Absolved (Altered series)

by Marnee Blake

  She needed to hurry.

  No one on the main floor was involved in the plot. She stretched her hearing. Besides the man who stood watch at the entrance, there were three others, positioned on the other corners. Four total.

  There were two others in the rafters. What were they doing up there?

  She zeroed in on them and gasped. One was watching the dials on three separate canisters. The other had turned the knob on one of the huge air blowers positioned in the ceiling. As they watched, Solvimine was released into the air.

  Luke! She shouted his name across the fields, afraid he might be out of reach. Her terror made it hard to concentrate. She pressed her fingers into her temples in an attempt to focus, but her hands were shaking. Gritting her teeth, she reached out again. Luke! They’re in the ceiling. They’re releasing the drug into the air blower in the ceiling.

  She screamed the message again, but she didn’t want to waste too much time.

  She searched the men’s minds, desperate for a way to reverse the damage they were doing. She found nothing.

  Stop the machine, stop the machine, she chanted. But even as she tried to convince them to do the right thing, they did nothing.

  They didn’t know how to stop it, only start it, and with good reason. If they didn’t know how to turn it off, no one could make them.

  The doors. She needed to open the doors. She could only move what she could see, though, so she forced the door at the end of the building open. None of the other entrances were in her vision. She took control of the other guard, insisting that he needed to open the door. He obeyed, but as she worked to get the third guard to do the same, the people inside were becoming ill.

  Time was up.

  Stepping out of the trees, she took a deep breath. She froze the man on the edge of the building, running toward him. He was telekinetic, but she made him forget that, rushing past him to push through the door she’d opened. There was another glass door just inside that she blew out with a mental flick, sending shards everywhere.

  The unmistakable bitter scent of Solvimine greeted her, wafting out of the now shattered door’s windows.

  The door’s shell, now devoid of glass, wouldn’t open, so she had to reach through to unlock it from the inside, cutting herself on the jagged edges around the window.

  As she pushed it open, she swept inside, screaming. “Get out! All of you. You have to leave now.”

  Around her, there was already scurrying, as if those who were seeing their coworkers get sick were rushing to get away.

  “Go,” she yelled again. “Get out.”

  As the people who could still move pushed past her, she took in the room, continuing to yell. The carnage was worse than she’d expected. Bodies littered the floor, some curled inward. Burying the memories of her own change, she searched for ways to pump fresh air in here. There were hardly any windows, and the ones that were here were high up. She blew them out, too, sending the glass outside.

  It didn’t help the ventilation much, though. How had this building passed safety regulations? The place screamed health hazard. The vents above her didn’t seem to be working, the fan blades unmoving. Screw them. She pushed them up, and they popped open, like corks on champagne bottles.

  Around her, some were escaping.

  Others were completely trapped in Solvimine’s misery.

  Her panic and horror congealed inside of her. She needed to do more.

  With her mental shove, the side of the building exploded outward. Immediately, clear air rushed in, and she laughed. Already the tartness from the drug was diffusing outside. But around her a cracking and snapping filled the air, mixing with the groans of those already in the throes of the change.

  Her remodeling had destabilized the entire structure. Chunks of the walls and ceilings crashed down, crumbling amid the writhing bodies.

  A fresh wave of terror coursed through her. Her pulse pounded in her ears, and darkness bit into the periphery of her sight, threatening to block all of her senses. As her heart raced, she recognized the beginnings of a panic attack.

  No. That wasn’t an option. These people needed her. She didn’t have time to fall apart.

  Inhaling a steadying breath, she forced her mind to focus, made herself work around her own fear.

  She was a fixer, so she grasped at options to solve this problem. Studying the building frame around her, she saw her only hope was to shift the weight of the building in one direction in order to localize the instability.

  From inside, the factory resembled a barn. One end had a wall, obviously not part of the original structure, with doors. Maybe offices? There weren’t as many people back there. It was the best choice.

  She lifted her face to the ceiling. She needed to shift all of the moving parts in that direction.

  Refusing to think about the high possibility of failure, she zeroed in on the rafters.

  “Go, all of you!” she shouted again. Then, she blocked them out and used everything she had to keep them alive.

  Chapter Fourteen

  They’d only been here five minutes, maybe, but to Luke it seemed much longer. He still had at least ten minutes until everyone else arrived.

  It would be too late.

  If Parker’s men were in the ceiling, Luke needed to get to the roof. He sped through the brush, doing his best to be quiet but knowing that time was of the essence. Jack was here somewhere, too, he could feel it.

  On the north side of the building, the trash cans were lined up in an alcove.

  They were his best bet.

  He waited until the guard at the corner turned the other way, then he sped across the field with his head down. As he ducked into the trash alcove, he exhaled. He must not have been seen, or he would have been paralyzed. With a flick of his mind, he pulled the lid off the trash can. He lowered it slowly to the concrete.

  Around him, the air was filled with screams and the sound of breaking glass. Peering around the side of the trash alcove, he saw people stumbling from the building, some coughing, others carrying their coworkers with them. Above him, the cap on the air vent blew up into the air, and he covered his head. Debris rained down on him and crashed to the lawn beside him.

