by Jenn Nixon
“Aime, go visual,” Theo called as Liam sat down and tapped rapidly on the hub keyboard.
“Is it the apartment?” Casey asked as she appeared behind her usual station in the back.
“Affirmative.”
Dina sat down, called up her screen just as the third feed from the camera on the side of the building blinked onto the hanging monitor. Her father, oddly dressed in slacks, a dress shirt, and vest, walked toward his apartment from the parking lot and side street. Two men emerged from the shrubbery pointing wide-nosed weapons at him. Valtor dropped his bag and lifted his hands, acting like the perfect, scared person. The screen was too fuzzy to make out the conversation.
A third man appeared, dragging an agitated Zila, who had her hands zip-tied in front of her body. Valtor teleported to Zila’s side. The two men with weapons fired, shooting large metallic darts into both their necks. When they manually picked up her father and Zila, Dina glanced back.
“What happened to all those powered huma—oh, just like Hollis and whatsherface.”
“Guess they didn’t want to take the chance of making more just to have them die,” Liam said.
“That’s a big risk using only weapons,” Duncan said.
“They work, that much we know, an untrained descendant may not stand a chance,” Theo added.
Liam called out, “Aime, bring up the map with the tracker’s location.”
“They are leaving the parking lot,” the AI replied.
“Here we go,” Duncan sighed.
“Oh, by the way, I talked to Caelum,” Dina said, remembering she forgot to tell them. “Got sidetracked.”
“What did he say?” Liam asked.
“Is he coming back?” Theo asked, glancing over to Casey who winked at him.
“Said he’d be here shortly, so that’s tomorrow right?”
Duncan chuckled. “I was half expecting him to show up, right then. Sometimes I think he waits, like that kid in the yearbook photos who makes a face at the last second to get it in the picture.”
“Duncan! Brilliant!” Casey jumped up from her seat. “Stupid, I should have thought about that weeks ago.”
“What’s on your mind, beautiful?” Theo asked as his shimmering green eyes locked on Casey.
“Just…keep an eye on Valtor and cross your fingers that I’m right,” she replied, swinging her bag over her shoulder. “I gotta remember to keep thinking like a PI.”
“What did I say?” Duncan asked.
Dina shrugged, watching Casey teleport to Theo, kiss him, then teleport to the door for a quick getaway. Kinda jealous she wasn’t going out in the field, Dina turned back to her station, to watch Pop’s tracker while listening to the boys guess about what Duncan had said to trigger the epiphany. She didn’t want to ruin their fun since she’d already figured it out after a quick peek into Casey’s head and hoped it somehow helped the situation. They needed to find Gardner. Casey may be their last chance now.
Dina shook off the sharp spike against her temple.
The second time it struck she felt Liam’s eyes on her.
When Caelum appeared in the middle of the base, Dina’s barrier slid over her skin and vibrated.
He was trying to get into her mind.
She couldn’t let him. She needed the barrier for protection so she wouldn’t die. She had to stay alive. Save them.
Grabbing her head, Dina fought the remaining future memories, but the moment she set eyes on Caelum’s silver gaze, she sent every bit of extra energy to her barrier, ready to protect herself from the Enhancer responsible for letting everyone she loved die.
***
Fifty year ago, he watched his first human movie. Not a suspense movie as he preferred these days, Rivia called it a love story. A man obsessed with a photograph of a 1910s woman traveled back in time to meet her. Just after they fall in love, he returned to his own time and dies, alone and heartbroken. Through that movie, Caelum thought he understood the concept until he felt it looking in Sanjeeta’s eyes.
Leaving her had been the hardest moment of his existence. Sensing her sadness and hearing her cry as he stood outside her door, was the worst. Despite his desire to leave, he couldn’t deny her affect. His thoughts were streamlined and within control. The trepidation at meeting with the team had subsided some and Dina had reached out.
His next thought brought him to the penthouse roof. Caelum opened his mind to get a general sense of the group only to pick up Dina’s future memories sneaking to the forefront of her thoughts again.
