Shine: Season One (Shine Season Book 1)

by William Bernhardt

“Mmph. Heavier than Mnemo said they’d be.”

  “Can you do it?”

  Another grunt. “I’m the mule, aren’t I?” She shed the raincoat, tightened her grip, and pulled. Her muscles flexed, almost doubling in size. She gritted her teeth. Sweat dripped from the side of her face.

  The elevator car rose.

  “Girls, climb aboard.” They did. “All ready, Aura.”

  “All ready. Tank—take us up.”

  ***

  “Reverend Trent, we’ve detected an unauthorized use of the service elevator.”

  Trent shot out of his chair like a rocket. “How can that be?”

  “Not sure. Power’s been shut off. But the car is moving.”

  “Send someone to the machine room.”

  “Already on their way.”

  “What’s our man on forty-nine seeing?”

  “Don’t know. Haven’t been able to reach him. Communication lines seem to be down throughout the tower. Lot of interference. Don’t know what’s happening.”

  “I suspect I do. Call for backup. Extreme backup. Call security, then the police, then Estes.”

  “Should I be concerned?”

  “No. You should see this as an opportunity.”

  “Do you mean—”

  “That’s exactly what I mean. The Shines have come to us.”

  76

  This was not the first time Aura had ridden in an elevator. But it was the first time she’d ridden in an elevator with the doors open. And it was definitely the first time she’d ridden in an elevator while someone above them manually hauled it up the shaft.

  Twinge whistled. “She is a seriously strong girl, isn’t she?”

  “And getting stronger every day. I don’t think we’ve begun to realize what she’s capable of doing. I don’t think she has, either.”

  She could hear the grunting above them. But the elevator continued to rise at a slow and steady pace.

  “Dream? You’re almost on.”

  “Roger that.”

  “Keep your glasses link active. I want to know what’s happening.”

  “Gotcha.”

  Once they were roughly parallel to the doors to the sixtieth floor, Dream pushed an emergency button inside the elevator that opened the outer doors, and stepped out. “So far, so good, Aura.”

  “Good luck,” she replied, crawling out behind Dream.

  “Won’t need it. No one can resist my charms.”

  “No doubt.”

  She watched through her glasses link as Dream left the service elevator access area, entered the main elevator lobby, then passed through mahogany double doors. Dream hung a left, then approached the reception desk.

  She remained several steps behind Dream and well out of sight, monitoring through the glasses hookup.

  ***

  The receptionist appeared to be somewhere in her late sixties or early seventies. Her knitting, however, proceeded at such a rapid pace that her reflexes could not be much diminished. Presumably she’d had time to perfect her skill. How busy could she be, acting as receptionist on a floor that could only be accessed by a private elevator used by a handful of persons with a restricted card key?

  “Hello,” Dream said, beaming, holding her hand outstretched to greet the elderly woman. “I’m Jolene. I’m here to help you.”

  The woman seemed surprised. But she didn’t stop knitting. “I’m Eleanor, dear. Help me with what?”

  “Anything. Food. Drink. Latte run.” She glanced down. “Sharpen your knitting needles?”

  The woman nodded. “I’m fine. How did you get up here?”

  “Elevator. Is there another way? I have a card key.” She flashed an old hotel room key that would never start the elevator. But she didn’t give Eleanor a chance to scrutinize it. “I’m part of the new Caretaker program.”

  “The…what?”

  “Didn’t Reverend Trent tell you? It’s something he came up with. To help employees of a certain age. So you feel loved and cared for.”

  Eleanor lowered her needles. “I’ve heard nothing of this.”

  “Isn’t that just like him? He’s so busy with the Shine campaign, keeping us all safe. But he hasn’t forgotten people like you. The little people, the ones who keep this organization ticking. He wants you to know someone cares.”

  Dream had read the woman’s subconscious fears and fantasies. So she knew Eleanor hated living alone, without a spouse, relatives, or offspring. She was undoubtedly worried about having someone to take care of her when she grew too old to take care of herself. So Dream played on that, using key words that would instinctively make the woman more receptive to her and far less suspicious.

  “I had no idea,” Eleanor said. She allowed herself a small smile. “I know the reverend is a good man. But he does seem somewhat wrapped up in his own business sometimes. We have a pension plan but…” She laughed a little. “Sometimes a woman would be happier just knowing when she could take her next bathroom break.”

  Dream laughed. “Isn’t that the truth?”

  “But it’s important that this door be guarded at all times. The reverend does have his enemies.”

  “And he expects you to fight them off?”

  Eleanor gave her a sideways glance. “I have a red button,” she said, as if revealing the secret ingredient in the family home remedy. “I can have security here in less than a minute.”

  “That’s good to know. Now what about you? How can I help? I can watch the desk if you need five. Or I can bring you something sweet.” She gestured broad and expansively. “Or I can help with the knitting, though I doubt it will improve—oops!”

  Dream knocked the needles out of Eleanor’s hands.

  ***

  That was her cue. The instant Dream swatted the needles and Eleanor’s head dropped to retrieve them, Aura crawled by on all fours, steady but quiet.