  Beth. His worry ratcheted up, but he needed to get to the ventilation system. Please God, let her be okay.

  Ignoring the strong stink of garbage, he sat on the trash can lid. He gripped the edge, the sharp, industrial plastic digging into his palms, and willed the lid into the air.

  As he lifted, he hoped the darkness concealed him. If he was spotted, he’d be vulnerable to any number of attacks, and he’d prefer not to deal with fighting in the air. Holding his breath, he ascended as fast as he dared for fear he’d lose his balance on the lid and fall off.

  Clearing the eves, he set the lid down on the flat roof as sirens wailed, signaling the arrival of the rest of his team and the local police officers. As he landed, he crouched low, hoping he hadn’t been seen.

  In front of him, though, Jack stood with his hands up. “Luke. You can’t stop this.”

  From his squat, Luke glared at his former friend. “Were you waiting for me?”

  “You had to make it up here eventually. Ventilation system is through there.” He pointed to an air duct, leading up. “But it’s already too late. The drug’s in the air.”

  Damn it. No.

  An explosion split the air. He ducked reflexively, and beneath his feet, the structure shifted. Sticking his arms out for balance, he waited out the rumbling, but it didn’t stop.

  He tripped to the edge of the building, holding on for support.

  “What the hell, Jack?” Luke yelled over the noise, suppressing the strongest urge to throw him off the roof. He still had questions, so he kept his anger in check, glaring at him. “Why did you bring us here too late?”

  “It was the only time I could send a message,” Jack yelled, latching onto a vent on the ceiling for stability. “I’m always watched. And Parker can hear everything.”
r />   “Why did you send that message?”

  “Because Parker has lost it.”

  “Yeah? What was your first hint?” Luke couldn’t help his sarcasm.

  The rocking of the building slowed. Luke wondered what was going on. He needed to go. It wasn’t safe up here. But he wasn’t leaving without Jack.

  “No. It’s worse. Parker’s sick of waiting to find willing people. Doesn’t care what they believe now.” Pointing at the building below him, he yelled over the noise as the structure shivered. “He needed more soldiers. This place, with its shitty air circulation, was exactly the right fit for him. Decided to change them all, whether they like it or not.”

  Christ. It was worse than they’d thought. “So, he’s gone from fanaticism to fascism.”

  “Whatever ‘ism.’ He’s a nut bag.” Jack never minced words. “My guys are loading up a whole bunch of the sick ones into a van over there.” He pointed to the far side of the building. “We’ll unload them and keep whoever lives.”

  “That’s…” Luke couldn’t think of a strong enough word. “Revolting.”

  “Yeah.” Jack’s head dropped low. If Luke didn’t know him better, he would think he felt guilty. After a long moment, he lifted his head. Any hint of humanity had fled from his face, leaving only disdain behind. “Messy, too.”

  Luke couldn’t help it. He tossed his old neighbor across the roof. Jack hit the lip of the building twenty feet away with a soft grunt. Slowly, he rolled to his feet. “Probably deserved that.”

  Another rumble twisted the building, and both men swayed with the movement, adjusting their weight to balance. They needed to get to the point.

  “What do you want, Jack?” Because there was no way Jack stayed here just to catch up.

  Jack patted the dust and dirt off his clothes, straightening to his full, impressive height. “I come bearing gifts. You have a mole in your organization.”

  “What?” A mole? That couldn’t be possible.

  “Someone in your group is selling Parker information.”

  “No. They’re all high-clearance, secure. That’s not…” Their division wasn’t large. Martins kept the moving parts of it very tightly controlled, specifically to avoid leaks.

  “How else did Parker know exactly where those chemicals were?” He watched Jack’s eyebrows lift in the moonlight. “He’s good but not that good.”

  “Who is it?” He knew most of the team, except for a few of the more recent additions and some of the techs…

  Jack shrugged. “Dunno.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “Believe me or not, but I still don’t know. Kitty’s probably here somewhere. She’ll tell you.” Snorting, he rolled his eyes, his mouth curving into a droll grin. “He doesn’t tell me anything. I am just in charge of cleaning up his fucking messes.”

  Luke didn’t want to believe him. Everything about Jack was a lie.

  But why would he bring him here to lie to him now?

  The building rumbled again. Time to go.

  “I can’t let you leave, Jack.” His old friend had to know that. This was the end of the line for him.

  “I had a feeling you’d say that. But you can’t stop me. I need to get back, or he’ll come for me. I’m more afraid of him than I am of you.” Jack saluted, all self-deprecation. Before Luke could do anything, he sprang backward into the air. He somersaulted and dropped down over the side of the building. Luke raced to the edge where he’d disappeared, stumbling as the building shook again, but this side of the structure was swathed in darkness. He squinted, the shadows confusing him. An engine rumbled, but they must have left the lights off on the van.

  Jack might be a cocky asshole, but he knew they needed to see to move things.

  Damn it. He gritted his teeth. One of these days, Luke was going to be a step ahead of him. And that day…

  The place shook again. Across the roof, he saw a large chunk of the ceiling fall in. He needed to get down and find Beth.

