Visions

by Teyla Branton

  She almost didn’t care as her gaze slid past him to a gilt, three-tier food trolley that had been rolled next to the couch. It was filled with a kettle, fancy mugs, and numerous baked goods she couldn’t name. Her stomach growled.

  Ramsey saw her gaze and motioned to the guards to remove her shackles. After complying, they retreated near the door, where they stood with their rifles ready.

  “Help yourself,” Ramsey invited. “I thought we’d get acquainted a little.” He moved two objects that were round like Newcali bread drops to a plate before lifting the kettle to pour liquid that looked and smelled like expensive brew.

  She didn’t wait for a second invitation but strode to the trolley, taking up the plate he’d made for himself. Just in case the others weren’t safe.

  He stared at her a minute before a smile broke his face. He handed her the mug of brew. “Please, take this. I’ll pour more for myself.”

  Dani accepted the mug and sat close as she could to the trolley, plate on her lap, and began eating. She’d downed both of the drops before he’d seated himself opposite her. She gulped the hot brew—the best she’d ever tasted—before stretching her hand out for another bread drop and two flat cookies that might have been sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon.

  “We had these made especially for the memorial this afternoon,” the Controller said, watching her.

  “Memorial?” Dani tried to make herself chew more slowly. The cookies were amazing, the delicious flavor tantalized her taste buds, urging her to eat more.

  Ramsey sighed. “Yes. One of my Special Forces supervisors was killed in the empty zone south of Colony 2. The memorial is nearly over now.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” She wasn’t really, but it seemed the thing to say. She was eating his food, after all, and it wasn’t an odious readymeal.

  “Thank you.” He paused a moment to savor his drink. “The guards tell me you’ve been . . . restless today.”

  She shrugged and took another bite, swallowing before saying into the silence, “I’m not used to being kept prisoner.”

  “You don’t have to be a prisoner,” Ramsey said. “I can help you.”

  Dani was already feeling good. More steady now. Maybe all she’d needed was decent food, even if it was sweeter than she was accustomed to.

  “It’s your ability, you know,” Ramsey said conversationally.

  She stopped chewing. “What?”

  “Why you can’t sit still. I’ve seen others gifted with strength like yours, and it gets worse as the madness increases. They usually fatally injure themselves or others if they don’t accept the therapy we can give them.”

  “I’m fine,” Dani said.

  He studied her. “For now.” Ramsey arose and moved to sit next to her, looking toward the back of the room. With a few motions directed at the Teev sensors embedded in the wall, the holos covering two of the experiment rooms shimmered and disappeared.

  Stiffening, Dani stared inside them, her mind instantly processing what she was seeing. The cookie in her mouth turned to ash. She jumped to her feet, unable to control the gasp that escaped her lips.

  In each of the rooms, a man sat imprisoned in an interrogation chair. One of them was Tauri. Despite the blood on his face and his haggard expression, he was still breathing, his eyes open and angry. The other man, one she didn’t know, was unmarked by blood, but he was slumped, his head twisted and hanging to the side at an unnatural angle.

  “Your brother’s okay,” Ramsey said, still sitting and casually sipping his drink. “However, I’m afraid the other man is gone.” He made a motion to open the audio feed. “Go ahead and take him down to medical,” he ordered some unseen underlings. “They’ll want an autopsy.”

  The heavy door at the back of the room opened and two guards entered with a body board. They opened the arm and legs locks on the chair, released the waist strap, and spread the limp man on the board before carrying him out.

  “What did you do to him?” Dani’s throat felt so dry she could barely speak past the horror. What was wrong with her? She’d seen Special Forces do far worse than this to her people. And she’d never let it affect her this way.

  It’s because I’m afraid for Tauri, she thought.

  Ramsey shrugged. “He wouldn’t join us, so we didn’t give him the antidote. As for what we did, we were simply testing him. He had the ability to push things away from him, but his madness made him reckless. My theory is that he essentially pushed his own body apart. Broke his neck, it looks like. Maybe more. The autopsy will determine if I’m correct.”

