Fear Darkness (The Fear Chronicles Book 3)

by C. C. Bolick

  Rachelle broke the silence by turning to me. “Why does it matter if Tosh and Lauren are dating? Can’t you give them some privacy?”

  The anger in her voice startled me. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

  “It’s cool,” Tosh said. “Her question didn’t upset me.”

  Rachelle took a sip of her drink and slammed down the glass. “I dated a girl before and there’s nothing wrong with it. I also dated a few guys.”

  Why did I suddenly feel as if I had to defend myself? “I didn’t say there was something wrong with who you date. I want to date Travis. It’s my choice and no one else’s.”

  “You’re right.” The fire in Rachelle’s eyes disappeared. “I guess I’ve defended myself for so long I got used to it being normal. The truth is, I haven’t dated anyone since learning about my powers. I don’t want to. For now, I’m better off alone. That’s my choice.”

  I sat back in my chair. “I respect your choice if you respect mine.”

  Tosh lifted her glass. “Now that we all agree on respect, can we talk about why you showed up with no warning? Does Sylvia know you’re here?”

  Hannah reached for one of the chicken fingers. “I’m sure she does by now. She’s probably on the phone with the senator as we speak.”

  A shuffle sounded near the door and three men in black suits rushed in with guns. Each had an ear piece with a wire that attached to a radio.

  Senator McCall walked in behind them and surveyed the table. His eyes stopped on Tosh. “What is this, a girl power meeting?”

  “They asked to see you,” Tosh said with a hint of defiance. “I didn’t want them standing on the street where reporters could take their pictures.”

  He dismissed his bodyguards and glared at Hannah. “What makes you think you have the right to barge into my house?”

  Hannah took a bite of the chicken while giving a perfect look of innocence. “The last deal we had went bad. You owe me.”

  “What do you want?”

  “It’s not what I want.” She waved in my direction. “Rena’s dad and brother were taken from the agency. Sylvia has kept the agents from going after them.”

  “I don’t need Louis Castillo as a distraction. I’m running for president.”

  “He’ll be an even bigger distraction after you win the election,” Hannah said.

  As he stared at her, the tension felt thick enough to strangle me. The senator laughed. “You’re one crazy woman.”

  “I was to work with you.”

  “My wife and daughter will be here in twenty minutes. I want all of you out before they arrive.” His voice lowered as he looked at Tosh. “Including you. Sylvia wants you ready for the meeting regarding our new trade agreement. We’ll need you on point to translate.”

  “I won’t miss Lauren’s party,” she said.

  He looked at the food and sighed. “You did go to a great effort. My daughter will appreciate this.”

  “Give us resources and we’ll clear out,” Hannah said. “No one has to know we were here.”

  Senator McCall put his hands in his pockets. “What are you asking for?”

  Hannah pointed to me. “Didn’t you hear what I said? Rena wants you to save her father and brother.”

  “I heard,” he said. “What I want to know is what you want. You always have an agenda. What will it be today?”

  “I want out of my room on the isolation floor. I go back to the base and no one treats me like a criminal.”

  “You are a criminal,” he said. “You betrayed the agency and this country.”

  She stood. “From the mouth of our future president. Don’t think I won’t do everything in my power to make that election a struggle. The hearts and minds of every voter should know the real you.”

  “I could have you erased,” he said coolly. “It’s a common method I have of problem solving.”

  Did he have the power? Next to me, Rachelle watched with a look of terror. Frost formed on my glass as the temperature in the room dropped.

  Tosh sat perfectly still. “Stop it,” she whispered to Rachelle. “Don’t let him see your fear.”

  I thought about my fear of not being able to protect them. I had control, but the tingling in my hands was real. Blue sparkled from my palms and shot into the air. The blue reflected in Rachelle’s eyes.

  Senator McCall swung around to face me. His lips curved into a smile. “Predictable, but useful. I’ve decided to meet your demands. Sylvia will have a team ready by the time you reach Atlanta.”

  “Thank you,” I managed to say.

  He left the room and Hannah took another bite of her chicken. “Not bad for using your head, but please, no more sparkles.”

  I calmed my racing heart and the blue light faded. “Was he serious?”

  Hannah nodded. “When you make a deal with him, you must always read the fine print.”

  The breath hitched in my throat. “What do you mean?”

  “You have no idea what you just agreed to, but you’ll have to honor the bargain. When he delivers the goods, you’ll be too well invested. What did Agent Dallas say about using your head? A requirement for survival.”

  “What if we get Dad and Alfie back and I refuse to do what he asks?”

  “You won’t,” she said. “That I can promise.”

  Chapter Ten

  Travis

  For lunch, Tyler took me to a restaurant outside of the palace. We walked out of the palace and down the stone street. I watched everyone on this street as if we were deep undercover in hostile territory. Not an asphalt street, actual stones.

  The people looked like us, with a variety of skin colors. Clothes were mostly informal like the black pants and shirt I wore. They said words I didn’t understand. Several nodded to Tyler as he passed.

  “Does everyone know you here?” I asked.

  “It’s the uniform,” he said. “They know I’m a guard at the palace.”

