Missy followed him, stopping just out of hearing from anyone else.
“What’s all this about?” she asked, hoping he was going to tell her something she didn’t already know. Keeping up the charade that she was completely in the dark was imperative.
“Do you know what we do here at the institute?” he asked.
She shook her head.
“Our patients have been specially chosen to be a part of a miraculous trial to further the development of human abilities in order to revolutionize our species.”
It took every ounce of self-control not to outright snort at that statement. What a crock, she thought. Missy kept her face neutral as he continued.
“We have created a drug that will take someone’s natural ability or talent, and heighten it. For example,” he said, turning to point at a man who ran the perimeter of the room on a specialized track, “say if you were a fast runner before, after the treatment you would be far superior to any other human. It would literally be impossible for a normal human to run as fast as someone who has been modified.”
Missy shuddered at the word modified.
“Phillip!” he yelled out suddenly causing her to jump.
The runner stopped and looked around until he found the source of his name.
“Full force please,” the doctor said. The man nodded once before taking off again. Sure, he was fast, Missy thought, but it wasn’t anything out of this world. That was, until she noticed that he continued to pick up speed until he was zooming around the room so fast her eyes were having a hard time keeping track of him. Her breath caught in her throat as she watched something that, for all intents and purposes, should be impossible.
“Why has no one heard of this?” she asked.
“We keep it under wraps. Our men and women would be recruited by the army,” he explained.
“And you don’t want that?” she said as a question, but really meant it as a statement. Would he admit to what they were really up to? She doubted it. The men of the resistance were smarter than that.
He smiled tightly, his eyes hard. “No, we don’t,” was his simple reply. “There are also a few bugs we’re still working out.”
“Bugs?”
He surveyed the room slowly, his eyes taking in all the men and women at the various stations. “Their talents have been amplified, as expected, however so have their emotions.” He looked back at her. “We’re finding that many of our patients end up having anger issues, or something else that makes them unfit to actually be called a success.”
Missy did as he did, and looked around the room. As far as she could see, everyone seemed normal. He must have read the scepticism on her face.
“Trust me,” he said with a laugh, “should one thing go wrong right now for anyone here, you would see quite a display of theatrics. It’s why we have to have so many male guards around all the time.”
“Don’t you mean technicians?”
He smiled. “Yes, technicians.”
“So you’re telling me you have had no successes with this drug? Why even bother to continue with the testing?”
“We’ve had two complete successes, and about twenty-five very close ones. The twenty-five still have some issues, but can be easily dealt with.”
Two successes. Missy knew he was referring to Bridgette and Charlotte, and the thought made her sick to her stomach. The only reason, they assumed, that the two sisters were such a success was because their father had been giving them the drugs from the time they were little children. It made them wonder if the enhancement happened more easily when the body was naturally growing and changing, rather than with a fully developed adult. Looking around, Missy was relieved to see that she couldn’t spot any children here. At least they hadn’t gone down that road – yet. She wouldn’t put anything past these men.
“Patient 2140 has taken extremely well to the treatments, but suffers the anger issues I’ve told you about.”
Missy looked over at Tyler to find him already staring at her. “You don’t say,” she said dryly.
The doctor chuckled. “Unfortunately.”
“And what exactly is his…talent?” Missy asked.
“Brute strength,” the doctor answered simply. “He was strong when he was brought here, but now he is unbelievable. Most of the guards – technicians, here have started to call him the Hulk.”
“Where do I come into all this? What exactly did those technicians mean when they suggested I be used to control him?”
The doctor nodded as though he had been waiting for this question all along. “We need 2140 to start honing in that strength and using it to actually fight. He needs to get better control over it, which he won’t do unless he practices. Unfortunately he refuses to do absolutely anything, and none of us can force him. I need him in that cage and sharpening all those skills.”
“And my job would be to…?”
“I’d explain to him that if he didn’t do as he was told, you would be hurt as a consequence.”
Missy instantly took a step back.
The doctor turned his body so his back was to Tyler. “I won’t really hurt you,” he said softly. She didn’t understand why he was suddenly whispering. “Some of them have acute hearing now,” he explained in the same tone. How he had known she was thinking that, she didn’t know. “Your face is expressive.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Now that’s just getting creepy,” she said.
He smiled. “As I was saying, no one will touch you. You will simply be a way to exert some sort of control over him. If he reacts the way we believe he will, there will be no reason to demonstrate any harm to you. From what I can already tell, 2140 will agree to anything if it means you are safe. He doesn’t even like having you out of his sight.”
Missy grunted but looked over his shoulder at Tyler. Sure enough, his gaze was still boring into her. She looked back at the doctor.
“What happens if it doesn’t work out the way you think it will?”
His jaw ticked. “I’m hoping that won’t be the case.”
