by Jillian Neal
Garrett and Rainer laughed, and Dan had to smile at Rainer’s quick reply.
“Your grandpa know?” Stegman asked Garrett.
Shaking his head, Garrett scoffed, “Don’t think so, old man.” Roy Stegman and Bill Haydenshire, Garrett’s grandfather, had gone through basic training and the Gifted Army together. As far as Dan knew, Roy was the only person in the realm who Grandpa Haydenshire actually liked.
“I’ll figure it out. Just give me time,” Stegman was driven by the challenge.
“I wish you wouldn’t,” Dan half-ordered and half- suggested.
At nine-thirty, Dan stood in a baseball cap and dark sunglasses, pretending to read a newspaper. He was stationed by the exit door that would have the loading bridge attached to it, as soon as Adderand’s plane was in sight.
Garrett and Stegman were positioned on the other side of the door. Rainer, working with Barron and Trenton McCoy, was seated to the side of the door in the seat for passengers boarding the next flight. Seven high-ranking, undercover Iodex officers were positioned in the gate area. They were all dressed to look like passengers waiting to board, but they were heavily armed and well- trained.
Dan had been through every scenario. If they had the pilot try to hold Adderand on the plane, the pilots and coolant officers were likely to not live to see lunch. If Iodex attempted to board the plane, there was enough fuel on board for Adderand to blow the plane sky- high, killing dozens upon dozens of people, Iodex officers included.
They had to take Adderand by surprise when he exited the jet- way.
“Get him restrained and then drain him instantly,” had been Dan’s order to every Iodex officer situated throughout the entire airport and the parking lots. They’d shut down five gates. The only people in the area were officers. He’d ordered in the closest high- security jet from L.A. It was waiting to take Adderand back to D.C., and then seven teams were to escort him to Coriolis, where he’d wait until his trial.
Pushing all thoughts of life outside of the Interfeci out of his mind, Dan tapped into the hell-bound desire to end each and every person who had ever had anything to do with Dominic Wretchkinsides. His steely nerves fed his demons. They swam just under the surface. His body was poised to strike viciously. He had enough DNA evidence to keep Adderand in Coriolis for the rest of his life and, more than likely, for him to be executed soon after his trial. He just needed the man.
He felt his left shoulder twitch. His blood pulsed rhythmically in his ears. He let his instincts drown out the noise around him. He was going to get the man today. He was going to be one step closer to ending the Interfeci for good.
Dan reached and touched the pistol he’d shoved in the back of his jeans. He kept his back pressed to the wall, so no one else could see him.
There were no officers in uniform anywhere in the area. Adderand would get no warning, but he would get what was coming to him, Dan thought vengefully as he watched the minute hand move on his watch.
Dan, Garrett, and Rainer had checked and rechecked the passenger log of the flight, to make certain that Wretchkinsides had flown no one other than Adderand out to Vegas. He’d booked a return flight for two hours later, not expecting that it would take him long to end Vitrio.
Marlisa was already in uniform and playing in the exhibition. She’d seemed unconcerned about Vitrio’s whereabouts, according to The Venetian’s security teams in charge of keeping fans away from the challengers.
The minute hand moved past the eleven, and Dan’s heart pounded as he watched the plane touch down.
“Watch the passengers. Remember, Adderand is wearing a black sleeveless tank, a Gifted Army jacket, black pants, and combat boots. He’s trying to pass as a serviceman. Got a camo dufflebag with him. We don’t know what’s in that bag,” Dan reminded them as nervous energy permeated the air.
“Keep it together, ladies and gentlemen. This guy kills people for a living,” Dan warned as the engines of the plane droned to silence.
Everyone braced. They kept their heads down but their eyes up. Dan pulled the pistol from his waistband and chambered the rounds. He kept the gun low and himself tucked against the wall.
The pilots and coolant officers exited first. They all looked extremely nervous. Dan prayed that they hadn’t tipped Adderand off when Dan had called for a description.