  “Are you free to go wherever you want?”

  “I’m not a prisoner. I can’t teleport like most of these people, but I can walk wherever I want. I can take a ship back to Earth on my days off.”

  “Do you?”

  He shook his head. “I try to keep my mind here. It’s easier that way.”

  I could only imagine how he felt after Sylvia kicked him out of the agency. She’d threatened treason charges for her own grandson. He almost got me killed…

  “We’ll eat at my favorite place. They make human food. It’s a pub themed with animals from Earth. They don’t have lions, tigers, or bears here.”

  “I figured you’d take me somewhere exotic. Whenever we traveled for the agency, you always wanted to check out the local food.”

  “You want local? Okay.” Tyler laughed and led me into a small restaurant with dim lights. It took me a moment to adjust from the bright sunlight. People in fancy clothes sat around small wooden tables with a glowing orange light that circled the edge. A woman in a floor-length red dress showed us to a table and handed me a menu made of paper beneath a glossy surface.

  She spoke to Tyler. The red dress had a cut up to her hip. The fabric fit like it was sprayed on, so tight it was hard for me to look away. He answered with words I couldn’t pronounce and she left with our menus.

  “You speak their language already?”

  “Van wanted me up to speed so they programmed me by flashing words at a supersonic pace. The experiment only worked because of my photographic memory.”

  That’s how he integrated into the society here so fast. His memory was one of the few powers I envied. It made him a great agent. I held up the menu. “I was expecting something more exotic. Paper menu? Wooden table?”

  “It is exotic. Only the rich people use paper since cutting trees is forbidden. Furniture made of wood costs a fortune. You won’t see much outside of the palace.” He leaned close. “You couldn’t afford the bill here without tapping into your funds back home.”

  He always liked to tease me about the tr
ust fund. The woman returned with two glasses of beer, narrow and tall with a metal base to stabilize. Thoughts of Rena hit me.

  “Everything okay?” he asked.

  “Rena hates me drinking. I need to find her.”

  “She’s safe, man. Rena’s surrounded by people who can protect her, as if she needs help with her power.”

  “Like Van?”

  “She’ll be fine until you get back. The folks here monitor communications on Earth. We’d know about a nuclear event.”

  A bomb was the reason Van showed up on the cliffs and insisted Rena learn to master her power. I took a sip of the beer. It was smoother than any other beer I’d tasted. “Can you drink on the clock?”

  “One won’t hurt. Drinking isn’t taboo here like back on Earth. No one drives and there’s no drinking age. You’d fit in great around here.”

  I shook my head. “You know I’m not staying.”

  “Yet,” he said.

  “Didn’t you hear Pade say they treat humans as second-class citizens? I’m half human.”

  “But you can teleport. That’s a huge advantage around here since they don’t use cars.”

  “How do they treat you?”

  He shrugged. “Fine so far. No one cares if my skin is darker than theirs. I’ve seen people here with green skin.”

  “That’s a weird thought.”

  Tyler laughed and raised his glass. I lifted mine and tapped the side of his in a toast. “To friendship,” he said.

  “Friendship.” I finished my beer and the woman in red brought another. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

  Tyler looked up from his beer. “About what?”

  “Erin.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “I’m over her.”

  “Are you?”

  “She’s in the past. This place is the future. My future.”

  “Is that why you want me to stay?” I asked.

  “Powers are respected here. No one will try to lock you in a box like back on Earth. You’ll be able to use your powers freely to make a difference.”

  A ringing sounded and Tyler pulled what looked like a phone from his pocket. He tapped on the screen. “We’ll have to get the food to go. Agent Lockhart’s ready.”

  I finished the beer. “Think he’ll be okay?”

  “He’s strong. You remember when he trained us. Agent Lockhart will get through this.” Tyler spoke to our waitress and she brought two metal boxes with our food.

  “No paper?” I asked.

  “You’re not worth my whole paycheck.” He grabbed his box and stood. “Your dad is on the palace steps. He’s going to fly you up.”

  We left the restaurant and walked back to the palace. At the steps, Dad stood in the same black outfit from the day before. He held out a hand and I reached for it. We teleported to his ship and he sat at the control panel.

  “What about Tyler?” I asked.

  “He’s not going this time.”

  I sat in the seat next to him at the controls.

  “If you’d taken my advice, you’d be able to teleport.”

  “I could also burn the skin off your bones.”

  “Do you really think about hurting people in that way?”

  “I was making a joke,” I said.

  “Do you hear me laughing? Your purpose here is not to make jokes.”

  “Just what is my purpose here? You’ve yet to tell me, other than manipulating people into not wanting to kill you.”

  “We’re going to the prison to observe Agent Lockhart in action. His task is to bring back the memories of a prisoner.”

  “I figured that, but what’s so important about this prisoner?”

  “He’s the queen’s brother. He had two years of his life erased.”

  No wonder members of the queen’s guard were working on this. “Does anyone on this planet not feel a crazy loyalty to the queen?”

  “You might be the only person.”