He dropped into the MIND base. Dina’s shield sparked to life. When she grabbed her head, he noticed the shield fluctuate and flipped his vision, hoping he could catch a glimpse between flickers.
“Dina?” Liam appeared next to Caelum, brushing his mind in thanks.
“He didn’t listen, Liam and look what happened,” she said, rubbing her temple as her brother stared at her with worried eyes. “Why does it hurt?”
Caelum lifted his hand so the group wouldn’t respond. He cared too much for Dina, this team, to betray them and bait her to get answers, even if she was his reaper. “Lower your shield, I need to sequester the rest of the memories, Dina. Think about what you are saying, remember what happened to you.”
“You happened. You fucked all of us. You did this!” Dina’s fists balled at her side as her eyes glowed that odd shade of green again. “I can think like you, now, I see how you manipulate the present to create the future. They weren’t visions at all, you only knew things would happen because you planned them.”
“Yes, you’re right, Dina. I am responsible, that’s why I’ve come back to say goodbye,” Caelum said, frowning.
“You bastard,” Dina lifted her hands shooting him with a similar blast from the Rivia’s ship, clipping him in the arm and rattling the base.
“Dina, stop!” Theo appeared at Liam’s side, giving Caelum a second to shake off the discomfort of her blast.
She narrowed her gaze and stepped closer the group, her eyes locked on his. “You refused to help me save them and now you’re just running away? Coward!”
“Whoa, Dina, relax, look at me,” Duncan said, taking the lead and moving closer to his sister. “You’ve got to focus, most of the future memories are out of the way, Caelum needs to move the rest.”
“No,” she snapped, shaking her head. “Can’t. Just a bit longer…”
“Dina, please let him help you,” Liam begged.
“Help me? Tell them, Caelum. Tell them what you did to me.”
He furrowed his brow, hearing a twinge of bitterness in her tone that most definitely was not present Dina’s. Unsure if she was speaking as her future counterpart or channeling the memories, or a splintered combination of both, Caelum needed to choose he words carefully.
“I’m responsible for Dina’s shield, her ability to travel back through time.”
“What?” Duncan gasped.
“Explain,” Theo barked.
“Plainly,” Liam suggested evenly.
“Lexa and I shared a tremendous amount of energy with Dina to save Valtor during the reckoning without my knowing the strength of her abilities, especially her healing. She still has Enhancer energy inside of her, I’m not sure if it will ever dissipate. It’s also the only reason she’d be able to absorb the majority of my energy and survive.” Caelum glanced to the group waiting for them to bombard him with questions. Instead, Dina chuckled deeply while shaking her head.
“This isn’t funny, Dina,” Duncan grunted, turning to Caelum, “What about her sharing energy with all of us?”
“It may explain your advanced abilities, above and beyond the class mingling theory,” Caelum replied, sighing. “Simply being around Dina for lengthy periods of time may strengthen abilities, it’s one of the reasons I’ve stayed away and…need to leave.”
“That’s why they die. Because you leave,” Dina said, her voice softening. “You’re going to say you can’t interfere. You can’t help us. But you already interfere
d, you helped create this problem and I’m not letting you see anything in my head until you help us fix it.”
“My presence here will only accelerate the timetable, same as it did with Tolk. The visions, the future memories they all lead to the same place,” Caelum spat, eyeing the group as the muscles in his neck and shoulders tightened. “The same…outcome.”
“That’s not necessarily correct, Caelum,” Liam said, watching Dina as he approached. “In these memories we never found Gardner. Once we do, it all will change.”
“Besides, speeding up the timeline could be a good thing if their numbers are smaller, it may give us an advantage,” Duncan added. “Personally, I don’t care if you or Dina supercharges us or if it’s because we’re all working together, or even how we came together. Now is now. We can handle anything, find the real answers, as a team. Like it or not, you’re part of our team, Caelum.”
