“What?” she asked when I’d gaped at her as she walked onto the hoverplane. “You think I would miss this?”
Brand was standing to Crane’s left, peering over his shoulder. Penny sat on Victoria’s right, nervously twisting a loose strand of red hair around one pale finger. She was still so thin, so fragile-looking. Of all the people going into battle tonight, she was the one I feared for the most. But when she turned and met my gaze, the confidence in her limey green eyes told me she was ready to end this once and for all. She was one of the many who had suffered because of Mac, and was clearly itching to repay the favor.
I wedged myself in the small space between Crane and Victoria’s chairs to look at the map. Erik rounded the table to stand beside Brand.
“We’re a thousand miles out,” Crane said, never taking his eyes off the glowing red dot that marked our flight pattern from California to Virginia. We’d be landing in the same spot Mr. Kelley and his team had the night before. Then, we’d be using the same underwater approach, not something I was looking forward to. The other teams, those not entering the city through the tunnels, would take up positions surrounding it from above. It was vital that the tunnel teams go unnoticed as long as possible. Mac was anticipating the attack. But once he saw the twenty hovercrafts ringing the city on radar, he’d be less likely to consider we’d use the tunnels, as well. “We’ll be within their radar range shortly. Brand, Penny, and I will do our best to mask the crafts until we are on the ground in Virginia.”
As Perception Manipulators, Crane and Brand were going to hide our hoverplane, disguise it as a fast-moving cloud. Penny, and her new talent for Light Manipulation, was going to add an extra layer of protection and try to keep our craft invisible for as long as possible. This, of course, was not news to me. We’d been over the plan so many times I felt like the details were carved into my frontal lobe.
I still didn’t like it. The hoverplane was massive. It was one of UNITED’s, and held several hundred people. The amount of energy it would cost all three of them would hamper their abilities once on the ground. Penny was the most vulnerable since she wasn’t used to using so much talent. There was no telling how her mind and body would react.
“Showtime,” Crane said and stood. He towered over me, and I had to tilt my head back to meet his gaze. “No matter what happens, I’m proud of you, Talia,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “Your parents would be proud of you.”
Tears welled up in my eyes, but I blinked them back.
“Thank you, Ian,” I whispered. “For everything.”
Without another word, Crane walked to stand directly behind the pilot – Donna again. He placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed.
Brand nodded to me, clapped Erik on the back, and then joined his mentor and leader. Penny stood next, throwing her arms around my neck. “We’ve totally got this,” she whispered in my ear.
I laughed. Leave it to Penny to sum it up so eloquently.
“I love you, Penny,” I told her.
“If I don’t see you down there, I’ll be waiting by the bar at the victory celebration,” she replied. She released me, and turned to Erik. The look that passed between the two people I loved most in this world spoke volumes. They shared so much pain and understanding that I would never fully appreciate. If we all survived, I’d be thankful they would have each other to lean on.
“I’ll take care of her,” Erik promised in response to Penny’s unspoken question. “And him, too.” By him, we all knew Erik meant Mac. What Mac had done to my parents, to me, was inexcusable. What he’d done to Penny and Erik was unforgivable.
I sat in the chair Penny vacated, and Erik took Crane’s seat.
“Touching,” Victoria mused.
I’d almost forgotten she was there.
“Mr. Kelley, you are ready for this, are you not?”
“I am, ma’am.”
I hated that he called her ma’am.
“Good, because I will be on your team.”
“Excuse me?” I interjected.
“Close your mouth, Ms. Lyons. It is unbecoming on a lady.”
Erik snorted and I glared at him. Neither of us had ever heard me called a lady.
“Aren’t you afraid we’re too dangerous to be stuck underground with?” I shot back.
“Precisely the opposite, dear. You two are the closest we have to TOXIC’s Created. You are the strongest, fastest, and most powerful Talents on our side, which makes you the most likely to survive.”
