The Takeover

by Teyla Branton

  Thinking about it was useless. I needed to focus on the here and now and trust them to do their job. That’s what Ava did with all of us.

  It was harder than it looked.

  “What about cameras?” Noah asked.

  “Three here in the front.” Ritter pointed them out. “I’ll circle around to see what else they’ve got. Much as I don’t want to wait, I think Ava is right about moving in after dark.”

  The custom metamaterials bodysuits were Cort’s invention, made of particles smaller than the wavelength of light. The suits came from a theory he’d worked on for the past century and was finally able to implement as technology caught up. We weren’t completely invisible wearing this second generation of suits, but they helped us slink around unnoticed in the trees and would be as good as invisible in the dark. Once the heat nullifiers were activated, not even radar could detect us.

  Darkness came slowly, and then we had to wait more long minutes until night fell in Idaho as well. At least we were able to verify that the families weren’t being moved. Of course, that did nothing to stop their anguish. Closer to the house, I could feel their emotions. Fear, mostly, but anger too. Desperation. Worry. The mother was suffering from an arm injury that sent agony rippling through her body every time she moved.

  The housekeeper retired to her bedroom on the third floor, which was an added bonus to the waiting. At least she’d be out of the line of fire. Ritter would go in on the main floor and take out the three guards. Noah and I would sneak past the cameras in our suits and scale the building to the balcony on the second floor. My job would be to take out the guards, while Noah’s would be to comfort and calm the family. Ritter and I would also retain a mental connection throughout the op so I could channel his ability.

  I didn’t worry much about Ritter as he smiled at me and left. One or more of his three targets might be mortal offspring; the Emporium seemed to be raising more expendable servants these days. Even if the three were all combat Unbounded, he’d likely shoot two of them before they were aware of him.

  Pulling my metamaterials hood from my pocket, I concealed my hair and face. “Wait for my signal,” I told Noah.

  I sped past the camera at the left corner of the house. Even if I set off a motion sensor and someone was watching a monitor inside the house, it was unlikely they’d see me. Beneath the camera, I shot my grappling hook onto the balcony and began climbing. I whistled to Noah to follow. Even using Ritter’s increased ability to see in the dark, I detected only a ripple moving across the yard as she made her way toward me.

  Up on the balcony, I checked for additional cameras, but there were none. I could feel the thoughts from the mortals inside the house louder now. Mostly fear as the family sat together in a clump. The mother was singing softly, ignoring the throbbing in her arm. The youngest was asleep, the seventeen-year-old girl was crying silently, and the fourteen-year-old boy plotted revenge.

  The housekeeper on the third floor was thinking about what she would make tomorrow for breakfast. Something to please the little boy. He’s sweet, unlike his older sister, who won’t eat anything if their mother doesn’t make her, and the angry teen boy who glares at me with hatred. Spoiled rotten rich kids. It’s not my fault they’re here. Really, such attitudes are the parents’ fault, though the mothers seems gracious enough. But at least that little boy is an angel. So small and quiet. He reminded her of her own son. She knelt down and prayed for his safety.

  The minds of the guards were blocked, but their shields weren’t terribly strong. I beat at one forcefully until it caved. With a planted thought, I could see he and his companion were combat Unbounded. No way did I want to engage both of them simultaneously. I’d have to shoot at least one, but that would end our surprise. Unless I planted another thought and sent one of them to the bathroom. They were probably bored and had eaten more food than normal while they’d been stuck here, so the suggestion should seem normal.

  I turned my attention from the guards to examine the window. Ritter had already determined that none of the windows had breakage alarms, which meant they’d only trigger the alarm if opened normally. Fishing in one of the many strategic pockets of my bodysuit, I retrieved a glass cutter and a suction cup to hold the glass and began cutting.

  Below on the main floor, Ritter had already cut his glass and was in position. I sent him an image of what I was doing so he’d know I wasn’t ready. Not yet.

