Revolutionary

by LeAnn Mason

  The morning brought a cloudy, humid early-autumn day that started with the entire house mentally speculating about Holden and my evening activities the night before. Some knowing, some wondering, some laughing. All embarrassing. “This is exactly why I’d been holding off…” I grumbled irritably as I foraged for breakfast, weaving through the bodies of the rest of the team. The thoughts weren’t so easy to avoid.

  “Aw, c’mon Nat. Sorry, curiosity is a killer, and while I’m no different, I have some insider knowledge, just like you.” Jade winked cheekily at me. “Your feelings have quelled my curiosity and confirmed my hope. Though, I’d rather not feel your tingly, sappy feelings, so I’m more than happy to find you irritable this morning!” The last bit Jade tweeted chipperly, enforcing her words about being happy with my mood. I gave her a shove to show my appreciation. Just a little one, like her.

  “Well, I heard more than I wanted to. That’s for sure,” Trent lamented. Devlin and Steve both nodded in a rather uncommon display of unity.

  “Awesome,” I grumbled, feeling my cheeks heat for the millionth time since I’d emerged from my room only a short time before. I just stared into the chipped evergreen-colored bowl, which encased my lovely little yellowish spheres of sweetened corn cereal. Too much longer and the little balls would all be soggy, waterlogged, squishy mush. Yummy.

  “Not sure that much laughter should be in the bedroom, brother,” Devlin quipped as Holden moved into the kitchen, heading for the refrigerator and heaving it open. His face was hidden behind the door, but the finger he held over the rim gave a clear indication of his thoughts on Dev’s attempts at humor.

  “I don’t think y’all need me to explain that one to you, yeah?” I smirked. I really did love that man. He got me. My perfect match.

  “But seriously, what was the hyena braying about?”

  Jade propped herself on the stool next to mine, a cup of coffee glued to her hand and a knowing grin plastered to her mug—her face, not the cup. “I know that brand of hysteria on her.” She paused dramatically to take a slug of her go-juice, leaving the rest of the guys hanging on every breath for her to dish some dirty details. Finally, she obliged. “Tickling.”

  The disappointment was audible, all the guys giving varying displays of let-down to Jade’s big reveal. They eventually turned on Holden to try to squeeze some details out of him. All they succeeded in was getting Holden to shrug, his mental annoyance clear to me. There was quite the litany of profanity streaming in there with the line of questions being leveled at him.

  When he finally looked up, the pestering came to an abrupt halt, mental shock exuding from the antagonists. I flicked my eyes to Holden and noted the gunmetal color his currently held. The guys seemed to know the meaning of the shade, because each one made some sort of excuse and left, seemingly to continue their morning routines.

  “So, the dark grey comes out when you’re seriously pissed off, huh? Kind of like a less liquid and more dull version of your ‘worried’ eyes?” I pondered aloud. “Good to know.” I raised my spoon to him in a breakfast utensil version of a tipped hat, before grinning and finally finishing my meal.

  So, remember what we practiced yesterday. Set up, line up, breathe, and squeeze, Dev crooned from his spot to my left. He remembered my request to mentally speak to me while I had my ears on since his voice would just be an echo of thought.

  I readied, making sure to take deep, even breaths as I sighted in my target, took a slow exhale, and squeezed. Just after the muffled bang of the shot, a sharp, metallic ting signaled I’d hit my target, and a whoop left my mouth before I could stifle it.

  Swift reprimands came from both men as they ducked frantically, yapping about the risk of flailing with a loaded weapon in hand. Buzzkills. I hadn’t thrown my arms about like a lunatic, the gun pointing at anything that could be hurt.

  Holden’s wide-eyed, Nat, you must always act like a professional when you are armed. One little slip is all it takes for accidents to happen, was overshadowed by Devlin’s, “What the Hell, Dae? You can’t do that shit with a freaking gun in hand!”

  “Geez, Dev, overreact much? It was pointed in the air, and my finger wasn’t even on the trigger. I remember that lesson. ‘Don’t touch the trigger until you’re ready to shoot,’” I mimicked, albeit badly.

