Redux (The Variant Series, #3)

by Jena Leigh

  But it had been worth the risk. She needed to know what abilities he had absorbed… and there was one in particular that she’d wanted to get her hands on.

  Alex took a deep, steadying breath.

  “Her eyes.” Aiden was staring at her, awestruck. “I’ve never seen a Variant’s eyes do that before.”

  Alex realized her eyes must have been changing color as she inventoried her borrowed abilities.

  “Did you…” Nate trailed off. “Shit, Alex. You grabbed the guy! What the hell were you thinking? I thought you said you couldn’t control more than a handful of abilities at once! How many did you just absorb?”

  Alex didn’t answer.

  She was looking at Declan. His eyes were closed. At some point in the last few minutes he’d lost consciousness. Even in sleep, his face contorted in obvious pain.

  The sound of a dull vibration broke the silence. Aiden tugged his cell from a pocket, muttering an oath when he realized the earlier struggle shattered the screen. Then he grunted in surprise when he read the caller ID.

  Alex turned back to Declan. Reaching out, she brushed the hair from his forehead and out of his eyes.

  Her fingers ached to touch his bare skin, but she resisted the urge. There was no way to know how the serum was changing him.

  If he were to accidentally absorb her own borrowed abilities, there was no telling what might happen—and there was no telling how much absorbing those powers might damage Declan himself.

  “Hello?” Aiden said. A pause. “Yeah, kid. Just a sec.”

  Nate reached out to check Declan’s pulse and Alex grabbed his wrist, stopping him inches from Declan’s throat.

  “Don’t,” she said. “He could be like me, now. If you touch him…”

  As if to reinforce her suggestion that touching Declan would be a bad idea, another violet arc cycled through his body, threatening to shock anyone who got too close.

  Well, anyone except another jumper, that is.

  Nate dropped his hand as Alex went about siphoning off some of the energy that Declan, unconscious and clearly struggling, wouldn’t be able to control on his own. It wasn’t an easy undertaking—he’d taken in an insane amount of energy preparing to face off with Masterson.

  Aiden’s cell phone appeared in her field of vision, dangling from between his fingers. She took the phone, already knowing who must be on the other end.

  “What do we do, Bri?” she asked. “Please, tell me you know what we can do to help him.”

  “I’m sorry, Alex,” he said. “I’ve been trying to see what comes next, but I can’t find the answers you need. It’s all disjointed.”

  She closed her eyes. “It’s okay, Brian,” she said, attempting to keep her voice even. “Just tell me what it is you’ve seen.”

  The boy sighed, frustrated. “It doesn’t make sense. I keep seeing the color green,” he said. “And a blast door. You know, the kind that’s designed to withstand a huge explosion. Large and metal and intimidating. And I see a woman. She’s small, but big at the same time. I think it’s supposed to mean she’s important, or that she will be, someday.”

  She was quiet for a long moment, digesting his words and trying to make sense of the clues they might offer.

  “And Alex?”

  “Yeah, Bri?”

  “When I see the woman?” he said. “I feel cold. Really, really cold.”

  Alex’s eyes flew open.

  The Director.

  He was seeing images of the Agency’s Director Carter. And a blast door… the color green…

  That’s it!

  Suddenly, Alex knew what they had to do. It was an absolutely insane idea, but if they could pull it off, it might just help them buy enough time to find a way to save Declan.

  There was no telling how long it would take to decipher Masterson’s cryptic reference to Alex’s blood—and that left them with only one option.

  They needed a way to stop time long enough to find their answers.

  And Alex knew just how to do it.

  “Brian,” she said. “I want you to listen to me very carefully.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “There’s a woman,” she said. “Her name is Dana Carter and she works for the Agency. I need you to find out how we can set up a meeting with her.”

  “Okay,” he said. “Where? And when?”

  Alex pulled the phone away from her ear to check the time.

  5:37 PM.

  With Declan down for the count and her own jumping ability on the fritz, teleportation wasn’t an option. She did some mental math and frowned.

