At the tip of his clenched fists, which were until that very moment just a blue etheric shell, flesh began to form, knitting and weaving its way down from the top of his hands. He watched in awe as rivulets of blood, networks of arteries and veins, and finally muscle and skin began to form over bone. This continued onward down his arms.
He concentrated outward, and using his tremendous will, he strengthened the shield around him, protecting the forming flesh from the immense velocity and the vacuum that lay just outside the protection of his own mind.
***
Lucas was with Marie on the main deck of the ship. He wanted to watch her reactions more than anything else, but just as she had been, he was now completely transfixed by the giant artifacts rising from the ocean in front of him. Several of the technicians who manned consoles inside the control room had left their stations and were fanned out behind them, each of them staring up at the rising pieces of the giant object, their mouths gaping wide open in awe.
The klaxon blared behind them suddenly, and both him and Marie turned in unison toward the flashing red light that was positioned just above the door. Lucas rushed back toward the entrance and jumped through the door into the control room, knowing that Marie was following close behind. Even he was reluctant to turn his gaze from the giant sections of the Machine as they were lifted from the depths of the ocean, as though by magic.
“Report!” he yelled as he walked inside and took a position at the center of the room. The other technicians rushed in behind them and once again took up their positions at the various monitors in the room.
“The psionic-suppression device is offline,” Ranger replied, his lips trembling just barely.
“How?” Lucas asked, trying to mask the fear in his voice, and for the most part successfully replacing it with veiled frustration.
“Not sure yet—bringing up video feed now.”
The screen in front of them had been filled from wall to wall with a display of the Machine as it took shape outside the ship. One giant section was occupying most of the central portion of the screen. Water fell from it in a golden, shimmering cascade, almost like moving, liquid light in the golden sun. The image was replaced with a camera feed from the room where the psionic-suppression device had been kept—this time, they’d thought, much more securely. Lucas squinted, trying to make out what he saw in the smoke. After a moment, he could make out the body of the guard lying motionless on the floor.
“Exactly when did the device go offline?”
“Two minutes ago, sir.”
“Give me three minutes of video, please.”
Ranger said nothing as he worked the touch interface on his console. The image on the screen once again changed, and now the guard was conscious, sitting at his desk and staring at his monitor. Lucas watched the events unfold as his stomach lurched. Beads of sweat formed on his brow, despite the cold air circulating in the room from the wide-open deck door. His extremities went cold for a moment as he watched the girl, whose name he knew was Ciara, reach up toward the man’s neck and render him unconscious with what appeared to be zero effort.
Marie stepped forward. “Freeze the video,” she said loudly, her voice rising above the other ambient sounds in the room. Ciara still had her hands in the air, and she was looking down at the security guard who was lying unconscious on the ground. “How on earth did they get their restraints off?” Marie asked, her eyes wide and fierce.
Ranger glanced at her, unsure what to say. He turned his hands upward and pursed his lips, as if to say I have no idea.
Marie sighed. “Get out of my way.” She pushed him from his console with one hand. He stood up, almost stumbling, and stepped aside. Deftly, Marie ran her hands across the computer’s interface, as though it had been built specifically for her. After a couple of seconds, the screen showed a different image that quickly came to life. This was video footage from the room where the Ethereals had been kept safely, or so they’d thought. There was silence in the control center as the video played. At first, there was nothing, and they were merely sleeping.
Lucas became aware of the flashing red light on his left, and he was thankful that someone had thought to mute the klaxon. “Nothing’s happening. Advance the playback,” he said.
“Advancing to ten minutes before the incident,” Marie replied. He was her subordinate, but in this instance, she apparently had no problem following his lead.
In this section of the video, the Ethereals were awake and talking to each other. The thing that had been bubbling under the surface in Lucas’s mind now came to the fore. There was no way they should have been able to break those restraints, he thought. They had been designed specifically to resist psionic power. Watching Ciara render the guard unconscious did not cause him much concern, but the fact that the restraints were gone was almost impossible to explain.
He gaped as he watched the restraints shatter, the dense material they were constructed from—after much expensive research—falling to the floor around them like confetti, as though they had been made from nothing more than cheap porcelain.
“How did they do that, Lucas?” Marie asked as she turned toward him.
For once, the truth came from his lips, unbidden. “They didn’t.”
“What the hell do you mean, they didn’t? If they didn’t, then who did?”
He gazed at her. “Someone—or something—else.”
Her facial expression changed, and they exchanged a silent, knowing glance, but there would be no mention of what they were both considering. After the tense silence, Marie turned to the monitor once again. She watched as the lock on the door malfunctioned shortly after, and the three Ethereals made their way out of the room. Then she turned and glared at Ranger, who had now backed away another few feet.
He held up his hands. “I told you the electromagnetic interference could throw off some of our systems,” he said, his voice almost breaking.
