by Nana Malone
“I’d love to stay and watch you two love birds make out, but I want to see some things go boom.” Jansen headed to the rear of the building at full sprint, his fluid motion reminding Cassie of a jungle cat.
Seth pecked her on her lips and whispered that he’d see her soon. As always when he touched her, her blood heated to a low simmer. She wanted to say something, anything, but before she could form the words, he slipped away and vanished into the darkness, his footfalls fading as he made his way to his entry point.
She didn't waste any time. The sooner she got on the roof, the sooner she got those people out. And the sooner she could deal with Peter, the sooner she could be with Seth.
She took the ladder rungs two at a time, easily swinging her legs over the ledge of the roof. Once she was at the heavy rooftop door, she used only the barest hint of her power. Like Seth had taught her.
Focusing on the minutia of the lock, she forced the grates to separate and give way. Smiling, she yanked the door open and stepped over the threshold. “I love the smell of old warehouse in the evening,” she muttered. Once in the building, she set one of the two charges Jansen had given her and placed it under the electrical panel next to a load bearing beam.
The hairs on her neck stood on end. There should be guards up here. Should have been someone on watch. Cassie listened, but no sound reached her hears. No footsteps, no breathing, no heart beats, no shuffling of feet, not even a scurrying rat. Unable to shake the ominous foreboding, she proceeded down two more flights of stairs until she was on the second level.
She dragged in deep breaths, trying to calm her fight or flight response. No matter what she did, her heart rate kept creeping up. Danger clung to her. She prayed Seth was at his location, planting his charges. As Cassie tread down the darkened hallway, her skin tingled. Something wasn't—
A heavy thump from behind landed her on her back. Immediately she rolled, attaching herself to him like a Lemur. He tried to clamp an arm around her neck, but she wiggled out of his hold. Wildly kicking her feet, she sat up to face her attacker.
“Peter.” But how? He hadn’t made a sound. His heartbeat never alerted her. She hadn’t sensed him at all.
He sank into crouch, arms lifted to protect his face, like a boxer. “The prodigal sister returns.”
Cassie tried to read him, but pinning down his thoughts was like trying to capture a greased pig. “Peter, it doesn't have to be like this.” If she kept him distracted long enough, maybe Seth would have more time to free the others. “We can talk about this. If you let the others go, I'll willingly come back. No one else has to get hurt.”
Her brother's brows drew down. “Who’s been hurt, Cassie? Certainly not you. I cured you, remember? I made you more.”
“I never asked to be more.” He was different than she remembered. She eyed him. He was talker, maybe an inch, maybe two. He was bigger too. Not as big as Seth, but he had more muscle than she remembered. “What have you done to yourself?”
He lunged for her and she dodged with a duck and turn. But Peter still blocked her exit path. “What? You think I should have left you all the fun and games? Made you the only extraordinary one?” He flexed his arms. “You don't like my gifts? I would have thought you’d appreciate them. Finding you has been a unique talent of mine. Sometimes I can’t see you as clearly, and it’s a pain in the ass trying to figure out your surroundings by the things you look at or touch, but so far my location talents have worked well.”
“Why can’t I get a lock on you? To me you’re a ghost. Not here, but here.”
His eyes lit up with malicious glee. “The cloaking power is my favorite. It comes with some astral projection, but that is just a passive gift. I'm working on perfecting the cloaking so I can’t be seen, but at least I’m undetectable. Alas, my teleportation, like your telekinesis is touch and go, but I’m the most powerful man on earth.” He grinned.
A tingle of nerves told her Seth was near. Had he found the others? Could Peter sense him? She didn't wait to find out. The moment Peter narrowed his eyes, as if in awareness of the intruder, she delivered a front kick to his solar plexus and vaulted over his bent form. Her boots hit the grates at a fast clip and she raced down the next flight of stairs. She didn’t hear Peter behind her, but she couldn't trust her senses. She waited for one moment, then two. Then three. He wasn’t coming. At least not on her path.
Cassie’s hairs stood on end and the gravitational pull that always alerted her to Seth’s presence emanated from the north side of the building. She quickly placed her second charge along the central load-bearing wall, directly under the water main pipe, and then met Seth in a central hallway leading to an inner room. She banged on the door, but no sound or signal came from inside. Lead lined. Just what she and Seth were looking for.
Seth’s smile faded when he got close to her.
“What happened?”
“Peter’s here. And he’s got powers.” Seth’s mouth gaped open, but she held up a hand. “No time to explain. We have to get these kids out.” When one of the fluorescents hit his face, she saw the blood dripping from his ear. “Trackers?”
“Just two. They weren’t expecting me.” He grinned.
She rubbed her arms. “Tell me about it.” She shook her head even as she banged on the wall, praying the people inside heard her. She thudded a second time, the rust raw against her hands. “Get back, we're here to get you—”
A roar echoed behind Seth and she snatched her gun from the small of her back and aiming at the impending danger. Seth’s reflexes were even quicker. He whirled on his attacker blocking a blow aimed for his neck with his left arm, while counter punching with his right, striking Peter directly under the nose. Peter retreated five feet.