  “I am so clumsy!” Dream said, as loudly as possible, muffling all other sounds.

  “Oh, it’s not like I haven’t done it myself before.” Eleanor started to rise. Too soon.

  “Yes, but to just—oh!” Dream lurched forward, knocking Eleanor back down again.

  Aura crawled past the desk toward Trent’s office.

  “I am so embarrassed,” Dream said. “I came up here to help you, and all I do is clobber you.”

  “It’s no matter.” Some of the bounce had left Eleanor’s voice. “It’s good for my arthritis to stretch a little.”

  “Now you must let me bring you a latte. I insist.”

  “Well…then make it decaf. Caffeine keeps me up at night.”

  “Decaf it is.” Dream gave her a tiny salute.

  ***

  Trent arrived at the lobby station. Hopper and six other security officers awaited him.

  “What’s the latest?”

  “Service elevator went down first. Now none of them work. No response from the security office. Surveillance equipment is disabled. We sent in another man, then lost contact with him as soon as he arrived at the office.”

  “This is unacceptable,” Trent said. “We’re not going to let those freaks get the jump on us. Get to that security room. All of you. Find out what’s happening. I’ll go to my office.”

  “But as I said, the elevators—”

  “I have another way up. Once you’ve secured the surveillance room, send everyone available to my office.”

  “We’ll need the elevator—”

  “Then get the damned thing working!”

  Hopper tucked in his chin. “Yes, sir. We will, sir.”

  “Good. Did you get Dr. Estes?”

  “Not yet, I—”

  “Call him at once. Tell him it’s time to take his toys out for more expansive testing. He claims that from this altitude, his satellite cage should blanket half the city. Let’s find out.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Who knows? He might want to take his other little experiment out for a trial run, too. He’ll never have a better opportunity.”
/>
  “Fine.”

  “Get it done.” Trent turned back the way he came. “You can contact me in the Resurrection.”

  77

  Aura rifled through Trent’s desk drawers and the credenza, but didn’t see anything of interest. Possibly he kept the secret stuff under a deceptive label, but given how difficult it was to get into this office, why bother?

  She would much rather lay her hands on him. But since he wasn’t here, she’d have to make do with the documents.

  Tank was running the elevator so Dream could escape, and Twinge and Mnemo were staying at their stations as long as possible. She was on her own.

  She turned to the desktop computer. Maybe Trent thought he could keep secrets there.

  She took the thumb drive out of her pocket and jammed it into the side port. A second later, it began downloading the invasive password-and-encryption-crushing virus Mnemo designed.

  Trent’s desktop wallpaper was da Vinci’s Last Supper.

  She opened a word-processing program, then keyed up Recent Files. A flurry of documents popped up, one after another. She trained her eyes and focused on the titles before they disappeared. She knew she’d never have time to read them here. She’d have to do the best she could and download as many as possible with what little time she had.

  “Aura?”

  Twinge was in her ear. Damn. She needed her full concentration to focus. But there was an urgency in Twinge’s voice that suggested she needed to reply immediately.

  “They sent another guard to check on the first.”

  “I assume you dealt with him.”

  “He’s in lullabyland. But more are coming. I can see it on the monitor.”

  “How many?”

  “Like ten or something.”

  “You can’t deal with that many at once. Get out of there. Get somewhere safe.”

  “Okay. But you know what that means.”

  She sure did. “Disable the monitor on Trent’s penthouse.”

  “Already done. Bye now.”

  They wouldn’t be able to watch or record her. But as soon as they realized which monitor was out, they’d send a battalion up. If they hadn’t figured out where she was already. She had to move even faster.

  She tumbled across a series of files relating to Shines, but none of them appeared noteworthy. One dealt with the legislation to ID shines at birth. Another dealt with some kind of internal DA investigation. Interesting, but not what she wanted.

  “Aura?”

  Again? This time it was Mnemo.

  “Aura, I gotta go. I can hear—”

  “Men coming your way. I know. Make yourself scarce. Collect Harriet and make your way to Gearhead and the car.”

  “Okay, I will.”

  So the elevators would be operational soon. And she would definitely not be alone.

  She had minutes at best. Blast. How many files could one man—

  Wait.

  She hit the Space bar, stopping the process. Then she scrolled backward.

  PERFUME.

  That was the name of the file. And she doubted Trent went in for flowery scents.

  Another file below that one looked even more promising.

  PROJECT INTENSIFY

  She scanned the first few sentences, then touched her glasses stem. “Harriet?”

  “Waiting.”

  “I’m downloading files to my flash drive. But—“

  “I’ll intercept. In case you don’t get out of there. I’m still inside the firewall.”

  Good. Even though Trent’s forces were on the move, they hadn’t figured out that the little girl in the lobby was the most dangerous threat they faced.

  She waited for the files to finish downloading, barely able to stand still. Fifty percent complete. Sixty. Seventy.

  The wind kicked up outside.

  Eighty percent. Eighty-five….

  A thunderous whirring sound almost knocked her to the floor. She spun around.

  The great glass window behind the desk retracted into the wall.

  Her eyes bulged. Nothing stood between her and the open air.

