Sleeper Cells

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Sleeper Cells Page 28

by Sandra Y. Desjardins


  “Screw you,” she spat in his face.

  “Oh, come now, Katarina.” Eric said as he wiped his face with a handkerchief that he pulled from pocket. “That’s no way for a princess to go around talking, now is it?”

  He tucked the handkerchief back into his pocket and studied her for a second, then he punched her. The impact caused her head bang off the side of the table. The lights flickered, and then went out as the machinery crackled and sparks flew from them. A huge power surge filled the room. Machinery caught on fire and the lights blew out. Jason slammed against the glass after somehow breaking through the metal bindings that held him in place.

  “I said.” Jason shouted as the lights continued to flicker, “To keep your damn hands off of my wife!”

  “Bravo,” Eric clapped after making a hand gesture that returned everything to its normal state. “Wow, look at all that power!” He walked to the glass that separated their two rooms and stared at Jason. “I have to say, it does my heart good to know that you are that strong so early, and without any training. Bravo.”

  “Let her go!”

  “No, I’m afraid not,” he looked at his nails then strolled back to the table and turned it so she could see Jason clearly. “And since you’re being so uncooperative, we’ll dissect her first. That should give me enough time to figure out a way to contain you—”

  “No!” Jason pounded on the glass. “Don’t touch her. I’ll cooperate; let her go, and you can do whatever you want.”

  “Oh,” he wiped a fake tear. “That’s just so romantic. Isn’t that just so romantic, Michelle?” He asked while pretending to sniffle.

  “Yes, sir,” Michelle looked up from the machinery she was frantically trying to repair.

  “How did you find us?” Kat looked around the room hoping to find some way out.

  “Ah, so she speaks at last.” He stepped closer to her, “And with a legitimate question, too; you were always so clever, Katarina. Such a shame you’re defective. You made one hell of a sniper, and boy, did you know how to work those humans.” He tapped his chin with his finger. “Of course, that makes a bit more sense now that we know you’ve been lying to us all this time.”

  “What does it matter if we feel?” She struggled against the cuffs. “We aren’t hurting anyone by loving each other!”

  “But you are,” he said in the same bored tone. “Because we don’t feel the way humans feel. We’ve spent the past two hundred years genetically engineering our bodies to ensure that all emotion was removed from our species. We work in unison, Katarina, because history has shown us that a cohesive team is conducive to the greater good—”

  “And we can still do that,” Jason shouted. “We can still be part of a team and feel.”

  “No, you can’t.” Eric said while straightening his tie. “And this is a perfect illustration of why.” He turned and looked from her to him. “Once upon a time, we weren’t very different from these humans. I mean, we didn’t slaughter each other the way they do, and we had enough sense, even then, to know that our planet could only sustain so many people, so we controlled the population. Speaking of which, John, if you could bring me a copy of that report,” he held out his hand.

  “Yes, sir,” John left the still smoldering machine, reached for a clipboard and walked it to the door. “Here you go, sir.”

  “Thank you,” Eric opened the glass door and grabbed the clipboard and read through it. “You see, emotions aren’t good because they cause people to act in all sorts of ways that aren’t conducive to the greater good.” He took a seat and crossed his leg as he read, then looked at her. “Take greed, for example. It’s quite amazing and disturbing to see what lengths humans will go through to obtain money and power. You see, we’ve censored everything that you’re ever watched with reason. Humans commit the most horrific crimes. They really are vile creatures that don’t deserve this beautiful planet.”

  Their attention went to a loud explosion as one of the machines erupted in flames. John and Michelle scrambled for fire extinguishers. He watched as they contained the fire, then looked at his watch.

  “How did you find us?” Kat asked again when she watched Jason’s eyes drift to the open ceiling. The glass walls were only about ten feet high.

  “Oh, yes, you did ask that didn’t you?” He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and hit several keys. “Someone took a picture of you on the train. Pull that up for me, Michelle.” He pushed several buttons on the phone, and then looked up just as Michelle pulled up a picture of them sitting on the train together. “You have to love humans and their obsession with celebrities, what did that caption read?”