Missy swallowed against the sudden dryness in her mouth. She understood perfectly what he wasn’t saying. If Tyler refused to do what they said, they would definitely act on their threats. Was she willing to put herself in danger by placing her safety in the palms of their hands, just to be closer to Tyler? She looked over at her fierce highlander and knew the answer was yes. She just prayed that he was as protective as he appeared to be.
“Ok, I’ll do it.”
She was too far away. He didn’t like it. It had been too long, and now that he had her back in his sights, he wanted her touching him. His need for the blonde, little nymph, was intense. After the first two days, he had begun to wonder if he’d imagined her. Perhaps she had been nothing but a figment of his imagination. But now here she stood, in flesh and blood.
He watched her closely as she spoke with the doctor who constantly irritated him. They wanted him to fight the other men they kept in rooms like his, but he refused. Being told what to do grated on his nerves. He was no puppet. He would beat whoever, whenever he wanted.
Blue eyes met his and all he wanted to do was stare into them. His response to her was more than unsettling, and yet he couldn’t seem to stop it. Apprehension, then determination filled those mesmerizing orbs before they looked away from him again and she said something in response to the doctor. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but from the smug looks on the technicians standing around him, he knew it wasn’t going to be good.
CHAPTER NINE
Four soldiers blocked off the other end of the street just as Phoenix reached the halfway point. Her feet instantly stopped, holding her in place. She knew what she would see if she turned around, but she did it anyway. Sure enough, four more stood on that end, effectively trapping her.
Slowly looking around, she started to run through scenarios in her mind. How exactly was she going to manage to get out of this mess in one piece, and stay far enough away from them that she wouldn’
t lead anyone back to their home? The pistol tucked neatly away in the waist of her pants was a comforting presence.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t going to make much use of it. Eight bullets and eight soldiers. If she was a sniper or expert marksman maybe she could make this work. Her aim was good, but it wasn’t that good – not that she’d admit that to anyone.
The buildings on either side were thriving businesses – at least in comparison to most places in the new world. As Phoenix looked closely at them, wondering which ones would have doors that led out behind this block, she realized something that sent her blood boiling and cold all at the same time.
No one was around.
She looked at each place carefully on either side of the street. Nothing. Nadda. Not a thing. Each window was dark and empty. Just like the street, she noted inwardly. How convenient. What were the odds that all the businesses on this block would have closed for the day when it was only mid-afternoon on a Wednesday? She didn’t have to be a genius to figure out the odds were pretty low.
Had she been set up? The thought made her want to throw up. The people she lived her life fighting for had somehow betrayed her? It couldn’t be. She wouldn’t believe it. And yet, where was everyone? Normally someone would be ushering her inside and away from the danger of the NWO soldiers waiting on either end, but no one was here to help.
Her conversation that morning with Trent came rushing back to her – a mocking, ironic memory that made her grit her teeth.
“We need to lay low again,” he’d said as they ate a dismal breakfast. Without Missy around, Pixie and Vi had taken up preparing the meals. Phoenix expected them all to starve to death by the end of the month if her sister didn’t come back before then. She’d never had to force feed herself the way she did with those two creating…she didn’t even know what to call it, but it was certainly not food.
Chewing on her eggs that cracked in her mouth – eggs should not crack when one ate them – she looked at Trent tiredly. “Why?” she’d asked in a bored tone. The man was insufferably bossy and demanding. She hated it.
“We’re pushing it,” he had replied. “Now that we’ve figured out where Tyler is and have Missy in place, we should pull back from walking the streets. Haven’t you noticed the increase in soldiers lately? It’s even worse than it was when Roman first came to us. The last thing we need is another one of us getting arrested.”
She’d openly scoffed. “No one is going to get caught. We’re too smart and we know this city better than any of those meat-heads.”
Roman had chuckled. He hadn’t gone out at all, too afraid that he would be recognized. Phoenix didn’t understand how he could stand being inside this house all the time. He never seemed bothered by it though. With his arm wrapped around Bridgette’s shoulders, he’d said, “I think you should probably listen to him, Phoenix. Those soldiers, or meat-heads as you so eloquently put it, are smarter than you think. Trent’s right about this one. Just lay low until Missy and Tyler come back.”
Phoenix had waved him off. Now she wanted to go back and admit that perhaps she shouldn’t have gone out this morning. Of course, she’d been counting on the citizens of the western ghetto helping her out, not working against her.
Figures, she thought darkly. This was just going to be one of those situations where Trent could say ‘I told you so’. If you even manage to get out of this alive, she added.
Phoenix looked back and forth between the two groups of men, judging the distance between them and her. There was no doubt the doors to the stores around her were locked, but she could always easily break them to get in and through to the other side. The question was, would the soldiers be able to reach her before she could make it out and get ahead of them enough to lose them in the city?
Only one way to find out, she thought. Turning on her heels, she reached for her gun, spinning it so she broke through the glass with the butt. Footsteps quickly rang out as the soldiers bolted for her. Phoenix didn’t waste time looking at them as she reached through the opening she’d made and twisting the lock. A sharp pain burned her wrist when she pulled her hand back. Phoenix knew she cut herself as warm liquid dripped down her hand, but she didn’t stop to inspect it.