  “Seriously, Hybrid, if you can’t think clearly with a weapon in your hands, then I will not allow one to be there. This will help level the playing field for you, but I won’t let you be flippant with it. Make no mistake, its purpose is death. Treat it with respect,” Dev continued to lecture.

  “Yeah, well, what about all those inherent weapons that the Enhanced carry, twenty-four-seven? I don’t have that luxury. I don’t have an ability I can call on to actually give me a leg up on defeating an opponent! I’m a freaking sitting duck, as has been proven time and time again!”

  Nat, you cannot carry a weapon out of fear. Cannot use it when you are not one-hundred-percent sure of your intent. That is how mistakes are made. That’s all. We don’t want to see that happen to you.

  “Okay, okay. Point taken. I will make sure that I am always conscious of where my weapon is and what it is capable of.” When both men gave me the same droll look and matching skepticism of my compliance, I felt I needed to follow up. “Seriously, guys, I get it. I’m sorry. Still new to me, and I’ll admit that I don’t always think things through. I’m working on it, and I have you guys to remind me when I forget.”

  “Good. Now again, and this time, I want three shots in rapid succession and no happy dance. Got it?” Dev was right back in mentor mode, having apparently decided to move on from my slip. His chin-nod downrange indicated I should get on with it.

  I completed the day’s training with no other “happy dances” but a decent target average. Not bad for my first full shooting lesson. Then came the necessary repercussions of shooting about a hundred rounds downrange: cleaning the weapon. The guys had bailed, knowing I could do this part in my sleep by now and that having them around would be a distraction that only slowed the process down. Instead, they had gone back to the farmhouse to nosh on a hearty lunch. I couldn’t wait to follow in their wake and fill my belly with a healthy dose of turkey, ham, bacon, and more slices of bread than was usually acceptable for a sandwich. My mouth was watering just thinking about it, and it spurred me to clean my gun even faster.

  The lunch was everything I dreamt it would be. Sometimes a simple sandwich just hit the spot, and the company was a bonus. Jade had returned from a visit with the Wilson family in time to join me. She had been making such forays almost daily since Dane’s death. She seemed to be especially close to Aimee, who I believed to be Dane’s younger sister. Jade was definitely fond of the girl. I mean, sheesh, she’d indicated she wanted her on our team. I tried not to be jealous of the time they spent together, but it was a hard sell.

  I understood she needed time away. Away from me, the team, the reminder of why Dane was no longer with us. No longer with her. I didn’t blame her, and I had the same thing with Holden, but it was hard when each of us had always been the best friend of the other. Back when our lives were simpler, more innocent. Back before we knew the true repugnance that existed in our little world of Minefield.

  “What horrors have they planned for you this afternoon?” I asked her, my mouth fuller than would be polite. I ran a wrist across my face to catch any wayward mayo that may have been hitching a ride in an embarrassing location. I couldn’t go to my next task at anything less than one-hundred percent. I’d never hear the end of it. Brielle would have a frickin’ field day if I showed up to our training with mayonnaise splashed across my cheek.

  “Humph. We’re together, I believe. Another day teaching newbies the nuances of Sage abilities. I think we should compound our effort. Maybe have them try to block your telepathy while I manipulate emotions? These guys need a little humbling.”

  “What’s Boat Shoes doing today? Maybe we could add another element. Have they dealt with his
brand of suckage? I’d love to just kick the crap outta them today.”

  “Ooh, someone’s feisty!” Jade laughed. “I’m not sure what Steve’s plans are. You know as well as I that he does not conform to the same standard as the rest of us.”

  “I’ll shoot him a message, see if we can borrow his skills for the afternoon.” With a clink of glassware, we toasted our nefarious plan for the rough Primal recruits.

  “Have you met the new Sage recruits?” I asked as a kind of afterthought. She hadn’t been present at the introductory meeting with Tanner and Gordon.

  She followed up with a quick nod after she swallowed the last bit of her sandwich. “Yeah. Commander James introduced them at Sam’s this morning. I’m not entirely sure when they’re getting thrown into the fire, but I really want to see that projection in action.”

