Shadow rubbed his hands on his jeans. “You going in early at the lab? We were thinking it could probably be done if we went in the middle of the night.”
Raven’s eyes narrowed. If these fools thought he’d trust Nikki’s fate to three Halflings who he just met, they were as stupid as they looked. Especially Viper, with his weird dark hair and dark eyes. Raven wasn’t sure he should trust them at all. At the same time, if he succeeded in getting his plan together, he’d need others on board. Mace would never go for this. And there was no way Raven was going to get Vine messed up in this. If anything went wrong — and with a plan like his, that was pretty likely—humans could die. Three doomed Halflings is the best I can get … and I could end up doomed as well.
“Look.” Viper leaned back. “We care about Zero. If you care about Nikki or Zero half as much, you know we’re all in for the win.”
This guy could never understand how much he cared about Nikki. Raven chuckled. “All in for the win, huh?”
Viper shrugged, and one side of his face creaked into a smile.
The tension in the air changed, now charged with anticipation.
“I’m not going in early. But I’m also not planning to leave the lab standing after we get Nikki and Zero out.”
“Explosives?” Shadow asked, and the other three gave him wide-eyed stares. He shrunk back a little. “Sorry. Guess that’s obvious.”
Raven pulled the paper from under the table and spread it out for them. “I need enough to blow the whole place. Problem is placement. We need to give people time to get out.”
Viper shrugged one shoulder. “Why? They aren’t letting Zero and Nikki out. Why do they get any consideration?”
Raven folded the paper and pressed his hand firmly against it. “I’m not going to intentionally kill humans. If that’s what you’re here for, forget it. Too much can go wrong, and you may be willing to gamble with your eternity, but I won’t gamble with the other Halflings’. We’re all going into the lab. And despite what you proclaimed back at the house, that means we may all be held accountable for what happens as soon as we enter the lab.” Raven waited while Viper and his two minions digested his terms. One wrong comment from any of them and this discussion would be over.
Steel shook his head. “How are we going to get all the people out before the blast? If your diagram is right, it’s a huge facility.”
Raven removed his hand from the paper. “It is huge. But everything runs off this main hallway. When we storm the building, most of the humans are going to try to escape through the front doors. Even Will knows we need to keep the front clear of Halflings so they can get out. The fewer humans inside, the easier it will be to find Nikki —”
“And Zero,” Viper said.
“Yeah, and Zero.”
Viper reached for the paper. “So we need to encourage the scientists and guards to leave. That shouldn’t be too hard. But it will take time.”
Shadow rested his weight on his forearms, scrutinizing the drawing. “Why not multiple blasts?”
“Huh?” Raven pushed the paper toward the guy. He liked where this was headed.
Shadow turned the paper to face himself. “First blast in the very back of the lab right after Zero and Nikki are safe. That way any people in the lab will rush out, head for the main door or any door that will take them outside. If the blast is near the back, we won’t risk catching people in a crossfire. What’s this?” He pointed to the last exam room at the end of the long main corridor and the smaller room beyond it.
“That’s the titanium cage.”
The other three visibly shuddered. “It’s much bigger than I thought it would be,” Viper said, and actually leaned away from the paper. Raven swore the guy went pale.
Viper drew several deep breaths. “Is that where they’re keeping Zero?” The distress in his voice, though he tried to hide it, was evident to Raven. For the first time, he wondered if Viper was up to the task.
“That’d be my guess. Nikki and Zero are probably both there. No telling what Vessler’s done to them.” Raven had already run all the scenarios in his mind, but Viper’s reaction could tell him how viable each might be.
After a few moments, Viper yanked a hand through that ink-black hair and focused on Raven. “Okay. We’ll have to set the charge near the cage to destroy it. Titanium is tough. We’re going to need exact measurements for the explosives and the building size. And we have to make sure we give the other Halflings plenty of time to get Zero and Nikki out.”