  “You whore wrangling pus bag,” she ground out.

  He stood and met her accusing eyes without expression. “He made his choice. Just like you will make yours. We both know I can never let you go. You’re far too dangerous.” His mouth turned up in a mirthless smile. “On the other hand, your brother doesn’t seem to test positive for an ability.”

  Dani knew Tauri’s ability wouldn’t have manifested as long as no one was in the room with him, and if someone had been in the room . . . well, Tauri had somehow managed enough control to fool them so far.

  At Dani’s silence Ramsey added, “Maybe your mother left the colony before the drugs took effect on him, or maybe he’s just lucky. We could possibly let him leave.”

  Should she pretend not to care? But Dani was certain it was already too late for that. Her reaction to seeing her brother strapped to the chair had been too obvious. “If he’s not gifted, you should have already let him go.”

  “I’m certain he’s not telling us everything he knows about the people responsible for my brother’s death,” Ramsey added.

  “Brother?” She was confused. The Controller had mentioned deaths in the empty zone near Colony 5, and she had mentally connected that with the men she’d helped Jaxon and the others fight six weeks earlier. But all the enforcers they’d killed that day had seemed too young to be a sibling to the Controller. Only their Elite leader, that pus bag Bensell Summers, might have run in the same circles as Ramsey. Which meant that slight resemblance she’d noted on her first meeting with Ramsey wasn’t because of their Elite status after all.

  “His name was Bensell Summers,” Ramsey said, verifying her guess. His mouth tightened. “He was my only brother. Same mother, different father. He was on an errand for me at the time of his death. Losing him not only set back my plans but affected me on a personal level.”

  Dani dragged her mug to her mouth and downed the rest of her drink. Mostly to hide the swirl of emotions. The Controller didn’t seem affected on a personal level. He seemed dispassionate and in control. She wondered if his brother had hated and envied him.

  None of this could change the fact that Jaxon had killed Summers to prevent him from dragging them all back here for detainment. Summers was the man Jaxon believed had ordered the death of his mother. If Ramsey had any idea Dani had been there when his brother died, no doubt he’d torture her until he learned the truth, until she betrayed Jaxon.

  “Bensell was killed near where your brother was picked up,” Ramsey continued, his gaze not leaving hers. “Admittedly, he died after we found Tauri, but I believe he knows more than he’s told us about activity there and that he could direct us to those who were involved. But I’d be willing to consider releasing him back to Colony 6 anyway.”

  “You mean if I agree to work for you.” She had no doubt today’s fatal demonstration had been meant for her.

  “Yes. Having a brother yourself, you might begin to imagine the sacrifice it would be for me.”

  She did know, and she also understood that he would never let Tauri go. If she capitulated, Tauri would be dragged back whenever she refused to obey. The Controller would own her heart, body, and soul until she killed herself or he killed Tauri. The hopelessness of her situation shook her.

  Allowing enforcers to bring her to HED had been a terrible idea. Had it been the madness that made her act so rashly? She’d waited twenty years to reunite with her Colony 6 c
rew, waited and built and planned. She’d spent several years planning and enacting an operation that had allowed her soldiers to deviate part of the Dallastar water supply so they had clean water in the empty zones where Newcali had bases. It had taken six months to organize a single raid that had given them enough drugs to sedate dozens of people fighting madness brought on by their abilities. Waiting had always been a detested but necessary part of her fight. But Tauri had been missing only two months, and she’d gotten herself captured at nearly the first opportunity.

  She had to escape this place, and it had to be soon. Before she betrayed her brother and her people. Even if that meant she and Tauri died. Because getting out of the building would be next to impossible without a weapon, especially if Tauri wouldn’t use his ability. Even if she took out the guards by the door and the other two outside, she wouldn’t be able to use their guns, which would be linked to their fingerprints.