  “The Agency’s decommissioned Green Woods facility in Virginia,” she said. “It’ll have to be sometime late tonight, just before dawn. I’ll need an exact location for the facility, too. We can’t jump right now, so we’ll have to reach it by car, and all I know for certain is that it’s hidden away in the mountains somewhere. Think you can find an address for me?”

  “Are you kidding?” he asked. “I started hacking the Agency’s database using dad’s login before I was even out of kindergarten. I’ll get you the information you need. Don’t worry.”

  Alex arched a surprised brow. Had she known that earlier, they might have gone to Brian for information about the Scientist murders, instead of the man she knew as Edward Li, and none of this would have happened.

  She had a sneaking suspicion, however, that Brian was well aware of that fact.

  Clearly, the kid knew way more about all of this than he’d ever let on.

  “Brian,” she said slowly, “did you let this happen?”

  For a long moment, the boy said nothing. Finally, and with a sadness that made Alex’s heart ache, he said, “I made a choice, Alex. Just like you did. But please—please, believe me when I say that this was the best of all the possible paths we could have taken. The others, they were…” he trailed off, unable to finish. “This isn’t over, Alex. It’s only just beginning. We’re going to help Declan. I’ve seen it. Please. You have to trust me.”

  Alex swallowed the lump in her throat and closed her eyes against the burning tears that threatened to fall. “I trust you, Bri.”

  She could hear him release a breath on the other end of the line. “I’ll get back to you when I have something,” he said. “You should probably get on the road.”

  The call disconnected and Alex handed the cell back to Aiden.

  “We need to get moving before someone shows up and realizes what’s happened,” she said. “We have to take the other me home, before my aunt gets suspicious—and then we need to get on the road. I think I know how we can help Declan, or at the very least, I think we can buy him some time. But we’ll need to go to Virginia to make it happen.”

  That was roughly the moment Alex caught sight of the Charger. Or, to put it more accurately, when she finally caught sight of the Charger’s remains.

  “Oh,” she said softly. “Oh, wow.”

  Nate followed her gaze, taking in the sight of his beloved automobile—its once pristine condition now bordering on mangled—and sighed.

  A cobweb of fissures covered the windshield, the side mirrors were gone, and dings and dents peppered the doors and side paneling. None of that compared to the gaping strips Masterson ripped out of the hood to create his impromptu shackles.

  “Oh, Nate,” she said, cringing. “I’m so sorry. I know how much you loved that car.”

  He shrugged. “It’s a car. It can be restored.”

  “Is it drivable?” Trent asked. He was on his feet, but he appeared utterly exhausted.

  Nate sent a nod in her direction. “A little help, Alex?”

  With one last glance at Declan who was still unconscious, but looking less in pain, Alex got to her feet.

  It took a bit of creative telekinetic maneuvering, but by working together, they eventually moved the car back out through the hole in the wall and deposited it in the parking lot.

  Since the Charger primarily smashed through glass, the front en
d looked horrible, but the tires were still full and the frame appeared to be more or less intact.

  When Nate started the engine, it immediately roared to life.

  The car still looked a total wreck but, to Alex’s relief, it was drivable. For now. At the very least they wouldn’t be forced to steal another car before they left Bay View.

  So they had that going for them, she supposed.

  Nate gingerly used his ability to adjust the metal door panels, smoothing out some of the larger dents to make the damage a little less obvious.

  “This isn’t going to work,” Trent said. “The six of us are never going to fit in that car at one time. Especially when two of us are out cold.”

  Alex sighed. That was an issue she hadn’t considered.

  “So, what?” Aiden asked. “We split it into two trips? Take the other Alex home first, and then come back for Decks?”

  Trent shook his head. “Waste of time,” he said. “I’ve got a better idea. You four take the Charger and start the drive to Virginia. I’ll, uh… borrow one of those cars at the edge of the lot with a little help from Nate, and take the girl home. I should be able to carry her inside pretty easily, and this way we won’t risk a repeat of what happened before with all of us getting stuck inside the house. Decks doesn’t have that time to waste.”