  I couldn’t agree more. I was really anxious to see that in reality. “Do you think he like… leaves his body? Can he be seen? Can he be hurt?” The whole concept really blew my mind. What an invaluable recon tool to have in the arsenal. We could get an idea of what we were walking into, what we were up against, without having to put ourselves in the line of fire. Game changer.

  Jade was right there with me on the implications of a gift like that. “That other guy, though. Gordon? He’s a tool. We’ll have to keep our eye on him. I feel like I’m missing something with him, and I can’t tell if it is a good thing or not.”

  “Oh, girl, yes! So you got the same vibe as I did. At first, I was going to say we should cut him loose. I was getting bad vibes, but when I pushed, I didn’t get anything truly malicious.” I continued talking as I set about cleaning up my dishes. “I don’t know if it’s just the general dislike for anyone other than Sages or if something specifically happened to put him off. I’m worried it’s the latter, but until I get something concrete or he puts us in danger, I don’t have a good reason to cull him. Especially right now. We need all the bodies we can get to help us keep the peace. So many people are picking fights for no reason.”

  “Speaking of… you got hit yesterday? With a rock?”

  I nodded in affirmation. “In the freaking face. And the shoulder. But the face, yeah!” Stupid ass. We still needed to find out what jerk was going around launching rocks at top speed down Main Street for no reason.

  “So… they saw?” I gleaned from her thoughts that she was referring to the guys actually seeing my healing first-hand.

  “Yup,” I popped the “p” for emphasis. It was a big moment that had luckily not been made to seem as such, thanks to all the other goings-on of the moment. I wanted to get off the “me” topic, so I made an abrupt departure onto a topic I was curious about as we left out the back door and cut across to the training building on the property. I wasn’t sure how sensitive it would be, so I wanted to broach it carefully. “So, you seem to be getting close with the Wilsons. Especially… Aimee, is it?” I winced. Probably not the smoothest lead-in. I deliberately looked down at my feet as we trekked. I could hear her thoughts and didn’t want to give too much away about my own mental state.

  “Oh, my bestie, are you jealous?” Jade laughed at me.

  Stupid empathy, I mentally grumbled. Somehow, I’d forgotten that she’d glean my mood and know my insecurities. There was no reason to hide my face from her, just like there was no point in her trying to hide such things from me. “Wish I could say I wasn’t… and have you not know I was lying,” I pouted.

  She was struggling with what to say. I didn’t want to say it for her, so I let her take her time. We stopped outside the big building, not wanting to have this conversation with other ears tuned in.

  “She’s not replacing you if that’s what you’re worried about. I just, I don’t know, I can commiserate with the Wilsons about Dane. But I can also help them through their grief as much as, if not more than, they can me. I’ve talked to the commander, and he’s agreed to let me take a more responsive role in the team.” Her thoughts said what her words did not.

  “You’re going to be our victims specialist? What is that exactly?”

  “It’s like a therapist. I’ll question or at least be present for interviews with victims or witnesses who may be traumatized by their experiences. I’ll be like a soft touch, a confidant.”

  “Can’t I do that?”

  “You can relay their thought and responses, but let’s face it, Nat, you don’t really have much finesse. We all know you are unparalleled in telepathy, but I may be easier to talk to. Get people to give us the answers we seek.”

  I didn’t want to be offended by her comments. I knew she was right, I did not have a whole lot of finesse, but damn, that still stung. “Better you than me.” I nodded and laughed it off as I opened the steel door of the training area. My flippant response didn’t fool either of us into believing me, no matter how much I wanted it to. I wasn’t always the easiest to talk to, to be friends with. I’d held myself apart for so long, and it was hard to open up.

  CHAPTER 11

  “Get out of my head,” Brielle barked at me for about the fiftieth time of the afternoon. I just smiled at her, totally unfazed. She needed to be brought down a peg or two. Besides, I owed her for her cheap shot earlier in the week, the one that resulted in way too many people knowing about my healing ability. I was still flinching at things flying past me and at loud noises, waiting, completely convinced that my admission was going to bite me in the ass.