A flight attendant helped an elderly couple exit next. The woman was shuffling along slowly behind a walker. Dan tried not to think of what might happen if Adderand exited in the next few seconds.
Several other tourists bustled down the jet-way, talking excitedly about their plans in Vegas.
His mind sharpened its focus. His blood rushed through his veins. He forced his heart to a cadenced tempo as he waited.
Barron glanced down the jet-way and then slid his eyes to Dan with a slight nod. He was coming.
Dan shifted into position, along with Rainer, Garrett, and McCoy, all ready to jump as soon as their target was within reach. The clock slowed, the silence deafened him; his heart pounding was the only sound in his ears.
Stegman stood, turned, and kept his back to Adderand. The signal.
Dan spun and stared into Vincent Adderand’s hate-filled, black eyes. “You’re under arrest.”
Adderand threw a cast, but Dan deflected it instantly. Rainer and McCoy leapt and came from behind Adderand, who’d thrown a shield. They began siphoning the energy out of the shield.
Garrett joined in and, as soon as the shield was weakened, Dan shoved his own cast through it and had Adderand on the ground. He reached for the duffle bag. Dan heard metal cans clink menacingly.
Rainer kicked the bag back down the jet-way. Something popped and an ominous black gas filled the air. Everyone gasped for breath.
“Keep the passengers back!” Dan shouted as Garrett’s knee came down on Adderand’s chest. Dan cuffed him as Barron and McCoy drained the energy from his body.
“Contain that,” Dan demanded of the other Iodex officers. Shields surrounded the poisonous gas and Stegman called in a Gifted toxic disposal unit. There was one stationed at the airport, and they arrived almost instantly. Quickly pulling the toxic substance from the air, they sealed the remaining passengers back in the safety of the plane.
Still coughing, Dan pointed to the plane waiting to fly Adderand back to D.C. He helped Rainer and Garrett hoist Adderand’s lifeless body to the next gate and onto a gurney.
“Keep him drained all the way there,” Dan coughed out his command. His lungs struggled like he’d inhaled a solid mass. His throat felt charred.
“We always do, Dan. We’ve never let you down,” Jerry Gallahand assured him.
Having to agree with that, Dan watched Garrett and Rainer, still gasping for breath, tighten the straps on the gurney. Four guards stepped up to keep Adderand’s body from creating any more energy than what he needed to keep his vital organs functioning.
Dan signed dozens of papers on what was to be done with Adderand should he fight, what kind of cell he was to be given at Coriolis, and who was allowed to see him should anyone visit the prison.
They moved off of the jet and fell into chairs in the airport gate. Dan winced as a Medio darted a steroid shot into his left tricep. “Damn it, a little warning would be nice,” he scowled as the cool liquid moved through his muscles. With another sigh, he allowed the Medio to strap on an oxygen mask and pull the poison from his lungs and blood stream.
“I’m sorry,” Rainer continued to apologize.
“Lawson, if he’d gotten his hands on that canister, and it had blown in my face, I wouldn’t be sitting here. Stop apologizing.” Dan regretted that it had come that close. He’d almost broken the promise to Fionna that he would be there to see her challenge, and all of the promises he’d made to himself that he would be with her for a lifetime.
A Demon’s Challenge
It was almost noon when Dan, Garrett, and Rainer stepped into the exhibition arena. They were exhausted, but pleased with their work.
Stegman had taken Vitrio to Latimer Prison, out in the depths of the Mojave, where he would spend the next few decades. They fell into seats in the Angels’ box and tried to figure out what was going on.
The scoreboards showed each team’s scores and then each player’s individual scores. The Angels were doing well, but Fionna’s scores were lower than her typical exhibition performances. She glanced up at the box, and Dan saw relief flood her features. She smiled, but he pretended not to notice.
The Receivers from ten teams were lining up to compete in the next round of Receivers Relays. They would compete against each other in a difficult series of transformations. The bottom five would be disqualified in each heat. The top five would go on to compete against additional teams, until the top three were named.