“He’s right, you know,” Theo added with a shrug.
“The trackers have stopped at a location,” Aime announced.
“Are you going to stay out of my head?” Dina asked as her shield dimmed.
Caelum glanced around at the group. Despite his confession, they wanted him to stay. They wanted his help and insight. Dina’s awareness about his feelings toward leaving, perhaps remnants of the future memory, logically meant he did leave, originally, only returning after most were dead. Although he still wanted to know how she came to have his energy, Caelum believed her. In his gut, he knew he gave it willingly. No matter Dina’s heartbreak, she was too empathic to consider stripping his power. She’d never survive the guilt.
“Yes, Dina, for now, I will. If it brings you pain or overtakes your mind, I make no promises,” he said, watching the group relax slightly. “And you are all certain you want me to stay?”
“Uh, yeah,” Duncan said. “Two Enhancers are better than one.”
“Speaking of, are Lexa and Bates back from dinner yet?” Theo asked while scrolling through his Netphone. “Aime’s done with the secondary trace of the file, but it leads to a black site, it’s not going to help us ID the hacker unless she can see who’s on the other end.”
Caelum maintained his focus on Dina and moved closer, watching her eyes return to normal and the shield evaporate. She swayed and palmed her station, rubbing her temple with her free hand. Staying out of her head seemed an impossible task when his mind begged for answers.
Dina sat down, cradled her head, and sighed. “I’m sorry…again. It…feels like a defense mechanism. Soon as I saw you, boom, barrier.”
“I understand.” He sat across from her, dipped his head until she met his gaze. “The memories are fighting for a place to reside, Dina, to become ingrained in your synapses. That’s what I’m trying to avoid by sequestering them.”
“I know, really…I do know, but…” she paused, dropping her shoulders and sighing. If we can’t find Gardner, there’s still enough in my head to stop the virus or at least see how it happens. I’m sure of it now. It may be our last option if Casey doesn’t come through.
And if I stay, you think I can help alter the outcome. Have you seen that? Do you know for certain?
Dina shook her head and glanced down at her station. “Just feels like it’s true.”
“Okay, so that’s the plan then,” Duncan announced, drawing the groups attention. “You two got that?”
“Uh, no,” Dina said, frowning.
“Kim’s on her way, she’s going with Liam and Theo to Virginia, where Pop’s being held to get him and Zila and bring the kidnappers back for questioning,”
“And half a dozen other tasks, but yes, basically,” Theo added.
“What do you need me to do?” Caelum asked.
“Can you locate Val and monitor him, let us know if he’s in distress?” Liam asked, rising from the hub chair and turning it over to Duncan.
“Yes, I can.”
“Dina, the satellites will be over head in fifteen, can you link the feed?” Duncan slipped right into the role.
“Sure. Right. Okay,” she replied absently and tapped at her station.
Caelum overhead the conversation between Duncan and Liam, they were both justly concerned about Dina. Relieved he left the necklace in Rivia’s ship, Caelum felt secure enough in his ability to talk her down should she fall into the future memories again.
Liam and Dina said a quick goodbye before he and Theo exited to the kitchen. Alone with the Ranger twins gave Caelum a better chance of connecting with Valtor since he was heavily in their thoughts. He opened his mind to The Millions, allowing them passage through, and began sifting, searching for Val, his friend, his protector.
Having connected with Valtor may times, he was easier to find that most other minds. Once he made the connection and gathered the Shrian was now sleeping instead of in a drugged induced unconscious state, he alerted the twins mentally and maintained his link with Valtor’s mind, ready to do his part to help the team and change the future.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Theo teleported with Kim to Virginia so Liam could conserve his energy for the perception-shifting cloak he was undoubtedly going to use shortly. They landed on the edge of a parking lot in the middle of a half-deserted business park. Each took a quick look around. Kim gazed down at her Netphone and motioned to the gray and black building to their right.