  “That she was sitting on the train with Jay-Kat and was trying to work up the courage to ask for an autograph.”

  “Oh!” He cooed, “How adorable. So thanks to her, we found you. Making you two so recognizable served a second purpose that we hadn’t thought of,” he walked toward Kat.

  “Father, let us go. We won’t cause any harm to anyone, we’ll just go about our lives—”

  “Actually, I’m hoping we can. John here is going to try to override some of your individuality since we’ve invested so much time and effort on you.”

  “And Kat? You’ll do the same to her?” He looked at her, and then quickly looked at the vent directly above her. “You’ll try to restore her too?”

  “Oh, still trying to be the knight in shining armor for your lady love?” He chuckled, “Even if that means getting her back without all the quirks that make her useless to us and somehow appealing to you?”

  “Yes,” Jason nodded subtly.

  “Um, let me think about it,” he put his finger to his chin and tapped his foot pretentiously. “Maybe, that is, of course, if she can survive John poking and prodding to see what makes her a double anomaly.”

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Jason’s face contorted just enough for Kat to know that she wasn’t imagining the burning sensation on the cuffs.

  She focused. Channeling their powers was never easy, and seemed downright impossible at the moment, but she steadied her breathing and focused on the cuffs.

  “This is all a work in progress for us, Jason,” his father took a few steps toward the glass. “So we’ve had to tweak things along the way, adapt to situations that we hadn’t planned for—”

  “Meaning?”

  “That this report is of great concern to us—”

  “What report?”

  “Son, it’s rude to interrupt,” Eric stared at him for a moment. “As I was saying, it’s of great concern to us that you two managed to somehow conceive a child since—”

  “What?” The oddest sensation overcame her.

  “Yes, I know, it’s got us thrown for a loop too.”

  “I’m pregnant?” She looked at Jason.

  “Were, past tense. The regenerator didn’t understand the mass of cells that was attached to your uterus, so it disposed of it as if it were a cancerous growth, and repaired you so that you’re all better.”

  “No,” she pulled her hands free of the weakened cuffs, and then pressed them against her stomach.

  “Yes,” he nodded. “I’ll have to thank Jeremy for shooting you. That could have definitely gotten interesting if you had managed to carry that offspring to full term.” He stepped closer to her and studied the broken cuffs, “Interesting. John, explain how they both got out of these, please.”

  “I can’t, sir,” John looked at Eric. “They shouldn’t have been able to, but we’ve got everything online now if you would like to begin.”

  “No!” Jason yelled. “Father, don’t hurt her—”

  “I’ve no plan on hurting her. We simply want to study her and learn her secrets. John, please bring in another table.” He dropped the clipboard on top of one of the machines and stood in front of her. “Why do you seem sad? It should be uplifting to know you no longer have to worry about having a genetically inferior offspring—”

  Eric gasped, then screamed when
the burst of energy Kat emitted lifted him off of his feet and slammed him through the glass. He slid across the floor and slammed into a piece of machinery on the opposite end of the lab. Kat ripped the waistband off, and with Jason’s help, pulled her feet free.

  “Well, well, well, “Eric stood. “Look who has powers.” He sounded more amazed than matter-of-fact.

  “Kat, go!” Jason blasted his father so that Eric slammed into the machine and hung suspended against it.

  Kat jumped through the broken glass and ran to Jason’s room and unlocked it. A crushing weight seized her body and caused her to contort and scream out in pain. When the pressure faded, she collapsed onto the floor. Jason came to her, his body crackling with energy as he fought against his father.

  Still disoriented, she struggled onto her hands and knees. Her heart slammed against her chest when she saw Michelle running for a gun. Kat willed the wind to whip up around Michelle, the pressure pushing her so that the gun was just outside of her reach. Kat ran to it and turned it on her. Not wanting to kill her, but knowing what a formidable opponent she was, Kat begged Michelle to leave, and hated having to kill her when she advanced. The last thing she wanted to do was kill more people, especially a member of her team.

