Terran grabbed both her shoulders and gazed into her sapphire blue eyes. “I wouldn’t suggest leaving me behind.” If she left, she would rue the day. He’d find a shaman, a voodoo master, a dark witch—whatever means necessary to find her again.
She visibly drew a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them once more the fathomless aqua had returned. “Seeing Quint might not be the answer. You need to believe in this life, the inherent dangers, before we go.”
“Fine, I believe.”
“You are such an asshole.”
“No, an asshole is an external opening of the—”
“All right, no more. You’re so literal.”
He heard a stifled chuckle.
“I’ll take you.” She shoved against him and walked to her pool. She stared into the depths for a moment then said, “It’s against my better judgment. But if meeting Quint is the extra push you need, perhaps it’s the right move. I never know. I’m at a loss at which path to take with you. I doubt I’ll ever figure out our direction.”
“Join the club, my tricky water lily. Join the club.”
Chapter 32
Terran squinted against the sun on an atypical Seattle afternoon. Temperatures had settled in the mid-eighties, but after days in a freezing crypt, each hot ray was like a shot of heaven.
He remained at Maya’s side as they approached the entrance to Aether Pharmaceuticals. Quint’s façade was housed in a redbrick building in the Fremont district. Flint and Nodin followed close behind. No one stopped them, even though they were the only ones without employee badges.
Not surprising, especially after their morning shopping spree. They had entered the back of an upscale boutique and appropriated clothing while the owner stood silent and still at the register. After that, Nodin breezed through a café and grabbed a sandwich and steaming coffee cup—without paying. Terran removed a damp twenty-dollar bill from his equally damp wallet and slammed the money down on the counter. Thievery was uncalled for.
Flint rolled his eyes and commented they were just accepting rewards for their good deeds.
Terran had suggested he shut up.
Now that they were actually at Aether, Terran regretted succumbing to human needs. His stomach churned—unsettled from the odd food and timing between each meal.
Plus, this Quint person troubled him. Would he send security? Regardless of all the preposterous revelations, his protesting stomach, and his overwhelmed mind, he didn’t want Maya arrested over this madness.
Security measures similar to those in place at the Conservancy seemed likely at this facility. Or was this Quint his own security measure? This dark matter turning into a human theory just about blew the top off his skull. He needed Magic Maya fingers to ease his steadily building headache.
As he entered the main lobby, he struggled with the concept that dark matter could take a human host. Especially since current theory held that dark matter didn’t interact with any matter, nor was it detectable. The possibilities of this discovery were endless. Even with the potential for the greatest scientific breakthrough ever before him, his mind played one question over and over—If Maya spends her time recuperating in water, as Earthman, where does that leave me? Wallowing in the mud?
Flint chuckled. “That’s right, Pigpen.”
Mind-reading ass. Terran took a lengthy drink from his coffee, which kept him from dumping the steaming brew over Flint’s head. “Stay out of my mind.”
If they got to Quint’s office and he was the CEO of a video game company and they were all part of some whacko gaming experiment—the ass kicking would commence.
He followed Maya up the stairs to the second floor.
At the top, Maya punched open the door and walked down a hallway lined with royal blue carpet. By her non-hesitant march, she was apparently aware of Quint’s location. A receptionist guarded an office with connected glass walls and stainless steel double doors. Without taking a moment to huddle up and form a game plan, Maya pulled open the door.
Terran grabbed her arm to keep her at his side.
Neb Aether sat behind a desk, conducting a meeting with Chinese businessmen and recognizable senators from Washington and Oregon.
“Get out.” Flint, dressed in the finest clothes from the boutique, addressed the men in attendance.
“Gentlemen, forgive this interruption.” Aether spoke from behind his desk, his fingers steepled under his chin. “They’ve obviously mistaken our meeting time. I’d planned on dealing with them later. Please, excuse us for a moment.”
Quint’s harried receptionist now stood at the door.