  Setting the cut glass aside, I crawled in the window. We were two rooms down from where the captives huddled, close enough to shoot at the guards with my silenced nine mil. Noah had her gun out, and she looked confident, but discomfort filled her surface thoughts. I smiled at her. I didn’t plan on making her use that gun.

  I’d maintained the link with the guard and now released a thought next to his sand stream, a violent urge to urinate. Seconds later, I grinned as he excused himself from his companion and hurried toward the bathroom. I waited until the door shut before I signaled Ritter. Whenever you’re ready.

  Go, he thought.

  Going now, Your Deathliness. His amusement at my taunt filtered back to me.

  I eased open the door, aimed, and fired twice. It was easy having seen their exact position through the eyes of the guard, and my shot had taken him through the heart. Not dead because he was Unbounded, but definitely out of the picture for now.

  A loud screech abruptly whistled through the house, coming from the fallen body. In the next instant, two more screeching alarms came from the main floor.

  They’re tagged with heart monitors, came Ritter’s thought. I could see him diving to miss being shot, rolling, and lashing out at a gun with his foot.

  The bathroom door opened to my left, revealing the second guard, his pants unzipped. No time to bring my gun around. I whipped my free hand out, feeling the bones crack as it sent his weapon flying. He returned the favor to my gun as I aimed, sending it clattering to the wood floor. I rewarded him with a kick to his stomach, which curled him long enough for me to slam my elbow down on his head. He was out, but I grabbed my backup pistol from a pocket near my calf and shot him twice through the heart. Another alarm began to screech, the sound emitting from what looked like a wrist watch. I grabbed his wrist, slammed it against the wall, and the noise cut off.

  Noah was already moving toward the other guard to silence his alarm as I took out my phone and texted all our Renegades: Guards here using alarms that trigger when heart stops beating. The Emporium hadn’t used this ploy recently, and it was tricky enough that it could mess up everything if taking out the guards one at a time was part of the plan for any of our teams.

  The screeching cut down significantly as Noah manage to break the other guard’s alarm. Ritter was still fighting the remaining guard below, but he was close and he’d silence the alarms down there when he could. I bent to retrieve my gun.

  “No, stop!” I said to Noah as she reached for the door where the family was kept. I sprinted down the hallway to her and knocked on the door. “Get back from the door. We’ve been sent by Homeland Security to save you. Your kidnappers have been taken care of. Back away from the door. Put down that lamp.”

  I’d tried to keep in mental contact with the family, but with so much going on, I’d nearly missed the teen boy picking up the lamp. Only his mother’s worry had called my attention.

  “Please, Mrs. George. Tell him to put it down. We’re here to help you.” A muffled clunk signaled that someone was listening. Even so, I turned the knob and pushed open the door without going inside. I kept hold of my gun but pointed it down. These were mortals. No coming back if I shot them.

  The entire family huddled together on a large bed, the mother holding her teen son now. I didn’t see any weapons or feel intent to harm, so I nodded to Noah, who slowly moved into the room.

  “Okay, now,” she said, her voice singsong. “It’s okay now. We’ll have you out of here in no time.” Tension leaked from the family.

  Downstairs, I felt Ritter giving a
final blow to his opponent that sent the man to the ground. He was still conscious and cursing as Ritter zip-tied his hands and feet together and went to kill the other two alarms. Blessed silence fell throughout the house.

  Get them ready to leave, Ritter thought. There’s no telling if that alarm also linked to one of their headquarters. I’ll go get the van. We’re taking these guards with us. They’ll have embedded tracking devices, but we’ll take care of those on the road. I knew why he was so determined. Five fewer that went back to their headquarters were fewer we’d have to fight later.

  “Let’s go,” I said to the Georges as Ritter’s thoughts receded slightly with the distance he was putting between us. “We have to leave now.”

  They began slowly to get off the bed, the mother wincing. “Wait,” I said to her. I holstered my weapon. Using a knife, I ripped the top sheet into a triangle sling for her arm.

  “Thank you,” she said quietly.