I eyed her suspiciously. Was that little speech supposed to make me feel better? Inspire me? Because it didn’t. I kept quiet. Antagonizing her took energy I wasn’t willing to waste.
The rest of the voyage took place in almost complete silence. No one in the pilot’s cabin spoke unless absolutely necessary. It seemed as though we all shared the same fear that any noise would distract Crane, Brand, and Penny and break their concentration. I felt the power they were using, it was impossible not to. The air crackled and hissed with it. Their energies were live entities and even smelled like them. Crane’s was rustic and reminded me of the cottage. Brand’s was like dewy grass, just like his eyes. Penny’s was sweet and syrupy, same as her.
Donna updated us on our progress every two hundred miles, which seemed unnecessary since we had a map in front of us. She was nervous, I supposed. At two hundred miles out, Victoria ordered Frederick to the cabin. He’d been resting in one of the broom closets that were allegedly sleeping quarters, since Victoria had kept him up viewing Mac for the last ninety-six hours straight.
“You are looking much better, darling,” she told him when he and Henri entered several minutes later.
I disagreed with her assessment. Frederick looked like death warmed over. The bags under his warm brown eyes had bags of their own. His cheekbones were jutting out, giving him a skeletal appearance, and his skin was sallow like he was recovering from a terrible illness.
“Do you have a lock on Director McDonough?” she asked him.
“Yes, ma’am. He’s still in his suite at The Hamilton. He’s running operations from there.”
“Is he alone?” she asked.
“No, ma’am. Same people as before are still with him. No one has gone in or out of that suite in twenty-four hours.”
“That will be our team’s initiative,” Victoria announced. “Once we are through the tunnels, we will storm the hotel. Leave the operatives to the others. That is not a problem for any of you, is it?”
I smiled. “No, it isn’t.”
“I thought you would feel that way, Ms. Lyons. As you are aware, the Council wants Director McDonough alive for interrogation. But this is war. And war is unpredictable. Sometimes we need to adapt in order to survive. Should you find yourselves in a kill or be killed situation, you are authorized to kill him.”
“Understood,” I said, like I needed permission.
“Beginning initial descent,” Donna informed us from the front of the hoverplane. “Get ready to move. Once they drop the manipulation, I don’t know how long before we’re spotted.”
Crane, Penny, and Brand would be the last to leave. They’d stay onboard until the rest of the teams were in the water, and then their team, led by Edmond, would board the last submarine. The plan was for them to hold the manipulation until they were in the water. Then, Donna would head north to rendezvous with the other hoverplanes.
The whole process went off without a hitch. It was almost too easy, in fact. So when we made it off of the hoverplane, and into ten-person glass bubbles that were barely larger than the three-person glass bubble I’d seen the night before without even a stray bullet in our direction, I began to worry.
TOXIC had jammed all frequencies within a hundred mile radius of the city, so we hadn’t had communication with the other hoverplanes in awhile. Had the fight started early? According to the clock on the circular dash in our bubble, we still had two hours until Mac’s deadline expired.
“He’s probably focused on the mor
e immediate threat,” Erik sent as our submarine started north. At least, that was the direction the compass in front of me was saying. It was really hard to tell, since it looked like we were swimming through mud the water was so thick with soil. “There are a bunch of UNITED hovercrafts with torpedoes locked on the city, you know.”
“Yeah, I guess. Just feels wrong, like we’re walking into a trap.”
The uneasy feeling spread through me like a virus, multiplying in each of my cells until I was completely infected. We’d managed to surface on the riverbanks in Alexandria, troop the hundred yards to the metro entrance, and descend into the station without a peep from TOXIC. I’d seen the lights from our hoverplanes as I sprinted through the gates that were usually kept locked. I tried to tell myself Erik was right, that Mac had more pressing concerns than whether we’d pop out of the ground like moles.