  But she didn’t have time to grieve because John was on her then. He put her in a headlock and nearly crushed her windpipe. Then he screamed out and Kat fell onto the floor gasping for air. It took her a second to realize that she had also caught on fire when Jason blasted John.

  She rolled on the floor frantically and came up just in time to see Eric overpowering Jason. Shaken and still smoldering, she fired her weapon to put John out of his misery, his tortured screams thankfully cut short. Then she fired a shot at Eric. Even in a panicked state, she couldn’t bring herself to kill Eric outright, but she needed to give Jason an opportunity to get out from his grasp.

  Eric stumbled backward, and Jason caught him. He started to lay him on the ground, but fell with him the rest of the way. Jason’s back arched, and his body began to convulse. Kat closed the small distance between them and fired two head shots. There wasn’t a moment’s hesitation to kill the senator that time, not if it meant saving Jason.

  “Come on, babe,” she pulled Jason onto his feet. “Jason,” she dropped the gun and used both hands to steady him. His eyes rolled back, and he started to fall. She struggled with his weight, and she had to lean him against a machine so she wouldn’t collapse with him. She shook him several times, and he finally started coming to.

  “Come on,” he stumbled forward. He was barely coherent but he knew the urgency. “Get the gun,” he coughed and fell forward. She caught him and helped him so that he was leaning against another machine.

  “Take a second, babe,” she pleaded when he moved to get up. Then, glad that he hadn’t because bullets sprayed the equipment just over their heads, Kat screamed, “Get down!” She pushed him onto the floor.

  “Go,” he fell to the floor but was on his hands and knees in an instant. He backtracked, grabbed the gun, and shoved her toward the door.

  “Gimme that,” she snatched the gun from his hand and shoved him behind a huge piece of equipment, then fired and hit the one gunman before she took cover.

  “You’ve got two at your six,” Jason wheezed. “When I blow that machine, it should take one of them out. I’ll make sure you’re clear to take out the other one, okay?”

  “Yeah,” she nodded.

  She watched as he strained, sweat dripping off of him as his body shook. She gripped his hand, and the electrical surge caused her to drop the gun. When the electrical circuit ran through her, she grabbed his other hand. Her energy flowed and gave him the boost he needed. When their heartbeats combined, and their energy flowed between them, the machine exploded. Panting and exhausted, Kat fumbled for the weapon and slid out from behind the machine and fired two shots. Her aim was, miraculously, still on point.

  “Come on,” he pulled her onto her feet. “Where is the teleporter?”

  “This way,” she ran through one of the doors and headed down a long corridor. She saw a person step from one of the rooms too late, her momentum making it easy for him to swing the metal pipe that connected with her chest. Her body caught air and landed on the floor in a heap.

  She sat up slowly, her breathing labored. Jason was fighting with her attacker. The Hybrid had apparently lost his weapon after nearly knocking her unconscious with it. She crawled to the pipe and could barely lift it. But Jason’s exhaustion was definitely giving the guy a major advantage, so she borrowed strength from an unknown source and struggled to her feet.

  “Jason,” Andrew ran toward them with his gun at the ready.

  “No!” Kat turned with the pipe in hand intent on throwing it at Andrew. She wanted to, at the very least, throw off his aim so he wouldn’t shoot Jason. He fired a shot before she could throw it. She dropped the pipe and ran toward Jason, both his body and that of her attacker falling to the ground. Kat slid onto the floor beside Jason, and stared down at him.

  Amazed, she pulled Jason into an embrace as she looked down at the dead Hybrid, a bullet lodged in the center on his forehead. Andrew grabbed her arm and pulled her up, then helped Jason up. He pushed her against Jason, her unsteady feet still needing assistance. He walked past them and, after looking around the corner, signaled for them to follow behind. He pulled another gun from his shoulder harness and handed it to Jason, then scooped up the gun she had dropped and gave it to her.