  I watched the screen as Dad took off from a grassy area and flew us through the atmosphere. Blue sky morphed to black space. I shuddered as we approached the space station shaped like a snowflake. Blue lights lit the tips of the massive structure which seemed to float against a black background. This was the place Agent Lockhart was held in a prison cell, the last place I wanted to be stuck for two years.

  “When are you going to tell me what this is all about?” I asked.

  “We’re going to meet someone.” He stared at the screen with no emotion on his face. “A man I’ve worked for over the years.”

  “How many years?”

  “Since your mother died.”

  I turned to him, unable to keep the shock out of my voice. “That was eighteen years ago. You didn’t leave Earth until I was nine. You were working for this man before you left?”

  His eyes didn’t waver from the screen. “Yes.”

  “You’re not going to tell me why, are you?”

  “I would only implicate you. I don’t want to hurt you any more than I have to.”

  Laughing, I realized there was no point in hiding my bitterness. “I don’t think you can hurt me more if you shoot me with that laser you’re carrying.”

  “I’m not going to shoot you.”

  “Well, that’s good to know. You left for almost thirteen years but don’t really want to hurt me.”

  We sat in silence until he flew the ship into a landing area on the space station. He powered off the engine and turned to me. “You’ll be safer in there if you don’t open your mouth.”

  “Why is the queen’s brother in a prison?”

  “He’s a killer, he’s dangerous, and he has a power no one can control.”

  Dad teleported us outside of the ship to a walkway with several guards dressed in black uniforms, but we had to take an elevator to the level with the prisoner. At our backs, the elevator lined with glass showed the blue planet below. In the halls, the walls were sectioned metal panels with lights along the floor and ceiling. I noticed flashing control panels and monitors the thickness of paper—everything I’d expect after years of watching space movies.

  We left the elevator and walked through three air-lock doors with guards before reaching a prison cell about the size of the rooms on the isolation floor. The metal walls weren’t white, but the white outfit the prisoner wore was enough to make me shiver. We stood outside of a field that separated our area from the cell.

  The queen’s brother sat on a bed with his legs crossed. Like hers, his hair was almost the color of the outfit, but not much longer than mine. His blue eyes shifted our direction, piercing me until I looked away.

  The hum of raw power and an occasional flash of energy flowed between us. The field acted like a barrier, keeping him inside. I thought about Tyler’s words at the bar. No one will try to lock you in a box like back on Earth.

  The door opened behind us and Pade entered, followed by Agent Lockhart and Christian.

  Agent Lockhart froze before the field. “I need a moment.”

  Pade pulled him back from the field. “We need you to go through with this.”

  Agent Lockhart took a deep breath. “You understand why being back inside these walls is hard for me.”

  “It’s an impossible situation,” Pade said. “You were held here for two years and I can’t erase what Van did to you. You’re the only one who can help him.”

  Help him? Why would Pade want to help a killer who couldn’t be contained?

  “As long as we have an exit strategy,” Agent Lockhart said.

  “I got you out of here before,” Dad said.

  Agent Lockhart looked at Dad. “Doesn’t make me feel better.”

  “We appreciate your help,” Pade said. He still wore the green uniform; his gun hung in a holster at his side.

  “Your mother asked me for this favor,” Agent Lockhart said. “I didn’t know what I was getting into by agreeing.”

  Pade nodded. “Sorry you traveled this far, but we have no other way to bring back his memory
.”

  “This is your queen’s brother?”

  “Yes,” he said. “She believes returning his memory will make him the person she knew and loved before the memory wipe.”

  Agent Lockhart watched the prisoner through the energy field. “Why does she believe bringing back his memory will make him a different person?”

  “It’s hard to explain,” Pade said. “He lost two years of his life and that changed who he was. We think if you can return his memory, he may be his old self again.”

  “I’m not so sure,” Agent Lockhart said.

  “Anything you can do would be appreciated.”

  “You care about your queen. You truly want to help her.”

  “I do,” Pade said.

  “Strange that you embrace the job of protecting her. From what I’ve heard, a man from Golvern kidnapped your mother from Earth and made her come here to serve the royal family.”

  “It’s been Golvern’s way for years,” Pade said. “People with our power to shoot were forced into service. We’re slowly changing the way people think.”

  Dad watched with interest but said nothing.

  “Are you free to leave your post?” Agent Lockhart glanced at the walls around us and shivered. “If you decide working for the palace isn’t for you, would the queen let you out of her guard?”

  Pade gave a weak smile. “I like to think she’d give me a choice.”

  “What would your choice be?” Dad asked.

  With a glance at him, Pade’s smile disappeared. “To fight for her and for Golvern. That’s my choice.”

  Agent Lockhart focused on the young man behind the field. “If you could return to Earth?”

  “Still the same,” Pade said. “Are you willing to help us or not?”

  With a deep breath, Agent Lockhart nodded.

  Pade pulled out his gun and aimed it at the prisoner, watching as if no one else in the room existed.

  I tried to get Dad’s attention but he also stared at the prisoner. Pade turned to Christian. “Let him in.”

  Christian typed a code into the keypad next to the energy field. The crackling faded along with the hum of power. From his seat on the bed, the queen’s brother watched us with a smile.