With half the buildings unoccupied as most held office hours, Liam led them along the tree-lined lot toward their target, keeping his senses and mind open to anything riding on the wind. Theo scanned with his Cartuilan device as they neared. When Kim gently grabbed his wrist, Liam stopped.
What is it? he asked mentally since they were touching.
On the door, that logo.
He turned back to see a large white phoenix on the door. His heart skipped.
Theo inched closer and whispered, “We’ll have no problem teleporting through the walls, but I am detecting barainum inside the building. Thermals show nine people, all on this one level, three are together in the middle left of the building. No floor plan available. There is an electrical box and generator in the back, we can hit it before we go in, gives us an advantage.”
“I only brought a stunner grenade,” Kim said, frowning.
“Good thing I brought both,” Theo replied and retrieved one from his cargo pants.
“Why don’t you give me your scanner, I’ll toss the grenade. You go in and I’ll watch your backs.”
Liam shook his head. “Kim, Zila or Val may be traumatized from being held captive…or worse, you’re not here for back up.”
“Oh, right, I…didn’t even think of that, shit.”
“You can help us navigate too,” Theo added, moving to Liam’s side and putting a hand on his shoulder facing the opposite way.
“True,” she replied, smiling and taking Liam’s hand.
He cloaked the group first then teleported behind the building. Theo stayed within the cloak and scanned again, a smile riding up his cheeks.
Don’t need to use the grenade, watch this. Theo’s excitement shivered through the air as he reached up and blasted the industrial juncture box with his energy. The building went dark.
Liam reached out to Valtor to warn him they were coming, but didn’t get a response. Aware he couldn’t pinpoint anyone’s location with barainum in the building, he focused on the lobby behind the large glass doors and reappeared there in an instant.
The empty main hallway leading to the rest of the facility had dimly lit red lights throughout the ceiling. Since they were cloaked from all humans and most visitors and descendants, Liam teleported the entire group to the middle of the hall where it parted in two directions. Unable to uses his other senses to find Valtor, he glanced to Theo.
I suggest we head to the group of three first, they haven’t moved. The others are scattered, probably trying to figure out what happened.
Let’s walk until we get closer, Liam projected and then slowly led the way down the hall, feeling Kim’s hand tighten
around his as they reached the next juncture.
Footsteps echoed from behind.
Theo dragged the group to the side. Against the wall.
Just as Liam pressed his back to the wall, one of the men who’d taken Valtor entered the hall. His steps didn’t slow as he walked by yelling at someone to get the generator online and when he turned left at the next juncture, Liam let out a heavy sigh.
That was close. Kim shook her head.
They followed his trail to the end of the hall taking the opposite route per Theo’s original scan of the facility. As they rounded the corner, Liam noticed several large doors occupying the entire length of the remaining hallway.
Theo, already scanning and visually checking for security cameras, nodded his head, allowing Liam to draw back the cloak for a moment. Kim broke from his grasp and darted toward the first door. She pressed her ear against it while Liam opened his mind to help. Before either of them said a word, Theo raised three fingers.
He and Kim neared the door together. Liam reached out, catching three minds, but as none were awake, he was unable to identify them.
“Why are they still in there if the power’s out?” Kim asked.
“They seem to be sleeping,” Liam answered as he grabbed the handle of the door and wrenched it back. Theo maintained a lookout position at the edge of the hallway, watching his scanner and gave Liam a nod as he walked into the dim room.
Kim lit her flashlight stick, held it out to her side, and gasped as the room came into view. Three of the four cots in the room had someone lying on top. Liam went to the older woman first, realized it was Zila, and checked her pulse to find it strong and steady. He reached into her mind to try to wake her up, but his attempt seemed blocked somehow.
“Goodness, Liam…” Kim said, turning back. “It’s Marjorie.” He went to her side and knelt down, glancing at the young girl’s face. Frowning, he checked the third unconscious man, who appeared to be in his mid-twenties. “I think they’ve all been drugged or…something. I can’t wake them up.”