Dan watched intently as the buzzer sounded, the aegis was set, and they began. She had heat from the fire and lit ten light bulbs before Dan could draw a breath.
“Wow,” he whispered. Rainer and Garrett looked equally as impressed. She moved on to a windmill, spinning it with little trouble and then drawing the energy out into a rubber belt, which she stretched and moved to a series of drivetrains.
“Well, I’m not certain what happened, folks, but it seems Miss Fionna Styler, number two of the Arlington Angels, has come alive. We’d seen less than her best performance thus far today, but she’s certainly making up for it now. Look at her go!”
Dan watched the drivetrains pick up pace, and Fionna’s joule meter continue to decline. A moment later, the pistons on the engine were firing, and she was sprinting to the next obstacle.
The Receivers from the Sirens, the New Orleans Noethers, and the Boston Bombers struggled with the elastic energy needed to shape the belt and pull it over the drivetrains.
The Angels box went wild as Fionna began pulling chemical energy, in the form of carbon, from the engine. She filled a diode with the carbon, and then, beaming and bouncing up and down, she was the first person through the heat. She was several minutes ahead of her closest competition. Dan couldn’t help but stare. Her sports bra couldn’t quite contain the jostle of her breasts as she jumped up and down. He salivated and fought not to drool.
He applauded and whistled with the rest of the box. The Sirens Receivers, along with four other teams, were eliminated, and Emily joined Fionna for the next heat.
The courses were reset and the top five took their places. The five other winning teams were added in.
“Come on, Em!” Rainer chanted, giving a loud wolf-whistle from behind Dan, which Garrett joined in on.
There was a series of decent-sized drums of water that would have to be tipped and poured over dams. Then they were to pull the electricity out of the dam and fill three fuel cells. After that, they were to harness the gravitational energy and use it to pull ten helium-filled balloons to the ground.
“Damn,” Garrett quipped. Everyone seated around them nodded adamantly. Fionna had finished the last relay two and a half minutes before the second-place Receiver from the Powerhouses of Portland. She beamed as two-hundred-and-fifty points were added to her personal score, and fifty points were added to the Angels’ overall score. She’d just set them firmly in third place. She was on fire.
“Not sure what you’re doing, but she hasn’t played this well all season,” Garrett goaded in a tone barely audible even to Dan.
“She’s incredible. Has nothing to do with me.”
The buzzer sounded, and Fionna tipped the water, aimed it perfectly, and then moved it to the dams. Dan clenched his jaw as he watched her meter dip. His mouth fell open as Fionna tittered excitedly.
She’d been able to not only pull the electricity and begin to fill the cells, but she was already harnessing the gravitational pull of the water.
The Angels’ box was on their feet, chanting her name and screaming their approval. The fuel cells were full. She harnessed the balloons.
Dan’s heart sank as one popped, but she didn’t let it slow her down. In under three minutes’ time, she’d completed the course and was visibly thrilled. She received a 30-second penalty for popping the balloon, but was still in first place.
Emily was trying hard to finish the balloons, but looked like she’d much rather be celebrating with Fionna. When Emily managed to lower the ninth balloon, Rainer, along with every Angels fan in the area, was roaring with delight. She lowered the tenth and moved into second place.
Emily and Fionna tackled one another, hugging and jumping up and down. The Angels were in second place; only twenty points behind the New York Neutrons.
Boos and gasps sounded from the crowd, and Dan’s jaw clenched as the Sirens’ Receivers made extremely rude hand gestures at Fionna and Emily.
To his delight, they were both disqualified for unsportsmanlike conduct a moment later.
The entire arena, constructed inside the vast multipurpose room of The Venetian, applauded as they were led from the field.
The last heat lined up. They would compete, and then the top five would compete for first, second, and third. Pride and love swelled in Dan’s heart. He ached to be able to hold her, kiss her, and wish her good luck. He wanted to celebrate with her, but he could do nothing more than cheer her on.
Fionna blew a kiss and waved to the roaring Angel fans, not to anyone in particular, but Garrett slapped Dan’s back. He smirked but said nothing.
