barreled right through the rows of Synthetics to Yutika’s crumpled figure. He fell to the ground beside her, cradling her in his arms as he hunched his body protectively around her.
“Hey!” I shouted, waving my hands to get the Synthetics’ attention.
They gnashed their teeth and started for me.
“A.J.,” I said, crouching down into a fighting position. “I could use some more of that Agent S.”
“There is no more,” A.J. said in a panicked voice.
I didn’t hear anything else, because the Synthetics were on me. They lashed out at me with ice, teeth, blades, and fists. I struck back.
My limbs were a blur. I let my magic take over. Everything else faded away as I punched and kicked.
One of the Synthetics opened his hand. A swarm of mechanical bees leapt off his palm and surrounded me. Aside from their annoying buzzing, the little creatures had no effect on me. Their enlarged stingers simply broke off against my titanium skin.
The Synthetics might have more magic than me, but they were still made out of flesh and bones. I was not.
Mags & Nats 3-Book Box Set Page 101