“Nancy, please see to their comfort.” He waved a hand in the men’s direction.
As Nancy shuffled out Aether’s guests, the safety sprinklers suddenly erupted. Water poured from spouts lined across the ceiling. Nancy and her finely suited crew hustled to the stairwell, no doubt planning to exit the building. Puzzle pieces began locking together in Terran’s mind. He shot a sideways glance at Maya and raised a brow.
She winked.
“Terran, do you see the manipulative games I’m forced to deal with?” Aether trapped him with a pitch-black gaze.
How does this man know my name?
“You’re not Neb Aether.” Terran wasn’t sure if he uttered a question or a statement. A conundrum he found himself facing a lot lately.
“No, I am not.” Aether grinned and the whites of his eyes went full black.
Terran must have stumbled a little, because Maya took his hand, offering support. A vision of Aether’s mouth locked onto his wormed into his thoughts. Terran wiped the back of his hand over his lips, while he watched Aether laugh.
A fine mist fell from Quint’s office sprinklers while spouts outside the glass walls still erupted with a heavy flow. Tiny droplets covered Terran’s lenses, hindering his vision. If he wiped off his glasses, what would he see? After twenty-seven years of living in one reality, would he now see another? Doubts about Quint and the Elementals’ abilities could no longer fester in his mind. They had to wash away. He used his wet shirt to wipe his glasses. With them perched back on his nose, his vision remained blurred by streaks of water, which matched the hazy perception he could no longer deny.
Quint, the lecherous being who wanted to control his body, who had tried to kill Maya, stood costumed before him in Aether’s skin. The vision of his future altered slightly as another seemingly impossible supposition became fact. Dark matter could take human form, Maya was a water-girl, and they were in a world of shit. He shook off those thoughts. Concentration, before this man, was key. Forced to face this reality without proper study of all the variables rankled.
Adrenaline surged and he stepped up to the plate. “If we were playing games, then consider this checkmate. We will burn down this building and destroy all your false science. What was your plan anyway, Quint? If everyone dies from Mad Cow disease, who is left to leach?”
Quint walked around the far side of his desk. “Terran, we both know, I only need you. These others think to stop our progress. Profitable progress. I’ll ask once. Join me. I built this company for you, to do with as you please. We can unravel all the world’s mysteries together, become gods among men.” Quint sneered as he glanced at Maya. “I realize, Maya has some charms, but she’s not the only woman you’ll ever want.”
Terran stepped farther into the office and countered, “We never have everything we want, because once we attain it, we no longer wish to have it. We want more, always more. I’ll never join you, Quint. I will not use science as a means to deceive people.”
“Maya is deceiving you.” Quint locked gazes with Maya and presented a teeth-baring grin.
With measured steps, Nodin moved to stand beside her.
“Never, for a moment, believe she won’t use her abilities to keep you and control you.” Quint tapped his steel letter opener against his desk. “She’s already altered your mind. I can see her influence raining in blue streaks through your body. You may th
ink you’re sailing along safely, but she’ll suck you in like the Bermuda Triangle.” A black substance drifted from his finger and he swirled it around in a circle until it formed a vortex.
Flint jumped on the coffee table, set between two chairs at the front of Quint’s desk “Enough talk. Let’s finish this.”
Quint shook his head and exhaled a deep sigh. “This show of force is futile. I am as I will. I exist but do not exist. I am everywhere and nowhere. What is it you think to do, Flint? How will you stop me? You’ve tried for, how long is it now? Over five-hundred years?”
“Terran, I’ll ask you once again to be reasonable.” Quint once more met his gaze. “I would hate to start our mutually beneficial relationship on the wrong foot.” He waved a hand. “The rest of you may leave. I’ll deal with you later. Flint, keep your sparklers away from my building. Maya, you’re looking hale. I enjoyed drinking from your cup. I suddenly find myself quite thirsty.”