“No joke. Especially if we’re thinking of setting off multiple charges,” Raven said.
“So, we’re in?” Viper’s brows rose.
“Yeah, you’re in.”
Viper nodded. “Good. I’ve always hated waiting around doing nothing. You have a connection for this much explosive power?”
Raven rubbed the back of his neck. “I sort of planned to tackle one detail at a time, and the first detail was figure out if this was even possible.”
“So you don’t have any way to get the charges we need?”
Raven swallowed and tapped his pen on the diagram. “Anything can be found, dude. You just gotta know where to look.”
“And you need the time to look. Which we don’t have.” Viper spun the paper and considered it while the seconds ticked past. “I know somebody. He can help us.”
So why the hesitation? One minute Viper was tough, the next he seemed to be playing at being bad. “It has to be someone you trust. Someone who knows explosives.”
“It is. He’s totally trustworthy, but, uh …”
“But what?” Raven pressed.
“He’s a little quirky. Kind of odd. Maybe even a little crazy.”
“Guy works with explosives, so yeah, you’d have to be a little on the crazy side.” Raven thought a moment. “Is he good?”
Viper nodded. “He can drop a twenty-story building and leave a brand-new car untouched across the street. He’s the best. Just don’t let his personality get to you.”
“I don’t care if he sucks on a pacifier, as long as he can get us what we need.”
“No problem, then.” Viper flashed a white smile. “Let’s go. Faster we talk to him, the faster we can start blowing that lab to bits.”
They all stood. Raven moved to face Viper. “How far away is he?”
“Not far by air, but we need to take a truck. I don’t know what explosives we’ll need or how much room they take up, so we better be prepared to drive it all back. If we can carry it in packs and fly back, we will. It’s about a four-hour drive from here. It’ll probably take him a couple hours to get everything together for us.”
“Can we call ahead so he can get started?”
“No. Andy doesn’t believe in phones. He thinks they’re all wired to record conversations.”
“Four hours back if we have to drive.” Raven ran the calculations in his head. “That gives us just enough time to get to the lab before the Halflings invade.”
“Not a lot of room for error,” Viper said.
“Never is.” Raven headed out the door with the other three on his heels.
Chapter 26
Don’t open that cupboard.”
Raven pulled his hand away from the door handle. Viper had warned him Andy was a little odd, but seriously? The guy answered the door with a monocle over one eye. He’d then inspected them by pulling each one into his house individually and slamming the door on the others. Once satisfied, he allowed everyone entrance and offered coffee. He currently was leading them into the kitchen while Viper explained what they were doing.
Andy peeled the paper away from a candy bar and took a bite. “I’ve always liked Zero. I’ll help anyway I can.”
Raven wasn’t convinced the man was all there. He watched Andy place the half-eaten candy bar on the table. Which wasn’t too weird, except there were two other half-eaten bars nearby — one on the counter and one by the coffee pot.
Raven pointed to a row of coffee cups on the counter.
Andy nodded. “Yes, those are fine.”
Raven took one and filled his cup while Andy yammered about being rushed. Raven reached for the sugar jar and was stopped by a blood-curdling scream.
“Don’t open that jar!”
His hand stopped midair.
Andy grabbed the jar and held it close to his chest. “There’s sugar in the fridge.”
“Okaaaay.” Before pulling the refrigerator door open, Raven looked this supposed genius over carefully. Andy nodded as if confused by all the fuss over opening a door. He still cradled the sugar jar.
They went into the living room and sat down. Steel reached for a magazine and Andy yelled, “Don’t open that!”
Raven’s patience was running thin. Andy walked to a nearby bookcase and grabbed a different magazine and lobbed it at Steel. Rather than read it, Steel stared at Andy.
“I can’t be too careful,” was all Andy offered by way of explanation.
Viper placed a paper on the coffee table. “We worked the numbers on our way here. From what Raven says, these are the dimensions of the lab. He’s estimated each room, but figures he’s within a couple feet on all of them.”