Erik led our team – me, Victoria, Henri, Frederick, Janelle, and four UNITED guards – down a rusty escalator to the main level of the station. Earbuds were out of the question since the wireless signals weren’t transmitting. We relied on hand signals and mine and Erik’s mental communication abilities. This only allowed us to talk to each other, Frederick, and Henri, but it was better than nothing. I probably could’ve communicated with Victoria, but I wasn’t eager to forge that bond. For her part, the Councilwoman appeared capable. She knew her way around an assault rifle, was agile, and followed orders surprisingly well for someone so used to giving them.
The ten of us had lowered ourselves over the edge of the platform and were already jogging towards the mouth of the tunnel when I heard the second team coming down the escalator behind us. This part of the journey was straightforward, literally. There were no offshoots or branches from the main tunnel, which made our trek boring and quick. I stayed in the front of the group with Erik, who despite the pain in his knee was setting a fast pace.
“I don’t suppose you can talk to your father? Ask him if they’ve seen any signs of trouble up their way?” I sent.
“Never tried the mental thing with Dad,” Erik sent back. He glanced down at me. “You’re paranoid, Tals. The trouble’s above ground.”
“TOXIC uses the old metro system to move people around,” I said. “What if they’re using it to get Mac out of the city?”
I could tell this possibility hadn’t occurred to Erik, and my idea worried him. The tracks we were on now were still in use. The area where Adam’s station was located had been abandoned decades ago, as had many of the side tunnels on the D.C. side of the maze.
“Frederick,” Erik called aloud. His voiced echoed in the tunnel. “Update on the Director’s location.”
“Still in the hotel suite,” Frederick panted. He was more winded than the rest of us, and it wasn’t because he was out of shape. The constant viewing wasn’t good for him. I thought UNITED owed him a long, all-expenses-paid vacation after this was over.
“See?” Erik sent me. “Nothing to worry about.”
I wasn’t persuaded. Just because Mac wasn’t on the move, didn’t mean there wasn’t cause for alarm. My gut feeling was that we were in for a surprise, and not a fun one.
An eerie feeling of déjà vu set in as we came upon the area where Mr. Kelley and the other scouts had moved the rubble aside from the long ago cave in. The path was clear for us, and we charged forward. I tried to recall how much farther until we reached Adam’s station. Maybe a mile, I guessed. At our current speed we’d be there in eight minutes. My concept of time was off, though. Our communicators weren’t working, and I was thankful Erik knew the way because the technological blackout meant we had no GPS if we got lost.
Stopping at Adam’s station wasn’t on our itinerary. The plan was to keep moving so we were in position at the McPherson Square station at the stroke of midnight. That was the station closest to The Hamilton. Other teams would be coming through various other stations throughout the city. At the same time we showed ourselves, UNITED’s hovers would open fire on the city.
Once we’d cleared the underwater part of the metro system, the real test of Erik’s navigational skills began. He didn’t hesitate at the intersections, confident each turn was the right one. Frederick started to fall behind. His panting had turned into all-out wheezing, and he sounded like he was having an asthma attack.
“Keep moving,” Henri insisted. “I’ll hang back with him. He knows where we’re going. We won’t be far behind.”
Erik and I exchanged uneasy glances. Leaving them wasn’t appealing to either of us. The other teams wouldn’t be using the same branches we were since their final destinations were different. The two guys would be vulnerable. I’d seen Frederick fight and knew, if healthy, he could hold his own. Henri, too, was a trained fighter. But they were both running on a half tank. Henri’s shoulder was still stiff, and his mobility wasn’t one hundred percent. Frederick was ready to collapse.
“Kent, Noelle, you two stay with them. The rest of us will go on ahead,” Victoria barked, making the decision. “The Director is still in the hotel, yes?” she asked, focusing on Frederick.
He nodded.
“Good. Mr. Kelley, onward.”
“What do you think?” Erik asked me.
“Do we have a choice?”
There wasn’t a choice. Erik may have been the leader, but Victoria was in charge. Besides, I wanted Mac. I didn’t want to risk someone else getting to him first.