  Bringing the trash can lid back to him, he sat down again and used it to lower himself onto the lawn below. Behind him, more shattering and cracking split the air, much louder this time.

  In the few minutes he’d spoken with Jack, the rest of their team had arrived, and they’d wasted no time getting to work. The grounds around the building had become a makeshift triage center. Medical technician moved among the people who lay on tarps in the grass.

  Facing the building, Luke saw Blue and Nick, staring at the destruction.

  They wore the posture of telekinetics at work, and the sight of it lifted the hairs on his neck.

  They were holding the building together, but even though they were strong, they could only do that for so long. Christ, if they didn’t hurry, anyone inside was going to be crushed.

  Luke had to find Beth.

  Seth burst from a gaping hole in the side of the structure, carrying a man on his back and a woman in his arms. He yelled to Luke, “Hurry. We need help getting people out. The rest of us are inside.”

  Luke tore forward without any other instructions. As he ran, though, he searched for Beth, fear gripping his stomach. Where the hell was she?

  Inside, it was worse than he imagined. There was debris everywhere, parts of the rafters and walls, all of it still raining down. Dust clouded the air, adding a grayish haze to the scene.

  There were only a handful of people left, but the ones who remained were in bad shape. Kenny and a couple of other telekinetics stood in the middle, lifting victims and flying them outside.

  What chilled him completely, though, was the sight of Beth in the middle of it all, staring at the ceiling. Her gaze wasn’t focused on one point, but on everything around her. She was doing what she could to keep the entire place from crashing down on the remaining survivors.

  Who was protecting her, though?

  As he ran to her side, jumping fallen rubble, he saw the toll this had taken on her. She was covered in bruises, bleeding from her hands, her face. Who even knew how bad it was under her clothes, where he couldn’t see.

  Ice flooded his veins. Knowing her, she wouldn’t leave until everyone was safe, so he didn’t waste time. He lifted the last half a dozen people, moving them faster than he probably should and not as carefully as he would have under other circumstances.

  This was the first time he’d moved so many people with such ease.

  Once they were outside, he stumbled back in, desperate to get to her. “Beth! We need to go!”

  She didn’t move. He wasn’t even sure she could hear him. Her entire focus was on the ceiling and the walls.

  No time to be polite. He lifted her, moving her out of the structure. As they cleared the last wall, out the hole on the side, she struggled. “Have to hold it. It’s going to fall!”

  “We got it, Beth. We’ve got it,” he assured her as he maneuvered her away of the collapsing structure. “It’s empty!” he yelled at Blue and Nick. “All clear!”

  Then he hurtled the last obstacles and took off at a run, sliding to where he’d lowered Beth, covering her head and chest with his body.

  Behind him, the factory crumbled. He covered his ears and tucked his face into the curve of her neck. As her lovely smell filled his senses, he allowed himself to breathe, to hear, to relax against her. He’d gotten her out. She was here, safe.

  He waited until the noise from the building subsided to soft creaks and rumbles.

  “Thank God,” he whispered into her hair. “Are you okay?”

  Her eyes remained wild, as if she was having a hard time focusing, and she struggled, pushing at him, trying to get up. “Luke. We have to get them out…”

  He hushed her, smoothing her hair out of her face, trying to get through to her. The trickle of blood from her nose, a sure sign she’d overexerted herself, tightened his chest, weakening his knees.“They’re out. You saved them. It’s okay. You did a great job.”

  “I did?” Her face was streaked with dirt and blood, but every curve was in
finitely precious to him. “They’re out? All of them?”

  “Yes.” He smiled, rubbing his thumb along her jaw. “All of them.”

  Nodding, she tucked her forehead into the crease of his neck and wrapped her arms around him. Her fingers dug into his shoulders. He held her as she shook, her breathing still rapid and shallow. There was nothing he could do, no words that would tell her that she was okay now. All he could do was allow his admiration to echo through his mind.

  Finally, she pulled back. The grime on her face was streaked with tears he wasn’t even sure she knew she was crying.

  “Are you all right?” It was a loaded question on so many levels, but he needed to ask. “Physically? Are you okay?”

  She nodded. “I’m fine.”

  No, she wasn’t. There wasn’t a way to go through all of this and come out okay. He held her shoulders, narrowing his eyes. “You’re bleeding.”

  “It was all coming down. I missed some of it.” She lifted her arm. “This was from the glass, trying to get inside.”

  He studied the wounds. They looked shallow, but she’d need to have them checked out, to get stitches if she needed them and make sure nothing got infected. “Okay.”

  Glancing at the destruction around her, she swiped her hair off her forehead, leaving a trail of blood behind. “I couldn’t stop it. This building. Awful ventilation.”

  “Yeah. That’s why Parker chose it.” Shifting to stand, he reached down to help her up. She favored her left leg. He’d be sure to mention that to the medics.

  “He did?” she asked, then nodded. “You saw Jack.”

  He quickly replayed the conversation in his mind. Her brow dropped and her lips pursed. “A spy? In our office? Who?”