  She’d half expected the buzzing in her head to return as her mind flew through the options, but she was thinking more clearly than she had in weeks. And the clear thinking told her the only viable option was taking the Controller hostage and forcing him to provide a weapon for her. Without a weapon she could use from a distance, all the strength in the world wouldn’t be enough, not when she had Tauri to worry about. But dragging a hostage would slow her down and make her a target to whatever tech the Special Forces had available. It would only take a few well-placed bullets to put her down. Or a simple gas could make both her and Tauri lose consciousness. She needed something to sway the tide in their direction.

  “More brew?” Ramsey asked.

  When she nodded absently, he reached for her mug and rose in a fluid movement. It was as he poured the brew that she spied the nyckelira case on the desk beyond him against the far wall. Her heartbeat increased, but she took a steady breath, willing it to slow. There were thousands of nyckeliras spreading throughout the CORE, and a corresponding number of cases. It didn’t mean anything.

  But she knew it did. Exactly as she’d known Jaxon and the others would be forced to come for her. That meant there was hope. A calm settled over her.

  “You play the nyckelira?” she asked.

  Ramsey followed her gaze to the case. “No. But my grandchildren do. This is actually more of a collector’s item.” He handed her the full mug, and she sipped it carefully. It wasn’t hot enough to burn her tongue, but almost.

  She waited for more, but she guessed it would be too much to expect him to explain the real function of the case. “May I see it?”

  He gave a flourishing wave. “Be my guest.” He walked with her to the desk and opened the case. The dark velvet interior was exactly as Eagle had shown her, and she knew that in the hidden compartment, something special waited for her, something that meant her way out. All she needed now was Tauri.

  “It’s beautiful.” She ran her fingers along the velvet before moving away.

  “I think so. It was a gift.”

  “You have nice friends.”

  He smiled. “You could too, if you worked for me.”

  More likely he’d expect gifts from her. Like killing his enemies. Or betraying her friends. She waited until she was back at the food cart before saying, “Can I talk to my brother again?”

  “I’ll arrange it in the morning.”

  “Please, could I see him now? I need to be sure he’s all right before I decide what I’m going to do.” Would he believe she was actually considering his offer? If not, it was over before it started.

  Ramsey searched her face, his expression calculating. “Okay. I’ll have him brought here. But you should finish your drink.”

  Suspicion crept through her mind. “You drugged it, didn’t you?” Panic threatened the calm she’d experienced since spying the case. If this drug put her out or dulled her ability, she might not make it out, even with whatever treasure the nyckelira case held for her.

  “I gave you an antidote to the madness is all. As I said at our last meeting, it’s not permanent. You’ve taken enough to give you a hint of what you could be if you worked for the people of the CORE. You can think again, can’t you? The jitters are gone. The buzzing in your head.”

  There was truth in what he was saying. Her mind was clear, and her body felt stronger than ever. How many people had he tortured in order to know her so well? “You drank it too.”

  He nodded placidly. “The treatment has no effect on people without abilities. And it tastes great as an additive to brew.”

  Dani returned to the couch, debating whether she should drink the rest. For all she knew, it would hasten the madness. But she needed a clear head now. She downed the cup in one long drink.

  Ramsey laughed, and again she felt the odd sensation that he reminded her of someone else. But not his brother this time. “Good choice,” he said. “It only lasts a few days, probably fewer with you, but as long as you cooperate, you’ll have access to more. You’ll sleep better tonight, I assure you.”

  She tried to eat more food, but her stomach rebelled. She kept seeing the lolling head of the man in the experiment room. Ramsey had restored the holos when he’d given the order to bring Tauri, but her brain remembered only too well.

  She didn’t have long to wait. Three minutes after Ramsey gave the order, Tauri arrived. He wore a fresh white bodysuit and someone had plastered a bandage on his cheek. The guards brought him into the room instead of pushing him, and Dani realized her brother must have been brought to the edge of his endurance today. How much longer before he told them everything?

  His hand waved a discreet greeting to Dani before his gaze settled on the Controller, hatred burning in his eyes. Guilt rushed through her as she realized she might be able to use this to her advantage. If Tauri would fight with her, no one could stop them.