  She heard a metallic clanging, like an engine. Then she felt the ground beneath her feet move. She backed away from the window.

  A reinforced steel plate emerged from the side of the building. Like a plank. The wind outside turned ferocious.

  What the hell was going on? What could the office possibly—?

  Then she saw the giant choppercar descending, the word RESURRECTION painted on its side.

  Trent was on his way.

  ***

  The Chief read the incoming report on his tablet. “Estes? Are you getting this?”

  The wizened scientist turned one way, then another, pivoting before the Chief’s holographic image. “Way ahead of you. Trent contacted me.”

  “I think it’s time to send in Epimetheus.”

  “Trent has the cage in position. All he has to do is turn it on.”

  “We need more.”

  “The police are on their way.”

  “Oh goodie, because they’ve been so helpful stopping Shines thus far.”

  “If they need help, they’ll call for backup.”

  “Or we can volunteer backup, simultaneously demonstrating the value of your research. By deploying it in combat.”

  “I don’t think we’re ready for a field test of this intensity.”

  “Do you recall me asking if you thought you were ready?”

  Estes drew in his breath. “You pay me to—”

  “I pay you to follow orders. So get Epimetheus into the field. Now.”

  78

  Aura threw back her shoulders and kept her expression firm and resolute. She knew how to appear strong. She just wished she felt it inside.

  A tiny voice somewhere inside told her to run. Round up the other Shines. But she didn’t listen. She was the leader. Cowardice was not an option.

  The choppercar docked. A white-haired man stepped out.

  “What a pleasant surprise. My prize filly has found her way home.” Trent entered the office. The window and wall closed behind him. “I had a suspicion that deep down, you wanted it just as much as I do.”

  “You’re sick, Trent. And soon everyone will know it. I’ve got pictures of your little dungeon.”

  “Obviously faked.”

  “I know a police lieutenant who will disagree. I’m going to take you to see him.”

  “Thank you for the invitation, but I will have to decline.”

  “I don’t care if you want to go or not.”

  “I understand. Empathy is challenging for your people. You believe you are a superior species.” He gestured toward a chair. “Would you care to sit?”

  “I prefer to stand.” Keep talking tough, she told herself. Maybe he won’t realize how vulnerable you are.

  “Can I offer you something to drink?”

  “Like what? Neurotoxin? No thanks.”

  He took a few more steps forward. “You know what’s wrong with the world today, Aura?”

  “People like you?”

  “People who lack a cause to give their lives meaning. People need causes, don’t you think? Something to help them believe there’s a higher purpose. And yet so few are able to find it.”

  “And I guess your cause is hating.”

  He moved back toward his desk and she instinctively circled the other direction. “I’m a Christian, Aura. I don’t hate anyone.”

  “You’ve dedicated your life to turning people against Shines. Pushing for laws that restrict us.”

  “Or protect you, depending upon your point of view. I’m sorry, but how many incidents like your little Seattle escapade do you think the American people will tolerate before they rise up in arms? I’m trying to prevent a revolution. One that would not benefit you. Or anyone else.”

  “You’re exaggerating.”

  “Am I? I’ve seen what happens when a nation is torn apart by its differences. Rioting in the streets. Cities burn
ing. I don’t want that to happen again.”

  “So your solution is to lock up all the Shines.”

  “For the present, yes. But let’s face it—you are not in control of your abilities. If you can bring down the Space Needle, what couldn’t you do? Harriet could disrupt the global communications system, the stock market, even weapons systems. Twinge could bring down President Patterson with a cross look. Tank could kill without working up a sweat. You all need to be in a safe place for the time being.”

  “Our incarceration didn’t have an expiration date.”

  “This Shine epidemic is new. We don’t know how long it will take before you can control your abilities—or we can eliminate them.”

  She felt her face flush. She hated arguing with this man. “You want Shines eliminated so you can replace them with a debased super-species of your own creation.”

  “Believe me, if I could eliminate Shine ability altogether, I would. But that ship has sailed. We can use amniocentesis to detect Shines in the womb. Or chorionic villus sampling—testing placental tissue. But then what? People get so riled up about terminating fetuses. People let emotions interfere with common sense.” He paused. “If we prevent the pregnancy before conception, though—who could complain?”

  “You’re talking about genocide.”

  “Genocide is killing off people who exist. This is ensuring that undesirables never exist. Very different. And very much better. Of course…” His eyes darted to one side. “All this assumes that Shine ability is a genetic mutation. Do you believe it is?”

  “I…don’t know.”

  “And how ironic is that.” He smiled. “I hope you can see, Aura—I only want what’s best. For everyone. What more can you ask?”

  “I can ask for my freedom. Something that’s supposed to be the right of all Americans.”

  His face softened. “I understand. But I don’t think it’s in your best interest. There have been many instances in which Americans found it necessary to abrogate civil rights, going all the way back to Abraham Lincoln suspending habeas corpus during the Civil War. And the Patriot Acts.”

  “There’s no war now.”

  “Except, in reality, there is. And you’re on the wrong side. The losing side.”

  She decided to change the subject. “Why did you contact Perfume?”