With one last look at Frederick and Henri, I mouthed, “Sorry,” and followed Erik.
Ten minutes later, the remainder of our team was huddled behind the padlocked gate that separated the McPherson metro station from the world above. We were just in time to hear Councilman Tanaka issue a final warning to Mac from one of the hoverplanes.
“Director McDonough, this is your final opportunity to surrender. You have one minute until UNITED will have no choice but to apprehend you using deadly force if necessary.”
I was crouched next to Erik, ready to blow the gate wide open as soon as the final seconds ticked off the clock. Sweat stung my eyes and soaked through my hair. In the silence my heartbeat was audible to my own ears, and I worried the operatives on the other side of the metal barrier heard it, too. Erik’s gloved hand covered mine where it rested on the cracked ground between us. He squeezed my fingers tightly. I stared into eyes that had gotten me through so much. I didn’t care that we were packed tight as sardines against that gate with five other people, including the high and mighty Victoria Walburton. I leaned forward and kissed him. This was no peck on the lips either. This was full-on tongue to tongue contact. His palms cupped my cheeks, pulling me closer. I buried my fingers in his dark hair and opened my mind completely to him. I wanted him to know what he meant to me, how much I loved him, that he, not seeking justice for my parents, was my reason for living.
We were still entangled in one another when the gate exploded.
Chapter Twenty
Erik and I were torn forcefully apart. I was hurdling backwards through the air, spinning head over feet. Instinct took over, and I morphed without giving the idea any thought. Suddenly I was the small black bird, and still spiraling towards the platform below. I got my bearings in time to avoid a beak-first landing, and managed to skid to a stop on my talons. Unused to fighting in animal-form, I started to morph back to human when I saw the stampede of large black shadows on the tunnel’s domed ceiling. There were too many to be our people.
I pushed off the tiles, flying high into the rafters to search for Erik and the rest of my team. Four bodies were scattered on the platform I’d just vacated. I zeroed in on each one, relieved when none proved to be Erik. Where was he?
From this vantage point, I could see the operatives pouring over the lower platform’s edges. In no time, the first wave would be up the escalator and descending on my teammates. I didn’t know what to do. By myself, in bird form, I was hardly a threat. And there were hundreds of them. I circled above the melee, trying to find Erik and still keep an eye on Victoria, Janell
e, and the others. A tiny relieved squawk escaped me when I saw Janelle struggle to sit up. She was alive, for now. I dove towards her, squawking louder and louder to alert her to the danger headed her way.
Janelle had just managed to make it to her feet when the first operatives hit the top of the escalators. Blood streamed down the side of her face from a gash over her left eye. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Next to her, Victoria was groaning and rolling side to side.
Operatives were now running down the second set of escalators that led to street level. Janelle, Victoria, and the remaining Council guard were surrounded. And where the hell was Erik?
I was still flying in a circle near the domed ceiling, debating my options. There were too many operatives to fight. I could fly myself to safety, but that meant leaving Janelle and Victoria. My other teammates weren’t as much of a concern: none of them had moved yet.
Do something! I shouted inside my bird brain.
That’s when the ceiling above me opened up, sending a powerful shockwave reverberating through the station. I was blown askew by the force of it. Miraculously the concrete and earth that had previously been overhead flew upwards instead of collapsing inward. It was like the bomb had detonated from inside the station.
A loud squawk caught my attention, and I sought its source. My feathered wings beat faster when I saw him. Sleek black head, iridescent tail feathers, big turquoise eyeballs: Erik. He’d been the “bomb” that blew apart the ceiling, I realized. And he’d controlled the blast to prevent rubble from landing on Victoria and Janelle. Sure, it would have been nice if a couple large fragments had smashed the operatives, but whatever.
There wasn’t time for me to marvel at his impressive skills. Bird Erik was diving headlong for the platform, wings pinned to his sides to cut through the air faster. I followed without understanding his plan, but trusting that he had one.
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