  Andrew pressed his finger to his lip and peered around the corner. He pulled out a clip of ammunition and handed it to her then nodded for them to follow. They ran at the ready to the end of the hallway, checked to see if it was clear, then made it to the teleporter room. He closed the door and dead bolted it.

  “Good luck,” Andrew looked at Jason. Then he looked at Kat and touched her cheek. “Try to stay safe,” he pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. He took a step back then lifted her hand that held the gun. “Now shoot me.”

  “What?”

  “I can’t make it look like I walked you over here, Kat. Do it; just make it a not-so-vital organ.” He chuckled sadly.

  “Thank you,” Jason pulled her back toward him. “I’ll do something else, less painful,” he nodded.

  “You’re a lucky guy,” Andrew nodded. “Take care of her.”

  “I will,” Jason assured him.

  Kat looked at Jason, then ran over to Andrew and hugged him again. She leaned back and smiled up at him. He smiled and pushed the hair behind her ear, then kissed her forehead. She kissed him on the cheek before taking the gun he offered. She backed away and stood beside Jason.

  “You ready?” Jason asked him.

  “Yeah, hit me with your best shot.” Andrew braced himself. Kat slipped her hand into Jason’s and nodded when he lifted his hand toward Andrew. A burst of energy filled her chest and traveled down her arm and into his, and the wind whipped around them just before an energy ball shot from Jason’s hand and struck Andrew square in the chest. His body slammed against the wall, and then fell to the floor. His body convulsed as the electricity crackled over him, and then fell eerily still.

  Kat ran over to Andrew and checked his pulse. He was alive. So appreciative for his help, Kat straightened his head and silently thanked him. Looking up when Jason ordered her to stand center of the beams, she backed away from Andrew. Jason was punching keys at a frenzied pace. He ran from one machine to another while she stood at the ready in case anyone came through the door.

  He entered coordinates into his watch and Kat felt the familiar vibrations of being teleported. She looked around and shivered. They were outside, in the middle of a field. There was no one or thing in sight. It was pitch black and the temperature difference was significant enough that she wished she had a jacket. She looked up at the stars then followed Jason as he moved forward. There was a soft glow of lights in the distance. They walked toward it because that was their destination.

  “Come
on,” he pulled her farther into a tree line. “I couldn’t set the self-destruct because it would have killed Andrew, so I could only do enough to hopefully buy us time to get into the plant and set up the reactor so we can teleport from there.”

  “Okay,” she pulled him to a stop and wrapped her arms around him and kissed him for just a second, for some reason needing that more than anything at the moment.

  “It’s okay,” he hugged her and ran his hand over her hair several times. “We just have to make it a little more and we’ll be home free,” he kissed her and nodded. “Okay?”

  “Yeah, okay,” she whispered against his neck.

  “Hey,” he said after a minute. “Let me hear it,” he smoothed the hair away from her face.

  “Hear what?” She sniffled.

  “That I’m always right and you’ll never doubt me again.” He laughed when her eyes widened. “Uh-huh, come on, I told you from the first time I met that guy that he had a thing for you and you were like oh, no, Jason, it’s just all professional,” he mimicked which earned him a sucker punch to the gut.

  “I don’t sound like that,” she smiled up at him.

  “Let me hear it, buttercup,” he shifted so his ear was by her mouth.

  “You’re always right and I’ll never doubt you again,” she smiled.

  “Uh-huh…and you love me more than anything, and you’ll spend the rest of your life satisfying my every need.” He laughed.

  “I will,” she nodded and closed her eyes when he kissed her.

  “Come on,” he cradled her face gently with his hands. “Let’s go blow up a nuclear power plant.”

  “Nothing like going out with a bang,” she let him guide her through the trees.

  “That really was cliché.” He laughed.

  “But totally appropriate,” she ducked through the brush.

  “Yeah,” he stopped and looked out in the distance. The Bilibino Nuclear Power Plant was glowing like a beacon. “You ready?”

 

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