"You okay?" Vincent asked.
"What?" I came out of my reverie about killer soap. "Oh, yeah. I'm okay."
He didn't look convinced, but nodded all the same. "I'll see you downstairs soon."
Rider did, in fact, check the bathroom. To make sure Vincent was happy, I even had Rider check the shower stall and everything.
It had nothing to do with me imagining the shower curtain attacking.
Once he left me alone, I didn't waste any time getting into the warm shower. The water poured over me while I thought only of the warmth for a while, then I turned my mind to meditation.
The Path was almost non-existent now. It was possible keeping the portal open, or maybe going through it, might have burned me out.
If that were the case, though, I'm sure I would have started to recover by now.
No. This had been the gremlins. Wyna had handed me the innocent little bottle, said they apologized and the liquid would heal me up. She had implied the cut would heal, but even at the time, that hadn't made sense. I needed to see if the contents had healed my soul.
Fearing what I would find, I didn't rush the process. With the bathroom steaming up around me, I stood under the shower and let my mind slowly come together and focus. My thoughts almost drifted to the edge of my mind, to the edge of where my understanding of the world ended and a black chasm spread out.
When I reached that spot, I took a few deep breaths and concentrated on the abyss. At first, I saw nothing, but that wasn't surprising. It sometimes took a while for my soul to come into focus.
Careful not to force it, I watched, looking for sparkling shards, hoping that was what filled the void between the Path and me. Intent on finding the jagged edges of my soul, I almost missed the gauzy wave. Once it came into focus, I was mesmerized. Like never-ending waves on an ocean, my soul lay stretched out before me. A glimmer stood out in a few places.
Careful not to probe too deeply, I glided above the smooth surface, inspecting it before moving to the next. Each shining piece rose above its surroundings, but also moved with it. It took me a while to realize the bulges in my soul were not originally mine. They were fragments that had belonged to other Lost.
At least they had been. Now, they were very much a part of me, entwined in my own soul. There were no breaks and no jagged edges. My power no longer bounced between different pieces of my soul, amplifying the energy.
My power was weak. The thought broke my meditation. I shut off the water and stood for a moment, feeling lost. Then I shook my head and grabbed a towel.
Vigorously, I dried myself. I would still be useful. I had to be. The Path was still there. This monster could still be tracked, as long as I didn't have to go too far into the past to see it. No one needed to know that I’d be nearly useless at defending myself.
Almost no one.
"Rider," I said softly, knowing he would be able to hear everything, "I need you to know something before we go downstairs."
As I put on fresh clothes, I told Rider everything. Once I was dressed, I opened the door, checking the expression on his face, and continued my story.
"So your soul is no longer broken?" Rider asked.
"It doesn't appear to be." I dragged a brush through my wet hair, thinking my friend had missed the point.
When I looked over, Rider wore an expression I hadn't expected. He beamed at me.
"What?" I asked. "This means I won’t be able to do as much. I can help you find whoever is doing this, but I don’t think I’ll be useful when he's found."
"This means Vincent will no longer need to carry the guilt he has somehow harmed you."
A thought stole over me. "Do you think he'll leave?"
"Why would he leave?" Rider asked, looking confused.
"He said he would stay until he fixed what he broke." Looking down, my hands were gripped together, but I didn't really see them. I was trying not to stare into a life without Vincent around.
"Vincent will not leave."
"I wish I could be as sure of that as you sound."
"It is not easy to leave those you love. If I must go away, you will have each other."
I narrowed my eyes at him. "You are not leaving." I put as much emphasis into the words as I could. "And I only told this to you now because you need to know. I don't want the others to find out yet."
"You do not think they need to know?" Rider asked.
"You and I are a team today. Besides, if they know, then it's possible the guy who tried to kill me will find out."
"You should at least let Vincent know," Rider said.
"If Vincent thought I couldn't defend myself with the Path, he would try to lock me up in a room until I died of old age."
Rider looked shocked and offended on behalf of his friend. "Vincent would not do that."
I grinned. "Not really, but he certainly wouldn't let me help, and he would ask you to stay with me. We need to be out there."
"I think that is true," Rider said without looking thoroughly convinced.
"I promise I'll tell him after this mess is sorted out, but it should come from me."
"There is a lot we are hiding from him right now."
"Not hiding. We’re postponing it, but it’s for his own good. He doesn't need the distraction of thinking he could somehow keep me safer."
"This is true," Rider conceded reluctantly. "We will tell him after."
"Thank you, Rider. Let's get downstairs."
***
Hank, Logan, and Boone were in the conference room when we entered. For a minute, I worried Rider would go around and sniff everyone, but when I sat, he sat down next to me.
"You didn't have that last night, did you?" I asked Boone, indicating a cut across his cheek.
"That's new," Boone said. "Courtesy of the man who is trying to kill us."
"Was anyone else hurt?" I asked. "I heard the gunshots."
"We dangled Boone in front of him, hoping we'd be able to catch him," Logan said.
"They used you as bait?" I asked Boone, not feeling comfortable with the idea.
"I used me as bait," Boone said.