“Good, good, good.” Andy put his monocle on his eye and studied the page. “I know just what we need.”
Raven looked at him questioningly.
“A candy bar. Do you happen to have a candy bar?”
Anger started to boil in Raven’s gut. If he just wasted four hours coming to talk to a nut ball who was scared of open cupboards and magazines, he’d kill Viper. Raven stood and headed for the front door.
“Because a candy bar will blow the lock off the titanium cage,” Andy continued. “You should be ready for that in case you can’t access the key.”
Raven turned to face him.
Viper explained, “Andy created an explosive device that fits into a candy bar wrapper.”
Maybe dude wasn’t so crazy after all. “That’s the reason for all the half-eaten candy bars?”
“I hate to waste them, but I’m so sick of chocolate I could scream. I actually tried screaming one day, but it didn’t help.”
Raven nodded. “Can you hook me up with a candy bar, Andy?”
“Sure. But that’s nothing compared to what you’ll need. I’ve been working on a new project. You’re familiar with C4, right?”
Raven said, “As much as any Halfling is.”
“Well, my new baby is smaller, more stable, and easier to use than C4. And it packs a heavier punch.”
Viper took a drink of his coffee. “Have you field-tested it, Andy? We can’t take any chances. This is a one-way mission.”
Andy blinked and the monocle dropped from his eye to dangle on its gold chain. “I’ve tested. It’s a go.”
“What do you call it?” Viper asked.
“Andy Soup,” he said proudly.
Raven leaned forward. “It’s a liquid?”
“No. It’s a solid, but it’s a little of this and a little of that, so … Andy Soup. I thought about calling it Andy Lasagna, but it just didn’t have a poetic ring to it. My baby’s brilliant, though. You’ll be able to carry it in on foot. One gym bag will haul it all.”
Raven nodded. “Is it easy to set the charge? And how does it detonate? Wire, remotely? Can we set a charge with a digital detonator, and is there any way to stop it if something goes wrong?”
Andy stared at the ceiling and counted off the questions by raising his fingers one at a time. “Yes. Either. Yes and it can be manually stopped if detonated digitally, but you have to be at the timer and it takes a full twenty seconds.”
Raven took in the room around him and realized it looked right out of a steampunk movie. Old World charm mixed with various pieces of copper and wire bundles that complemented the space. Andy’s monocle made more sense now. “So if the timer reads fifteen, run.”
The explosive expert’s face broke into a smile. “Exactly.”
Raven threw his hands in the air. “What can go wrong?” He started to drop his hand on a hat rack in the corner of the room.
Andy waved frantically. “Don’t lean on that. It’s wired.”
Raven stopped cold and stared at the piece of furniture. “Out of curiosity …”
Andy nodded. “Yes, the cupboard and the magazine are wired too.”
Raven’s heart froze. “Seriously?”
Andy stood and dropped his hands to his hips. “I can’t be too careful. Do you know how dangerous this is? If my stuff fell into the wrong hands …” He shook his head.
Within an hour they were loaded and ready to leave. Raven, Steel, and Shadow had been careful not to touch anything else. Viper, on the other hand, had floated around the house comfortably, never worrying about opening a cupboard filled with explosives. He and Andy must be pretty close friends.
Whatever; Raven didn’t care. As long as they got to the lab in time. Saving Nikki and destroying Vessler’s place was all that mattered. And finally, he had the firepower to do it.
On the way back, he’d lay out the details of the plan for Viper, Steel, and Shadow. Each could take a specific amount of Andy Soup into the building. Placed around the lab and detonated at specific times, the entire place would become one giant pile of debris. The first explosion would be small, used to drive the people out of the area. Once the place was clear, he’d detonate a bigger charge, able to destroy the titanium cage: Nikki’s prison.
Though her head throbbed, her hands were numb, and her back burned from the strikes from the baseball bat, Nikki’s eyes were clear and light. They had not faded to black. And that meant Vessler couldn’t win.