  “Be aware that the guards out here look dead,” I said, my eyes going to the children, “and there’s a lot of blood. But they are Unbounded and will recover.” Unfortunately.

  I picked up the sleeping child and led the way to the door. Noah put her arm around the girl, and the mother did the same for her teen son.

  “Housekeeper coming,” I muttered to Noah. I could feel her life force coming our way, probably alerted by the alarms. At least that would save me the trouble of going to retrieve her.

  We’d nearly reached the main staircase when she came into view wearing a pale pink, floor-length flannel robe. She was plump with sparse white hair that stuck up on top as if she’d been sleeping. “What’s going on here?” she demanded.

  “Everything’s okay,” I said. “We’re getting you all to safety. Please come with us.”

  She pulled out a gun from her pocket, even as I registered the threat. “Renegade scum! You’re not going anywhere. Now all of you—get back to that room.”

  We retreated down the hall. “Take it easy,” I said, shifting the child in my arms to remove his weight off my left hand, which was throbbing from its earlier contact with the guard’s gun.

  “Take it easy?” she said, her voice rising with anger. “What have you done with my son?” She knelt by the guard near the bathroom, her hand checking for a pulse. Her gun didn’t waver.

  “He’ll be fine,” I said. “You know he’s Unbounded. Please let me take this family out of here. They haven’t done anything wrong.”

  “Wrong?” she sneered. “They’re mortal. What does it matter? They’re nothing! They mean nothing!”

  “You’re mortal,” I countered.

  She lifted her chin. “I’m the mother of an Unbounded, so I’m different. I am revered.” From a pocket of her son’s black uniform, she drew a syringe of what had to be tonic, their version of curequick. She stabbed it into the man’s heart and injected the mixture before rising.

  “Now get back to that room!” She pointed the gun at the girl and said to me, “A shot might not hurt you, but it will this brat.” The girl cringed, burying her face into Noah’s shoulder. Mrs. George sobbed.

  The housekeeper had to be mad. Completely and totally crazy. She hadn’t used a shield over her thoughts earlier, but there was one now—stronger than most mortals could create, stronger even than her Unbounded son. I drew out my mental machete and hacked away. Ritter, I said, silently. We have a slight problem.

  He’d already arrived at the van. On my way. Stall.

  We’d reached the room, and I laid the sleeping boy on the bed. He stirred only slightly.

  “Not you two,” the housekeeper said to Noah and the girl. “You stay near me.”

  Finally, her shield gave way, and I was inside. She was thinking of her son, whom she adored more than anything in the world. She had fallen in love with an Unbounded, only to be abandoned when her beauty faded, but she’d given him five children. This son here was the only one who’d Changed, the only one who hadn’t joined the Hunters to seek revenge on the man who’d sired them. This son let her be useful. He let her serve him.

  I reached out to Noah and found that she’d already released her shield, perhaps hoping I would send her instructions. She had a hand around her gun. On three, I told her, I want you and the girl to jump toward the wall. Make sure to shield the girl with your body. Noah’s eyes met mine in brief acknowledgment.

  I stepped in front of the mother and her sons where they sat on the bed. “Please,” I said.

  “Stay back!” ordered the housekeeper.

  I couldn’t because I needed to get her far enough away from the Georges that even if the gun went off, she wouldn’t hit them. If I sent a flash of light to her mind now, or if Ritter appeared from behind, her finger still might pull the trigger on her way down. The family wouldn’t have a second chance.

  “It doesn’t have to be mortals or Unbounded,” I told her. “You can choose both. There’s no reason why we can’t live in harmony.”

  “You’re a liar. All Renegades are liars! Traitors to your own kind.” Her face grew red as her gun hand tightened. “Well, I know how to teach you mortal-lovers a lesson. Beginning with this spoiled brat.”

  She pulled the trigger.

  THREE! I SHOUTED TO NOAH. No time for one and two as I struggled mentally with the housekeeper for control of her gun. She’d jerked down on the trigger, but I yanked her finger up at the same time. No shot fired. Yet.