  Nate and Aiden exchanged a worried glance.

  “You sure you have the strength for that after what Masterson just did to you?” asked Nate.

  Trent shrugged. “Feeling stronger by the minute,” he said. “Whatever he did, it was temporary.”

  “Okay,” Aiden said. “But then what will you do after you’ve taken the girl home?”

  “I can find my own way back to Seattle,” Trent said with a sly grin. “Wouldn’t be the first time I used my ability to sneak onto a flight. No worries.”

  “You’re sure?” Aiden said. “We could still try to help, somehow.”

  “No, Trent’s right,” Alex agreed. “It’s a good plan. We need to get to Virginia as quickly as we can for Declan’s sake.”

  Besides, Alex didn’t like the idea of Trent landing on Director Carter’s radar if he could avoid it. It would be safer this way and she trusted him to get the other Alex home safely.

  “There’s just one thing I have to do before you go, Trent,” she said, closing the distance between them and forcing him to meet her eye. “I want you to forget the name Edward Li.”

  Trent’s eyes glazed over as he held her gaze. “You want me… to forget who?”

  “That’s right,” she smiled. This was proving easier than she’d hoped. “And now I want you to forget that Samuel Masterson is still alive. You’re going to forget that he was the one that came after me today. You’ll know it was a powerful man, and you’ll remember everything else, but not his identity. Can you do that for me?”

  He nodded slowly.

  Alex broke eye contact and looked away.

  Nate was gaping at her. “Did you just push Trent?”

  “I… What?” Trent shook his head, as though trying to clear it. “You pushed me?”

  Time to see if it worked. “Trent, who came after me here today?”

  Trent opened his mouth to reply, then snapped it closed. “I can’t remember. I know he was like you, Alex, but I… I can’t see his face. My memory’s all foggy.”

  “Do you remember his name?” she prompted.

  He rubbed the back of his neck, then gingerly shook his head.

  “Man, that’s weird. I’m, uh…” Trent pointed toward the other Alex, still lying unconscious by the pool. After Masterson’s command to sleep, she wouldn’t be waking any time soon. “I’m gonna go get the girl. You guys go get us a car, okay?”

  Alex could practically feel Aiden’s glare on the back of her neck as she walked away. She and Nate were halfway across the lot before he finally spoke.

  “Why the hell would you do that to Trent, Alex?” he asked. “Why alter his memory?”

  She sighed. “You really don’t get it, do you?”

  “Get what?” he asked, using his TK to pop the door lock as they approached. “That you don’t trust us with our own goddamned memories?”

  “I trust you! I’d trust you three to the ends of the Earth! But it doesn’t matter, Nate. You can’t be allowed to remember that Masterson was here today.”

  “And why not?” he asked. “What possible difference will it make?”

  “It could make every difference,” she said, then shrugged. “Or it could make none at all. But there’s no way to know for certain, and I can’t take that risk. It’s too late now, Nate. I tried to change things for the better and I failed. It all happened anyway, just like it was always going to. Now, all I can think to do is to try and preserve my own timeline and pray that Brian is right and that this plan works and buys us enough time to find a cure for Declan.”

  Nate tensed as he mulled over her words.

  “Listen,” she said, trying a different angle. “If I’m gonna make all this work, then it’s best if you don’t remember that Masterson was ever involved. I mean, God forbid Carter somehow finds out about him now. If she, or anyone else realizes he’s alive before they’re meant to, it could potentially compromise this deal we’re about to strike with her.”

  “Okay,” he said gruffly. “Fine. Let’s say for a moment that we can make this deal you’re hoping to make and force this Carter woman to save Declan. Then what? Are you going to try to jump back to your own time again? Or are you going to take the slow road back, and stay with us?”

  Alex settled into the passenger seat. Nate, unable to find a spare set of keys, mentally kick-started the engine.