  But for now… “Make me.” I smirked. I knew at some point she wouldn’t be able to restrain herself. She’d lunge. I was just tempting the bull with a red flag. I’d have to make sure that I didn’t let my guard down. I couldn’t let go of her thoughts during this exercise. I wouldn’t be able to dodge her if I didn’t catch her mindset before she started moving. The sweat rolling down my back was a distraction I didn’t need right now, but it was still fairly warm outside, and it was ten times hotter in this building with all the bodies. No air conditioning was a nice topper to that particular cake. It smelled lovely.

  “Don’t tempt me, Sage,” Brielle seethed through clenched teeth. She wasn’t able to stay focused on anything long enough to keep me out. I honestly wasn’t sure why she was still in consideration for the team. So far, I’d seen nothing that would indicate that she could bring anything of note to the team, and she certainly wasn’t playing nice.

  “Why are you here?” I sidled up to her, getting as much into her personal space as I could. She was substantially taller than me and a bit wider. Not fat, but… solid. She looked like she could keep up with the guys but was still feminine. Her eyes burned with a loathing that would be tough to rival, her mind spinning between hating me and actually trying to do the task.

  “I want to keep Minefield safe,” she recited stiffly, not moving away from me in the slightest. She wasn’t intimidated by me, and she wanted me to know it.

  “Eeert! I’m sorry, that is incorrect,” I buzzed at her. “Try again.”

  “I like being an Enforcer.”

  “Why do you want on this unit?” I pressed. The other two trainees half-watched our tête-à-tête while they worked with Jade a few feet away. It was good that Jade had moved on with them at this moment. Brielle and I really needed to have it out. In some way or another.

  “This is the prestigious unit. The newest, most elite of the enforcers.”

  I nodded, and being that we were so close, I nearly rubbed up against her with the movement. “It is. But what makes you think you’d be an asset?”

  “I’m fast. I can run down anyone.”

  “Is that all? That’s all you can bring to the team? That’s not enough.” The color invading her cheeks was not born of blush but of anger. I was pushing her, and she was at the end of her rather short tether. “Look, I’m not trying to piss you off. Not right now. We honestly need unique talents coupled with brains and the willingness, if not the desire, to work with a variety of Enhanced. People whose talents complement the others and work toward solving the more complex and flummoxi
ng cases that elude the beat enforcers. We. Are. More. Do you understand that? This is not about prestige. It’s about public safety and the safety of your teammates. If you aren’t up for that, you may as well leave.”

  “What makes you the leader? You can’t kick me out.”

  I really wanted to slap some sense into her. Literally. I settled for taking a deep breath and stepping back. “Look, Brielle, I don’t speak for the team. I do not speak for Commander James, who ultimately will be admitting the recruits, but I do have their ear. I’ve earned that. I’ve solved cases and earned the respect of my teammates and our commander. I’ve bled for this team.”

  “Nat, is there a problem?” boomed a deep voice from somewhere behind me. It had been too far out of range for me to hear the thoughts, or maybe I’d just been too consumed with Brielle, but I could read the commander as he moved into the training area. He stopped beside me, our trio making a standing triangle of tension.

  “Not yet, Commander. I was just trying to impart some wisdom for our recruit,” I said, making sure to pull some tension from my limbs as I addressed him. No need to call her out. Yet.

  “Brielle?” Commander James’ sharp eyes took in the scene, and while he couldn’t read minds, he could read people and knew things were not as compliant as we were pretending. He also chose not to call anyone out. He mentally indicated that our team would need to have a sit-down sometime soon to discuss the new recruits, see who would be a good fit… and who wouldn’t. Sharp, that man.

  Brielle gave a too-stiff, “All good,” to be believed, but the commander left it alone, instead turning his attention toward Jade and the others. “And you?”

  “We’re doing well. These guys are learning the ropes of mental awareness pretty quickly.”

  “Good. You’re done for the day. We’ll get you working with Holden and Devlin tomorrow. Maybe doing some shadow work. There are a ton of little flair-ups happening all around town. Every day, someone does something stupid. At least once. This opening the gates thing is making people crazy.”