Quint’s sly grin was the only warning before an invisible force rocketed Maya against the office walls. The glass barrier shattered and razor shards rained down. She quickly regained her footing, but scratches lined her arms and face. Jagged glass pieces remained embedded in her skin.
“Maya!” Terran shot to her side. “Are you all right?” As this moment became very real, his primal instincts to protect his woman took over. Any lingering thoughts this was a fantasy world left as he watched water ooze from Maya’s wounds.
A sound, like the flick of a lighter, erupted as Flint snapped his fingers and set Quint’s desk on fire. A bellow of air fed the flames, spreading them across the papers on the desk and onto the carpet.
A voice beckoned in Terran’s mind, screeching, drawing him in, “Come with me.”
With a wave of his hand, Quint smoldered the flames, leaving behind a black char. Quint studied him and crooked a finger.
Terran’s legs moved in his direction. Multiple voices fought for supremacy in his mind. He flinched as the words bumped and jarred against each other.
Maya appeared before him, bracing her palms on his chest. “Stay with me…Stay.”
As he struggled against the momentum driving him forward, he felt Nodin’s arms wrap around him from behind. Water blasted from the sprinklers, stinging his skin. A strong wind drove Terran two steps back then Nodin released him.
Quint’s clothes rippled and his lips and hair created a frightening mask as a strong gale blasted against his face. Flames rained down from above, yet blacked out an instant before they touched him.
Maya maintained the pressure against Terran’s chest, her eyes turned deep blue and water poured from her nose. She wiped the liquid from her lips and kissed him, which reestablished their connection on a physical level.
His forward motion stopped. What is real? Maya was real. Since he’d discovered her in the cave, she hadn’t deceived or lied. None of this could be explained. He could no longer blame Maya for not exposing the truth, he knew now he’d never have believed her without proof. Proof that might get them all killed.
A black seed dug through his mind— compelling him to push away Maya.
No!
Then everything stopped.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Without support for his forward motion, Terran fell to his knees before Quint’s desk. He glanced at Maya, but she stood still, arms frozen as if they were still locked against his chest. The only sound was water dripping from the sprinklers.
Eyes wide, Maya lowered her arms in small increments. Her body shivered and her shoulders hunched. Her attention was riveted by something behind him.
What could possibly frighten her?
He used the edge of Quint’s desk to lever to his feet, and then followed Maya’s gaze to the shattered interior office wall.
A lovely petite creature, most likely in her mid-twenties, with flame red hair stood in the jagged glass frame.
Did they fear this girl? If so, why?
The flat screen TV on the wall exploded. The laptop on Quint’s desk whined and sparks shot out of the screen. His watch burned his wrist.
Flint glared at the girl, pulled his cell from his pocket, and threw it to the ground.
Apparently, Maya wasn’t the only one rattled by her presence.
A blue light field surrounded her. Her red hair stuck out straight from her head as if she’d inserted every finger into a light socket.
“Pillar, welcome back.” Quint broke the silence, speaking to a tall woman with white-blonde hair standing behind the glowing girl. “The timing of your arrival couldn’t be more convenient.”
The redhead focused on Quint, who had stepped in her direction. She tilted her head then opened her arms in welcome.
“No, please,” Maya pleaded. “I beg you. Don’t do this.”
Don’t do what?
“Pillar, what have you done?” Nodin’s words were whispered agony.
Quint skirted around them. “She’s done as I wished. Pillar, bring her to me.”
Maya took Terran’s hand and squeezed. “If this is our end, please know I loved you.”
Our end?
Did she think they were going to die? How? The clarity of Maya’s beauty inside and out shone like a beacon during this dark moment. No longer hidden in the pools murky depths. He cupped her face in his palm, blocking the strange scene playing out before them.
Maya stiffened under his hand.
“What is it?” Terran turned to see what had startled her.
Quint was frozen in motion. One hand suspended in the air and his feet no longer touched the ground.
The redhead smiled then clapped her hands together, drawing the blue field between her fingers. A bright violet sphere formed.