  So much for getting out of all this without stealing a car.

  Alex sighed. “I couldn’t change our past,” she said. “So it’s time I doubled down on our future. I’m going home, Nate. And then I’m going to put Masterson on ice. For good.”

  “And how are you going to do that, exactly?” he asked. “How could you possibly hope to stop a guy that insanely powerful?”

  “Simple,” she said. “I’m going to become as strong as I possibly can. I’m going to absorb and master every ability there is, and then I’m going to kill the bastard. Now let’s go, Nate. We’re wasting daylight.”

  Twenty-Seven

  Nate drummed his fingers against the steering wheel and stared out at the grassy field where they’d parked the Charger. A breeze rippled the tall grass and made the blades sway in the white glow of the car’s sole surviving headlight.

  “This doesn’t feel right,” Aiden said.

  “What doesn’t?”

  “This plan. I don’t like it.”

  “What’s wrong with the plan, exactly?”

  “Wha... what’s wrong with it?” Aiden sputtered. “Oh, I don’t know, Nate. I suppose I could start with the fact that it’s not even an actual plan, it’s a damn shot in the dark.”

  From the backseat, Declan mumbled something unintelligible.

  In the rearview mirror, Nate watched as his brother turned slowly and painfully onto his right side so that he faced forward. An agonized grimace twisted his features as he clutched his midsection. A violet arc of electricity rippled across his body before blinking out again.

  In his rare moments of consciousness, Declan’s fevered dreams became hallucinations. It had been five hours since his last half awakening, which was a bad sign. They were running out of time, and they only had one option if they hoped to save him.

  Aiden was right, of course.

  What they were doing wasn’t a plan.

  It was a freaking Hail Mary.

  If this worked, Nate was going to have to rethink his relationship with that Higher Power, because it would take a miracle for this night to turn out in their favor.

  The thought made his stomach turn and his pulse race just a little faster. He and Declan may have their issues—heck, entire years had passed growing up where they rarely spoke, except to argue—but they were brothe
rs. Nate was willing to agree to just about anything tonight, if it meant they might have a chance to save him.

  “We have no way of knowing how this meeting will go.” Aiden’s foot tapped repeatedly against the passenger-side floorboard, agitation in search of an outlet. “And we have absolutely nothing to offer this woman in return for what we’re asking her to do.”

  Nate shook his head. “Not yet, maybe. But Alex…”

  “And who’s to say Alex will even make it home to her own time when she attempts that jump? We can’t prove it. We have nothing to show them that could suggest we’ll ever follow through with this promise we’re about to make. And why would they agree to anything less than a guaranteed payment in full?”

  Nate didn’t get the chance to argue.

  From the edge of the field, a flickering sphere of illumination moved amidst the trees. Alex emerged from the woods and stepped into the glow of the Charger’s headlight. She held up her free hand to cut the glare in her eyes, then waved at them to get out of the car.

  They were in the right place. The meeting was a go.

  Nate and Aiden climbed out of the car as Alex jogged across the field. When she reached their side, she was out of breath, but clearly relieved.

  “This is it, then?” Aiden asked. “The complex is nearby?”

  Alex nodded. “Right where Brian said it would be. The path was a little hard to make out in the dark, but the place can’t be more than a three or four minute walk from this pasture. This has to be the field he was referring to.”

  “Well, then,” Aiden said. “At least that’s one thing going right for us today.”

  Alex’s eyes slipped past Aiden and toward the darkened cab of the Charger. “How is he?”

  Nate just shook his head.

  With a flick of her wrist, Alex dissolved the sphere of electricity she’d been using as a makeshift flashlight. “I can’t stay much longer. The Direc—” she cut herself short. “Assistant Director Carter should be here soon. I can’t be here when she arrives, or she’ll take me now and you’ll have nothing to bargain with later.”

  Nate frowned. The thought of using Alex as a bargaining chip was more than a little unsettling.