Time was precious. Running through a small clothing shop that was clearly a second-hand store, since anything new would only be in the upper section, Phoenix maneuvered through the racks, sprinting toward the back. When the exit door waited for her at the end of the hall, she almost cried in relief.
Rushing full-out, her hands in front of her ready to press the bar, her body hit so hard she felt like she had run into a brick wall. Ricocheting backwards, her ass slammed onto the floor so forcefully her teeth rattled. Her hand slipped as she scrambled to get up from all the blood. She could hear footsteps inside the building now.
Her heart beat so fast, she half expected it to beat right out her chest. Phoenix pushed at the door again and again. It didn’t budge. Reality sunk in like a cruel joke. Someone must have barred it from the other side. They’d known she’d try something like this, and they’d made certain she wouldn’t succeed. Phoenix let her head drop forward, resting her forehead against the cool steel of the door. She was good and screwed now. The narrow, empty hallway behind her offered no other options.
Her body was crushed painfully against the door a second after she heard the men enter the back. The bar dug into her hip to the point where she knew she’d be badly bruised. A hand grabbed a fistful of her hair, slamming her head into the door. Stars dotted her vision as she groaned, a warm wetness dripping down between her eyes.
“Nice try, bitch,” the soldier said, laughing cruelly. The other men chuckled along with him. Phoenix would have loved to bestow them with one of her infamous withering looks, but unfortunately there were now fourteen of them, and she wasn’t sure which ones were real. She blinked a few times to no avail.
They dragged her back through the store and out into the street, throwing her roughly to the ground. Phoenix tried her best to brace herself as she fell with her hands, gritting as the cut that was already there scraped along the pavement. She kept her head down, taking deep breaths to fight the nausea from the blow to her head. The soldiers circled around her silently.
A few more deep inhales and slow exhales, and Phoenix finally managed to look up at her captors.
“What have I done?” she asked innocently.
The man she was looking at snorted. “Nice try,” he said. “We know what you are.”
Phoenix lifted a brow. “A girl? I should hope so, otherwise I have serious concerns about the education of the soldiers that protect our great city.” She didn’t even see the foot heading her way until it made contact with her ribcage. Phoenix crumpled to the ground as the air rushed out of her. It was almost too painful to bear. Curling into herself, Phoenix tried desperately to breathe past her panic.
Oh God, she thought frantically, I’m going to die right here out in the streets.
A loud explosion sounded suddenly not far from where they were. Phoenix couldn’t see where it had come from since the soldiers blocked her view, but she soon spotted smoke billowing in the sky. It was like music to her ears.
“What the fuck was that?” one of them yelled. Six of them disappeared, leaving two standing guard over her. Another explosion went off, closer this time. Her ears rang from the sound. She curled in tighter on the ground. The men were yelling, but she was having trouble making out the words. Two boots appeared beside her head, right in her line of vision. Hands scooped her up easily into a pair of muscled arms.
Phoenix looked up with a sigh of relief, then instantly regretted it. Breathing was only making her ribs hurt more, not that she could avoid it completely.
“You sure know how to cause trouble,” Trent said grimly. Phoenix wanted to smile and respond with something sarcastic, but instead – to her utter horror – her eyes filled up with tears, blurring her vision of him. He frowned, his eyes hard with anger softened slightly. “Aw, Princ
ess. You’re hurt bad, huh?”
She nodded, sniffling. It was rare that Phoenix allowed herself to be vulnerable, but she was just so damn happy to see the big oaf.
He held her closer to his body and started to walk back into the same store she’d tried going through before. When they reached the other door it stood open this time. She wanted to curse, but instead she let her head drop onto his shoulder and stayed silent as they came out into a narrow alley. She knew the others were probably around even though she couldn’t see any of them.
“What happened to the soldiers?” she finally asked as they walked down the alley and turned into another one.
“Otherwise occupied,” he answered, not expanding.
“How did you know where to find me?”
Trent glanced down at her, his face still grim. Before he could answer, their attention swung to the end of the ally where a black van suddenly appeared. Trent stopped walking.
Phoenix sighed. “Now what?”
“Douglas’s goons?” Trent said.
Phoenix looked over the van. “It’s the wrong colour,” she noted.
Trent grunted. “They could have more than one van, Princess.”
“I know that,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I was simply pointing it out.”
“I’m going to need to put you down,” he said. “Do you have a weapon on you?”
Phoenix nodded.
“Think you can manage helping out?”
Phoenix looked away from their silent visitors and gave him a narrow look. “Of course I can,” she said, not quite sure how much of a lie it was. She was in some serious pain, and she was pretty sure she had a concussion, but she was going to try even if it killed her.
Trent put her down gently, keeping an arm wrapped around her waist until she steadied herself. Phoenix reached around for her gun, thanking the universe that the soldiers had failed to disarm her.
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