An inky black substance, once more, crept from Quint’s fingertips, but drew up short against an invisible barrier surrounding him. His mouth opened and the scream echoed through Terran’s mind. The others were similarly affected, cupping their hands over their ears.
The redhead’s glow began to wane.
Quint fell to his knees. “You…You’ve m-m…made the wrong choice.”
The redhead generated a violet light in her hands then shot it like a laser beam at Quint. The beam struck his torso, knocking him across the room.
The pulse sent a subtle shockwave over Terran’s skin. Every hair on his body stuck up straight and yet he refused to blink.
A white circle now existed in Quint’s chest.
Terran stared at the hollow core. Physics lectures stirred through his mind. Bits and fragments struck his brain. What just happened? Photons? A mental science class for another time as he watched rage darken Quint’s face. Would he retaliate? Was this redhead capable of unleashing another pulse?
With eyes as black as night, his fists clenched at this sides, Quint released an unearthly bellow. “You dare to defy me? Me? I will return and I will destroy each and every one of you and everything you hold dear.” And then he beamed away like he’d entered the transporter on some science fiction show.
Flint turned to the redhead. “Who are you?”
“I am Violet Levina.”
“Come with me.” He stepped forward and grabbed her arm then instantly released her. Very slowly, he opened his hand.
Terran glimpsed angry red blisters on Flint’s palm.
“I will not be led by any man, especially you.” Violet’s soft lilting accent contradicted the strength latent within. She turned to Maya. “Why do you continue to put yourself in harms way? After assisting you at the lake, I would have thought—”
“Violet, not now.” The blonde woman Quint had called Pillar, placed a hand upon the redhead’s shoulder.
Violet continued her perusal of Maya, and then she cast a glare at Flint. “I cannot continue to intervene. It is too dangerous for—”
“Violet, we discussed this,” Pillar interrupted once more.
Violet nodded at the woman and offered a weak grin. “I’m sorry.”
A puls
e of violet flashed, temporarily blinding him, and after blinking, Terran noted that Pillar and Violet had disappeared. “Well, at least, gamma-girl didn’t turned green and destroy the place.” Levity seemed appropriate. Anything else would have him screaming for the exits.
Flint’s brow furrowed as he faced Terran. “Gamma-girl?”
Terran paced alongside Quint’s desk. “I’m going to go with this, so follow along. It’s theorized that a high-energy magnetic field can convert dark matter into a photon within the visible spectrum. That was why the cylindrical hole in Quint’s chest appeared white.”
Eyes wide, Maya stared at the place where moments before the redhead had used her gifts to incapacitate Quint. “I have no idea what you just said, but she was amazing. We have to find her.”
Nodin reached over and shook Terran’s shoulder, jolting him out of his mental physics class. “Let’s get this done. We’ll discuss the she-hulk later.”
Flint led the way as they fled down the stairwell.
Terran noted Maya’s cuts and gashes from the broken glass had healed. The memory of all that glass breaking, reminded him of their greater purpose. “Flint, follow me. Maya and Nodin, make sure everyone is out of the building and far away.”
Terran raced back up the stairs and down the second floor corridor. A lab was on this level, somewhere. The familiar smell of hexane solvents had evoked a wave of homesickness for his lab when they’d arrived on this floor earlier. Ahead, an old-time showerhead stuck out from the wall and a Plexiglass box stuffed with safety glasses hung beside a door—standard safety precautions outside every lab. Clear signs he’d found his mark.
Once inside the lab, he yanked off the rubber hose leading from the natural gas nozzle to the Bunsen burner then turned the gas valve wide open. He twisted open two more valves before turning to Flint. “Concentrate, please. Is anyone left in the building?”
Flint closed his eyes and after a moment, answered, “No.”
“Give me five minutes. Then light it up.”
Flint was staring at his palm again. He closed his hand in a fist. “It will be my pleasure.”
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