Lucas saw Marie’s eyes grow wide as she stood up. Even he found himself taking a surreptitious step backward as she began advancing toward Ranger.
“Including the security features of the room where we were holding three incredibly powerful superhumans?” she said, her voice growing in volume with each word.
Ranger’s mouth opened and closed; there was no further response one could give to that, apparently.
Marie sighed again and turned to Lucas. “Take care of this,” she said simply, “but under no circumstance are you to harm them, Lucas. We may still need her.”
Lucas hesitated for a moment and then nodded at her. He turned and left the control room, exiting through the main door in the far-right corner. He kept his motion as steady as possible, trying not to let them see just how frightened he was. He ran his wrist over the security panel, feeling Marie’s eyes bore into his back. Once outside, as the door closed, he leaned his full weight back against the cool, thick metal and closed his eyes. He took a few deep breaths and then wiped the sweat from his brow.
Free. They’re free! He placed a hand on his chest as it rose and fell rapidly, and his chin slowly lowered until it rested on his collarbone. The ship lurched, and the entire hallway shook. The metal around him groaned once briefly, and he lowered himself closer to the floor, reaching his arms out to his sides and placing them against the massive door behind to steady himself. He waited only a few more seconds before he looked up and sprang back to life. Gritting his teeth, he stood up and strode down the large hallway that led to the elevator. Upon reaching it, he scanned his wrist over the panel. The door opened, and he stepped inside.
“Deck seven,” he said aloud. Then he considered the request. “Cancel.” The elevator had started already, and although its movements were subtle, he felt it come to a stop. “Deck eight.”
The second destination that came to mind—the armory—seemed a much smarter choice. They needed Jane alive, that was for sure. They had a good reason, and he ag
reed with them. But if she resisted… Well, he was not only obliged to defend himself, but more than willing to as well.
The elevator stopped, and Lucas stepped out. He took a right and headed down the central corridor on the ship. After walking approximately fifty feet, he reached the small room. He ran his hand over the security panel, and it beeped. The familiar voice of the ship’s AI spoke from the small speaker next to the device. “Secondary password is required to access the armory. Please speak now.”
“Password: hunt.”
The series of bolts and locks began to move immediately inside the metal frame. After a couple of seconds, the door slid open. Inside was a relatively small room, measuring about twelve feet from left to right and stretching back another twenty feet. On either side were various different weapons stacked on shelves from top to bottom. He passed by the front section where the basic Tasers and tranquilizers were kept and walked directly to the back, where he knew he would find something much more dangerous.
He looked to his left. Here, a series of Taser rifles were stored, stacked on top of each other in recesses carved into an alloy casing. A sheet of glass two inches thick covered the weapons.
There was a small security panel to the left of the cabinet, and he reached up his hand slowly toward it. He hesitated for a moment just as his wrist was about to pass over the device. Recalling his training, he remembered just how much damage the weapon could do. Was such a measure necessary? Yes, he thought after a moment. He would take no chances after what had happened at NY-1. The interference from the object outside was causing power failures all over the ship, and he knew that he would likely have to face Jane with her faculties fully intact. Even this weapon might not be enough to bring her down. As he considered his options, he thought of something that could be far more advantageous to him. If I can just find a way to lead her to it…
In the dim reflection of the glass, he saw a grin spread across his face. He moved his wrist forward, hearing the familiar beep.
“Tertiary security required for access to this weapon. Please speak now.”
“Password: control.”
There was a hiss and the glass parted at the center, allowing access to the slick line of weapons beyond. Now that they were in plain sight, a mere foot from his face, he hesitated. The metallic exterior was inviting, yet it spoke of something deadly and dangerous. The voice he never listened to told him to stop what he was doing. As always, he suppressed it, and in defiance of that voice that would have one day saved his life, he reached out and grasped one of the weapons. He took it down from the recess and held it firmly in his hands. Its appearance was mildly deceiving. It felt light to hold.
He glanced down below the weapons to the small container which held the prototype device. He had not considered using it, for its usefulness was yet to be fully explored. What the hell, he thought, and reached for it. He opened the container, took it out—not knowing if it would even work—and placed the back part over his ear, where it clipped into place. Then he pulled the front section down over his forehead, where it ran across in a line. He switched it on and saw a blue light emerge from the top of the device, just above his eyeline.
He took a deep breath, turned toward the entrance, and left the corridor, making his way back to the elevator. Once inside, the AI once again asked for a destination. “Deck seven,” he said, knowing that was where the infirmary was, and that that was exactly where Jane would be heading. He held the weapon tightly to his chest, with his right hand wrapped securely around its base.