Logan grinned at me. "Not unlike you yourself have done on occasion.”
I shrugged off the comment. "So no one was hurt, then?"
"The bad guy had a gun as well," Logan said. "Agent Mackey caught a bullet in the arm, but he'll be okay. The doc already stitched him up."
"Did the man who came after you look like Vincent?" I asked.
"He looked like Dr. Yelton," Boone said.
"So we are dealing with a changeling," I said.
"That's our best guess," Logan said. "There's other Lost that can shapeshift, but this guy is fast."
Vincent came into the room, nodded at us, and then sat down across from Rider.
"So, how do we know the people around Boone are who they say they are?" I asked, trying to keep my mind off the exchange Vincent and I had had upstairs.
"He stays with two people at a time," Logan said. "Hank and I have been with him."
"I don't know of anything that can become two people," Boone said.
"And with two people watching him, it's less likely one of us could kill him and get away with it," Hank said. "It was Vincent's idea."
"Three is ideal," Vincent said.
"Hank and I know each other better than most." Logan sounded happy about the fact. Hank, on the other hand, while not looking upset, still didn't look comfortable. "I suspect we'll notice something is off with the other if someone catches us off guard."
Logan smiled at Hank, but Hank somehow stayed resistant to Logan’s happy nature. I tried to give Hank a reassuring look, but it didn't help.
"We have confirmation," Kyrian said, entering the room, "Agent Walden did not exit the plane when it landed. His office has people checking his house." She dropped her tablet on the table and sat down.
"You said he didn't exit the plane," I said. "Did he get on in the first place?"
"The airline has record of him
boarding, but we are checking the surveillance video to confirm," Kyrian said.
"It does sound like a changeling," Vincent said.
"What about Agent Dempsey?" Boone asked. "Is it possible there are two of them?"
"Agent Dempsey is dead," Kyrian said. She looked uncomfortable and turned to her tablet as though reading off it. "He was found murdered, along with his family. I'm afraid his family, a wife and son, died more than a week ago."
I sucked in a breath, remembering Agent Dempsey being nervous and distracted. Had he known his family was already dead?
“Do we know if the changeling killed Clancy?” Vincent asked.
“Why would it kill him?” Rider asked.
“There could be several reasons,” Paulson said. “The big one being that anything the changeling touched would give him away if Clancy touched it as well.”
Clancy had been killed because of his powers. The thought struck me hard and I couldn’t help but look at Vincent. Many people would probably want to see a Walker dead because of his powers or even rumored powers. I’d already been targeted as well. The idea was unsettling.
"We are doing a thorough search of the building now," Kyrian said, shifting the subject, "but I don't think that's going to do us much good."
"We could try to lure it out again," Boone said.
"It's a possibility, but if we can find the changeling before it finds you, that would be ideal," Kyrian said. "Agents Wolfe and Heidrich, if we lined everyone up, could you root out the one responsible?"
"I don't know the Paths of all my coworkers," I said. "I'm not sure I could tell his from theirs."
Logan frowned, but didn't say anything.
"Agent Wolfe," Kyrian prompted.
Rider looked like he was thinking it over. "I do not know much about changelings."
"What do you need to know to pinpoint who it is?" Kyrian asked.
"When I saw the person earlier," Rider said, "he appeared like Vincent. I did not recognize the difference immediately because his smell had a few similarities. The strongest scent was that of my friend."
I could see the muscles in Vincent's jaw tighten.
"You're saying if the changeling takes on someone's appearance, they take on their smell?" I asked. Maybe I shouldn't have been so hard on Rider when he had believed the fake Vincent over me.
"I am saying I do not know," Rider said. "There was a difference, but is it a coincidence he smelled similar?"
"I'm not sure we'd have much in the way of how a changeling might smell on file," Logan said.
"There should be a base smell," Rider explained. "A smell that is the changeling. One he cannot change."
"Once you know what part never changes, then you'd be able to track him?" I asked.
"Yes," Rider said.
"Can you compare the person we lured into my room to the person that attacked Cassie?" Boone asked.
"I can try," Rider said.
"I'm going to pull everyone we can into the central office," Kyrian said. "Agent Boone, your message has been sent. If you're right, once the news spreads through the office, he should no longer have reason to kill you."
"What news?" Vincent asked.
I swallowed hard and looked at Boone. He didn't seem to notice that Vincent radiated fury, or if he did, he didn't care. Only Rider appeared to notice.
"This person is trying to discredit me in some way. The only reason I can think of for doing this would be to slow or stop the project I'm working on. The director has sent a message from her and myself to my superiors. The project should go on regardless of what happens to me."
"It will know Rider and Cass can still track it while the building is on lockdown," Vincent said.
"Which means two targets instead of three," Kyrian said. "It will either narrow its focus or it will try to find a way out. Agent Paulson has put together a few teams to try to block any exit that may be easier to get out of than others."
"We're on lockdown," Logan said. "Shouldn't be many exits to block."
"After our last lockdown, Agent Paulson found a few spots which were weaker than the others. Ones we wouldn't normally think of as exits. Hank, I want you to get some people together and start going through video footage. See if we can spot any patterns of movement and anything else we can find about this person."