  Noah jumped out of the way, pulling the girl with her, but the housekeeper didn’t relent. Her face grew redder, and my energy strained. Controlling someone in this way was always difficult, and this woman had an indomitable spirit. She whirled in the direction Noah and the girl had moved, pulling harder. I pushed back. Forced her to stand still. I wondered if I’d made a mistake not rendering her unconscious immediately and risking a single shot. Too late. Flashing her mind now would take energy away from holding back that trigger, and a stray bullet might hit and kill one of these children or their mother. I’d just have to hold out until Ritter arrived.

  With no warning, the woman turned her back on Noah and jerked her hand toward me. The pistol now aimed at my heart. Guess she’d identified her biggest threat.

  Or so she thought.

  One instant the housekeeper was standing there, the next she was falling face first on the ground, a flower of blood blossoming on the back of her flannel robe. Noah stood behind her, gun in hand, her face hard and determined. For a moment no one moved or breathed. Then the girl gave a cry and ran to her mother on the bed.

  Pounding footsteps up the stairs and then Ritter was there. In one glance, he took in the situation. “Let’s get them in the van.”

  We hurried the Georges outside, and by the time Noah had them settled, Ritter and I had the bodies of the Unbounded wrapped in blankets and ready to tie on top. “Better give that one a sedative,” I told him. “The housekeeper gave him curequick.”

  He grinned. “Already did.”

  Of course he had. He produced more syringes for the agents I’d dragged out. Unceremoniously, we threw them on top of the van, secured them with lengths of rope, and jumped into the van. Noah hit the gas.

  “Great job, by the way, Noah.” Ritter said from the middle where he sat with the teen boy, who was looking at him with something akin to hero worship, though he hadn’t seen Ritter do anything except haul out three wrapped bodies. Yeah, he’d been moving faster than was technically possible, but so had I since I’d channeled his ability.

  Noah laughed. “Now that’s something I never thought I’d hear from you.”

  “Well, I’m guessing it won’t be the last time.”

  Noah laughed and turned on the radio. She pressed harder on the gas, and the countryside slipped by in a dark blur as the speedometer shot toward ninety.

  I took out my phone, looking for a message. Ritter had texted the other teams about our successful mission after we’d taken out the guards, but as of yet there had been no response, and I didn’t want to contact the others
if they were still mid-op. Though we hadn’t lost anyone for months, that didn’t mean our good luck streak would continue forever. There were more times than I cared to count that we’d nearly lost everything.

  No word. We drove fifty more miles, putting space between us and the Victorian mansion. I thought of the housekeeper, the only casualty, her life snuffed out in an instant. Would her Unbounded son mourn her at all? If he did, maybe there was hope for him at our Mexican compound, where our people would attempt to undo the Emporium’s programming. If not, he’d have to pay for his treason.

  Finally, Ava and Dimitri texted their success. No casualties. That meant Jace had survived to pester me another day. I was so happy that I didn’t even care if that meant telling him about Stefan Carrington.

  “Maybe we ought to call Mari,” I said. “They might need help.” I’d been pushing my thoughts out to see if I could reach her, even though she was beyond my typical range, and I felt her—maybe—just barely out of reach. My range had definitely increased since I’d worked with Keene this morning, as if we’d crammed weeks of experimenting into a few hours.

  Ritter shook his head. “Cutoff time hasn’t arrived. Give them a few more—”

  My phone vibrated, and I saw it was Mari. “You all right?”

  “Hello to you too. We’re fine. Don’t worry. Keene’s texting everyone now, but Ritter told me to call, so I’m calling.”

  I met Ritter’s eyes as I responded to her. “It went okay then?” Ritter looked down just as I felt my phone vibrate with an incoming text. Keene’s, probably.

  “Well, besides the stupid gardener suddenly going all postal on us. Jerk. We thought he’d be on our side because he was so kind to the family during the day when they were let outside to walk around a little. But, no, he’s apparently one of those Unbounded worshippers. Or at least Emporium Unbounded, because he didn’t have a problem shooting at us.”