CHAPTER 13
TREY
That same afternoon, in Paris, Zoe and Noah had both lain back against the sofa in the corner of her office as the other employees had left for the evening. Only the security guards remained on the upper and ground floors. After a few moments, Zoe fell against him, and he wrapped his arm around her. She rested her face against his chest, rising and falling with it, and breathed in the sweet aroma of his aftershave, the smell of the spring laundry detergent, and a hint of sweat from a long workday. She inhaled deeply and was asleep within seconds.
A red light invaded her dreams—a flashing, pulsing beacon. She was on guard with a sword, fighting through hordes of formless, faceless enemies in the basement of a nuclear reactor.
She woke up screaming to the klaxon blaring in her office. She felt Noah wrap his arms around her waist, but she couldn’t shake the dream, could not stop herself from yelling. Tears spilled down her cheeks.
“NO! NO!” she yelled out, knowing she was awake but unable to stop herself from screaming. “NO!!”
“It’s OK!” Noah yelled back.
Her breathing came in terrible gasps. She wrapped her hands around his, looking up at the light flashing overhead. “Lucy,” she said through tears, “what’s happening?”
“Trey has broken the lock on his door and appears to be leaving the facility.”
“Shut down power.” She stood up, raced to her desk console, and stared at the monitors. “Restore full light to the room.”
“I am unable to do so.”
“Why?”
“I’m not certain. Some other influence appears to be acting on the electrical circuits.”
“Trey!” she said, turning to glance at Noah, who was now standing behind her.
He placed a hand to his face, which seemed to show a terrified expression, and rubbed his forehead.
“We have to get to him before he leaves.” She still had access to her computer, and she manipulated the controls to enhance one of the camera feeds. The corner screen rushed toward them, filling the display. A lone figure could be seen walking through the darkened corridor amid the rising and falling red light. It was Trey.
Noah reached under her desk and pressed the release button there. An invisible compartment opened automatically, revealing a concealed weapon. It was a long-form pulse weapon that fired both high-intensity stun pulses and more destructive, explosive bolts of energy.
Zoe looked at him as the weapon came to life in his hands, recognizing his DNA signature. A beam of light from the window struck its metallic frame and moved up and down its gleaming surface. She nodded at him when he brought his eyes up to meet hers, and they both moved toward the door. She stood aside as he brought the weapon to his shoulder, aimed it, and fired. A bolt of lightning-blue energy exploded from the tip of the weapon and impacted the electrical systems in the door.
“One more!” Zoe said. She took another step back as Noah lowered the gun, aimed once more, and fired again on the lower locks. A melting mass of embers fell from the handle there. Zoe raised her foot quickly and brought it down full force on the handle, kicking it free from its housing. It clattered to the floor, making what sounded like a cacophony of sound in the silent office.
Zoe looked at Noah, and he nodded at her. The door swung open two inches, and she opened it wider and peered out into the empty corridor. She looked back to Noah for reassurance and then stepped into the hallway. The red light from the emergency panels above rose and fell in intensity as she continued down the corridor, bathing her in their stark color. They reached the end after a moment and stood close to the wall. Zoe peered around the side to see Trey standing with his back to them. He did not move, just stood right in front of the elevator. As he exerted his power on it, the door opened with a groaning reluctance.
“Lucy, report, please,” Zoe whispered into her earpiece, thankful that she still had it. “The power’s gone, but there are six redundancy systems. They should have come online by now.”
“Yes, Miss Delahunt. There was an immense spike of psychokinetic activity just one minute ago.”
“Strong enough to overcome the field?”
“Yes. I’m interacting with you from the secure network we created earlier.”
“Good. Is there anything you can tell me about what’s going on?”
“There is a high probability that this is being caused by the occupant Trey R
ousseau. There was a buildup of psionic energy around his person in the moments before it happened, and then a massive surge of psychokinetic activity before all sensors went dark.”
A young girl by the name of Clement opened the door to her room just across the hall from them. Zoe glanced at her and shook her head fiercely. Clement nodded, understanding Zoe immediately, and quietly went back inside, closing the door behind her.
Zoe turned around again and watched as the doors of the elevator closed. She caught Trey’s eyes just beforehand, and they appeared as black as dark marble. A shallow gasp escaped her as he looked at her, and she swung back around the side of the wall. When she heard the elevator begin to move again, she immediately walked out into the corridor and quickly made her way toward it with Noah just behind her.
She put her ear to the elevator door and heard it come to a stop on the bottom floor. Her mouth gaped open as she listened.
“He’s using psychokinesis to move the elevator.”
“Yes,” Noah agreed.
Zoe ran her wrist over the security lock on the right-hand wall, but as she expected, there was no response.
“Lucy, is there any possibility of restoring power to the elevator?”
She was waiting for a response when she heard a loud crash below them rising up through the elevator shaft. Noah and she exchanged a brief, worried glance. Her only thought was concern for the security guards on the main floor below.
Rise (The Ethereal Vision Book 2) Page 15