The Receivers, who’d already competed, had their meters refilled, and they returned to the starting line.
The course consisted of piezoelectric discs, which Fionna disliked working with. She grimaced, but determination was set in her eyes. The four discs would have to be altered until they produced voltage. The electricity was to be converted to steam heat and forced through a steam-powered whistle, to make it vibrate and produce sound.
The buzzer rang, and they were off. Dan saw Fionna study the discs. A broad grin spread across his face as she started with the smallest disc. She only needed enough voltage to make the steam. All four discs didn’t have to be altered, and the smaller the disc, the easier it would be to contort.
“That’s my girl!” Garrett cheered, and Dan fought back the fervent desire to correct him. His molars ached as he locked his jaw, while he continued to applaud her. She started pulling the voltage from the first disc, and then moved to the next smallest.
The Receiver from the Neutrons had contorted the largest disc, but was having a difficult time pulling the voltage and moved on to the next.
Emily was attempting to contort two at a time, but shook her head in defeat and started over with the smallest.
Fionna had two altered and decided to gamble on the amount of voltage she’d gotten them to produce. Dan watched her intently as she continued to harness the electricity. She’d done it! Almost a minute later, her whistle sounded loudly. Her entire body lit up from her excitement. Dan whistled loudly, gaining him a warning chuckle from Garrett.
The Neutrons’ Receiver finished next, and then a Receiver from the Links. Emily fell into fourth place. A full minute and a half behind Emily was a massive male Receiver from the Powerhouses.
The ladies cheered wildly as they were told to sit on the side of the field, while the final relay was arranged. They were supplied protein bars, water, and energy refills.
“Come on,” Garrett slapped Dan’s chest.
“What?” Dan certainly wasn’t going anywhere. The love of his life was about to be named first-place Receiver in the entire Realm, and Dan had every intention of watching her do it.
“Come on. We’re getting you a better seat.”
There was a twenty-minute intermission before Fionna would attempt the challenge for first place. Huffing, Dan stood and stomped after Garrett. He assumed that he could fend off Garrett and make it back to his seat in plenty of time.
“Garrett, what the hell? Where are we going?” Dan glanced around the empty corridor he’d been dragged to. “I want to see them do this.” He gave nothing away.
“Have I ever steered you wro
ng?”
Dan laughed outright. “How long do you have? We could start with your inability to make mixed drinks,” Dan chided as he followed Garrett down the steps, heading to the field.
Garrett cracked up. “Oh, my God, that was horrible!” They continued to laugh as he guided Dan toward the doors that led to the field. He pulled his phone from his pocket, switched off the ringer, and held it to his ear.
They halted at the doors to the field, where numerous security guards were stationed.
“Yeah, Dad; I’m on my way. I’m checking it now. I’ll call you back,” Garrett assured the phone, as there was no one on the line.
Drawing an irritated breath, he marched up to the head of Summation security. “Got a call that there was a breach in the Angels’ locker room? Some moron called my dad. Now, what the hell’s going on down here? He’s pissed,” Garrett held up his phone, indicating his father.
Catching on immediately, Dan tried not to smirk.
“What? There wasn’t a breach. Who called the Crown Governor?” the men began quizzing one another.
“I think we’d better have a look, gentlemen. Crown Governor Haydenshire is extremely protective of his baby girl,” Dan’s orders were rarely ignored.
“Oh, yes, sir, Officer Vindico; of course,” the head of security agreed quickly and opened the field doors for Dan and Garrett.
Fionna noticed them stalking towards the locker rooms on the end of the field, but Dan was careful not to glance her way.
They moved into the long hallway that contained dozens of doors. After locating the one labeled ‘Arlington Angels,’ they ducked inside.
“Now you can see her do this, and when she comes flying through that door, you can congratulate her the way you should,” Garrett explained.
“Thanks,” Dan immediately offered. “Really, for everything.” A lifetime of memories washed through his mind. He thought of how much he owed Garrett Haydenshire, not just on Fionna’s account.