  Leave soon, she said in Handspeak to Tauri, keeping her hands near her stomach and her body angled away from the Controller. “Hello,” she said aloud. “We saved you some food.”

  Who knew when he’d eaten last or how long this latest “experiment” had gone on. She’d taken only a few steps in his direction, but one of the guards pointed his rifle at her. Dani lifted her hands and backed away. The Controller watched them all, his gaze calculating. He wasn’t armed that she could see, though he probably had a hidden weapon, which meant she’d have to disable the guards first.

  The guards left Tauri near the food trolley but didn’t immediately returned to the door. She knew why as Tauri wavered slightly, looking ready to collapse.

  “Can you remove his handcuffs?” She tried to pour Tauri some of the brew into her empty mug to help him regain his energy, but only a few drops drizzled from the kettle.

  Ramsey smirked at her, showing that he’d known exactly how much had been inside and hadn’t wanted her to receive more than necessary. He motioned to the guards, and one began to unlock Tauri’s cuffs.

  We leave now, she signed to Tauri. Maybe need your ability.

  He gave her the single abrupt sign for no above the plate of bread drops. His expression looked worse than it had seconds ago. It didn’t stop him from grabbing a drop and stuffing it into his mouth.

  Not your fault, she told him. You followed orders.

  My fault, he signed. Always.

  Her heart ached for him, for what she might make him do. Three years had passed since the terrible night when he’d accidentally suffocated an entire team of enforcers—as well as his best friend, who had been their unwitting captive. He hadn’t used his ability since, and they had to pull him off anything but the most routine of missions. With each passing month, he feared the madness would take him, and he’d kill everyone he loved. She still didn’t know how to help him, because he might be right.

  “Please fill a plate and have a seat,” Ramsey told Tauri, who had grabbed a handful of cookies. Dani suspected Tauri’s eagerness was amusing to the Controller. She hated him more for that.

  Maybe need you, she tried again with Tauri.

  Again the
sign for no.

  The guards were staring at her, their weapons still ready, their faces puzzled at her hand motions. Even if Ramsey couldn’t tell something was passing between them, no doubt the guards and the cameras would fill in the details later. With mistrusting stares, the guards began retreating to their place by the door, seemingly satisfied that Tauri would be able to keep his feet on his own. Dani also eased away from the trolley so Tauri would be farther from the line of fire.

  The time had come to act.

  With a single step, she bounced onto the couch and kicked off, hurtling toward the guards. She struck hard as she landed, taking down the female with a single kick. The man took two punches, but he was falling before his partner hit the floor. Neither had a chance to fire.

  In the next breath, Dani was back over the couch and lunging at the Controller. Her arm wrapped around his throat, squeezing. He smelled of brew and something spicy. He didn’t struggle.

  This is almost too easy, she thought. As long as the guards outside didn’t come into the room, they’d have all the time they needed to question him about escape routes before knocking him out. If enforcers did come in, she’d threaten to kill their precious Controller. Either way, she figured they had at least a few minutes.

  Tauri had stopped eating and was staring at her, relief etched on his face. “I guess I didn’t need your help,” she said.

  He laughed. “Good.”

  A sharp pain in her left wrist drew her attention. She looked down to see that the gold band around her wrist was tightening. “Saca,” she muttered.

  “It will keep growing smaller,” Ramsey rasped through the pressure she was putting on his throat.

  “What do you mean?” The pain was growing by the second, changing from a sharp pressure to a burning. She flexed the muscles in her wrist, pushing back at the band.

  Ramsey tried to speak, but she was clenching him too tightly now. She eased up and he said, “Do you really think I’d be anywhere near you without a backup? I saw the feed from the enforcers in Santoni and on the sky train. I saw what you’re capable of. The pressure band you’re wearing is pre-Breakdown tech we uncovered in the North Desolation Zone. Right now that band is tightening, and thinning on the edges. It’s cutting through your skin, and in a few minutes your muscles and tendons will be gone. Then all that will be left is bone until even that snaps in two.”