"I'll pull together people in the control room," Hank said, standing up. "We'll stay in the same spot to avoid any confusion." Hank left the room, intent on getting started.
"Agents Seale and Pironis, I want you to start searching the building. Anyone you find gets escorted back to the control room. Use whatever force you deem necessary. Agents Wolfe, Heidrich, and Boone will clear the clinic and start to track this person."
"Should all three work together?" Vincent asked.
"If the message doesn't work," Kyrian said, "it will keep the focus narrowed on them. Agent Seale, I need a word with you. Agent Pironis can wait in the hall. The rest of you get started."
Logan leaned back with his hands behind his head, looking content while we filed out of the room.
Chapter 22
Vincent walked with us a short way before pulling Rider aside. He didn't make an attempt to get far enough away for me not to overhear, but I at least pretended not to listen.
"I'm not doubting you here," Vincent said, "but I am counting on you. You're certain you can tell this thing from another person, right?"
"I will keep her safe," Rider said, patting Vincent's back.
I could see Vincent color slightly, but he nodded at Rider, spared a moment to glare at Boone, and then walked back to wait for Logan by the conference room. Before we rounded the corner, I looked back and watched Vincent leaning against the wall and staring at the floor.
It was harder than I had expected to leave him behind.
"I get the feeling your partner doesn't like me," Boone said on our way to the clinic. "We were getting along fine before I left."
"He spent many days worried about what might be happening to Cassie by your hand," Rider said. "Once he is convinced you have done nothing, he will go back to normal."
I could feel the blush creeping in.
"He has to know by now I didn't harm her in any way," Boone said.
Rider shrugged. "I did not say good or bad by your hand."
Boone grinned. "I get it now."
I wasn’t sure my face could get any redder. I hadn't even thought about that. Since I hadn't called Ethan, did Vincent think Boone and I had gotten together?
"And you're not worried about that?" Boone asked Rider.
I shot Boone a glare, but his grin remained and his eyes danced.
"Cassie chooses who she wants to be with," Rider said. "But she and Vincent have endured much together."
"Enough," I said.
Boone's mirth faded and he looked more thoughtful. "Yeah, after Cassie was attacked, I think I saw a piece of something they went through."
We walked in the clinic and Rider looked questioningly down at Boone. "Because someone tried to kill her?"
"Someone tried to inject her," Boone corrected.
"I said enough," I snapped, then pushed past the two. "We have work to do."
"That explains a lot," Rider said.
"It's hard working with people you care about," Boone said. "The job isn't exactly easy on relationships."
"That is true," Rider said.
"Which room are we going to?" I asked. I tried to put my annoyance into the simple statement. When they pointed it out, I stalked straight toward the room.
They didn't rush to catch up, but I went in and took the few moments I could to put their words out of my head. What I needed to do was focus. When I heard them come in, I didn't look up, but instead took a deep breath and shifted smoothly into the Path.
"Tell us where everyone stood," Rider said.
The rippling overlay in the room held ghosted whispers of Paths, but not enough for me to work with.
Boone relayed everything he could
, and although I could see nothing, Rider picked up a scent.
"Have either of you fought a changeling?" Boone asked.
"Fought? No," I said, following Rider out of the room. "There are a few Logan and I check on from time to time. Why would we fight a changeling?"
"You never know what you might face in the line of duty," Boone said. "You know that as well as I do."
"Have you ever fought one?" I asked.
"No, but I’ve heard stories from someone who did." Boone seemed to be trying to check every direction at once while we walked the hall. "They can be really nasty, especially the old ones."
"They mentioned this guy is changing fast. I'm betting he's pretty old," I said.
"Stay on your toes then," Boone said.
Which reminded me Boone needed to know about my power. I plunged straight in, not wanting to avoid the inevitable. As I told him, I wondered how disappointed he would be. The fact he merely shrugged it off came as a shock.
Maybe I hadn’t made myself clear enough. "What I did with the demon, back in the other world, I can't do that now."
"Good to know," Boone said. "You catch that side and the front. I'll concentrate on my side and the back."
"You're not bothered by the fact I can't use the Path?" I asked.
Boone shrugged. "I can't use it."
Rider snickered, but didn't turn around.
"Besides, I've sparred with you," Boone said. "I know you can handle yourself in a fight."
"What is sparring?" Rider asked as we left the clinic and headed upstairs.
"It's fighting each other," Boone said.
This time, Rider stopped and turned around. "You two fought one another?" He looked shocked.
"Not a real fight," I said. "More like Logan and Jonathan training together."
Rider's eyes grew wide.
"Bad example," I said quickly. "It was practice fighting. Seeing what the other person was capable of."
He still didn't look happy, but he started up the stairs again and onto another floor. Not a sound was on the floor besides the noise we were making. The floor even felt empty.
"Did sparring help you learn what the other can do?" Rider asked.
"Yeah," I said.
"It makes me sad that we could not be there," Rider said. "But it is good to know my friend had someone else when needed."
AIR Series Box Set Page 118