But neither could she.
In all the attacks she’d suffered, they’d avoided her stomach. She knew what they were protecting. Nikki knew from biology class that a woman was born with all the eggs she’d have during her entire lifetime. She wasn’t a true baby factory. But now she understood why her name had appeared with the words Genesis Project on the computer she and Mace dug from the fire so long ago. Later, Zero had admitted to her the name Nikki Youngblood also appeared in another file from the Genesis Project, along with the word surgery. Vessler planned to operate on her and remove what he wanted once they were overtaken by her fallen DNA. Only one thing kept his plan at bay: she hadn’t turned into a dark creature.
And that’s where logical thought ended. When she wasn’t being beaten, the most precious moments of her life entered her consciousness as hazy shadows. Her mom and dad on Christmas morning, running with her dog, Bo, on the tennis court, watching the eagles soar with Mace. Everything that had once mattered was reduced to flecks of images she could barely see. Barely recall.
Each time Vessler left the room, the assailants became less cautious. A few kicks landed in her lower abdomen. Since she’d suffered little abuse to her stomach, the blows sent a fresh round of pain through her.
After what seemed an eternity, they dragged her back into the cage with Zero.
The two lay there like newborn kittens abandoned by their mother. Helpless, unable to move, but unlike kittens they were also unable to die.
“Nikki,” Zero whispered.
She tried to turn her head toward him, but the movement shot pain down her spine. “Wha?” she mumbled.
“You’re okay for a girl.”
But the fear in his voice was unmistakable. Did he think she was about to give up? Death would be a welcome rest. Blackness enveloping her like a warm blanket, closing out the pain. Closing out the hurt.
“Nikki!” His urgency caused her eyes to flutter open. “Did you hear me?” He’d scooted closer and shook her shoulder. “I said you’re okay for a girl.”
She tried to open both eyes, but one was matted shut with bits of dried blood. She attempted a smile. “So are you.”
He sighed relief. “You’re gonna make it out of here. We both will.”
“Zero …” Her words weakened. “When they weren’t looking, I blew into the necklace and called for Vegan.”
But Nikki just wanted to sleep. The dimness pressed. “I’m an army,” she whispered. “Damon told me.”
“Nikki, you’re just one Halfling.”
“You can count how many seeds are in one apple. But you can’t count how many apples are in one seed.”
“What?” Zero shook her harder when her eyes closed completely.
“It’s better this way,” she mumbled, giving in to the deep, quiet peace, allowing its comforting arms to wrap around her. “I’m the key. To his plan. It’s better. If I die.”
Zero clenched his teeth and shook her. “No,” he gritted, fighting tears.
Her breathing turned slower, slower. Soon, it would all be over for good. Zero had improved over the hours, but he hadn’t been as badly wounded as her. He stroked her hair and whispered to her. “Don’t give up, Nikki. Don’t run. They’re coming to get us. I know they are.”
But she was floating on a shadowy cloud.
Zero’s voice slid farther and farther away from her. “No, Nikki,” he said, panic fresh and hot in the words.
This time, it was Zero who offered soothing touch, placing her head in his lap. She tried to smile. “You don’t understand. How much. Power I have.”
“What are you talking about?” But she could hear the urgency in his voice. He wanted to keep her talking. Keep her alive.
“I’m the key … to the Genesis Project. Vessler … will harvest my eggs. Use a cold process … rapid — rapidly age the offspring. Five — six years, enough dark Halflings to … destroy … your entire race. But, you’ve known … all along, haven’t you? So smart. No wonder … Vegan loves you.”
“Nikki, listen to me.” His hands clamped on her shoulders. “You haven’t turned. You won’t be dark.”
She forced her eyes open. “I will, Zero.”
“No.” He shook his head, and blond hair floated around his face. “They’ve beaten you practically to death and you haven’t turned.”
Avenger Page 22