Seth turned to her. “You blow a hole in that wall and get them out. I’ll deal with this.” His deep growl almost made Cassie feel sorry for Peter. And just like that, the empathy vanished.
Peter’s nostrils flared as his furious gaze landed on her while she set the smaller explosive on against the wall of the inner room. “You let them out, all my work is for nothing. Dad’s work. All of it will be gone.”
“You’re perverting his work. These people aren’t volunteers. I wasn't a volunteer. You’re pissing on our father’s name. I promised to stop you, even if it means burning this place to the ground.
Stalking Peter, Seth's voice was low when he said, “Cassie, get it done. He’s mine.” He stalked Peter into the darkness. “I have been dying to get my hands on you, asshole.”
Peter sniffed and crouched low. “I knew I smelled a human all over you, Cassie. Did you mention to your boyfriend that you're a freak job?”
The roar from Seth brought her head up. He moved so quickly she would have missed it if she hadn’t seen him in motion before. Seth pounced and an agonized yell reverberated from somewhere deeper down the hall.
She finished setting the explosives Seth had given her and skidded around the corner before she hit the remote. The blast filled the air, popping her ear drums and scattering a cloud of dust so thick she couldn't see for several moments. Even as the smoke dissipated, she hurried to clear out the rubble.
Climbing through the wall, Cassie halted at the sight of the gurneys lined in neat rows, each with a person strapped to the palette with a connected IV and monitoring equipment. There were ten subjects ranging in age from about sixteen to twenty-five or so.
They all wore scrubs and looked so vulnerable and alone she wanted to cry. As she unhooked each of them from the machinery and used her telekinesis to undo their restrains, she whispered in their ears.
“My name is Cassie Reeser. I'm here to get you out.”
* * * * *
Chapter Sixteen
Seth’s footsteps reverberated down the darkened corridor. “You should have just let Cassie go, Reeser. Your life would have been so much easier.” Seth pointed his gun in front of him, using it as an extension of his hand to open doors and search darkened corridors. “Come out, co
me out wherever you are.”
Seth couldn’t sense anything about Peter, either. All his newly developed powers were useless in this situation.
Shoving a side door open with his gun hand, he quickly searched the interior. “When you get handed a pile of shit, make compost.” The only way out of this hallway was up another flight of stairs and onto the roof. Where would a wounded mangy animal hide? Somewhere dark and safe. Lots of options there. But Peter Reeser was also a coward. He'd choose a location where he could ambush with limited exposure. The high ground. Seth scoped out the balcony of the next floor up.
His feet were in motion before his brain even caught up. The higher he climbed, the faster his heart pumped in his chest. Two flights up and Peter would be in position to pick off Cassie and Jansen when they got the kids out. He hadn't prayed since the last time guns were pointed at him in Afghanistan, but he prayed now.
Seth sprinted up the shaky wrought iron stairs and searched for signs of Peter, but he didn’t see anything. Then a sliver of light coming from the last door on the left caught his eye. As he busted through the rooftop door, he skidded to a halt. Peter had a rifle aimed at the expanse between the warehouse and the shipping containers outside. Directly at Cassie’s egress route.
Seth lifted his arm and set his sights on Peter’s temple. “Put down the rifle, Reeser. I'm not going to let you kill her.”
Peter didn't budge. He didn't even take his eyes off the scope. “You really think I'm dumb enough to kill her? I just want her sorry ass to come back home where she belongs. I only want to make her see sense.”
Seth inched forward. “So you can experiment on her some more? How much longer before you kill her, Reeser?”
“What’s your game in all this, Adams? She’s nothing to you. And from what my Trackers tell me, you’ve narrowly escaped death more than once. Is she really worth risking your life?”
The timer in Seth’s pocket chirped. “Cassie’s well worth it, but even if she wasn’t, there’s no escaping the fact you’re torturing and killing people.”
“I’m not torturing anybody. I’m making them well. Cassie was so sick she could barely lift her head to eat most days. I cured her.”
Seth scoffed. “Whatever you need to tell yourself to pretend you didn’t hold her against her will and experiment on her. She’s your sister. What kind of man are you?”
“A determined one.” Peter stroked the trigger of the gun. “You really think you can shoot me before I put down one of my creations?” Peter stayed steady on the scope. “I'm a great shot.”
Seth smirked. “I'm better.”
Peter's white teeth flashed when he grinned. “Then Mr. Great Shot, why don’t you fire?”
Seth inched closer. Cassie said her brother also had powers, but there was no way Seth could know the breadth of them. “The thing is, your sister has an aversion to killing. Why the hell do you think all those Trackers came home alive? Not because they were exemplary fighters. She left them that way on purpose. She would take offense to me putting a bullet between your eyes.”
Peter exhaled a breath on what looked like a small chuckle. “So, what? You're going to take me alive? You’re going to turn me over to the authorities?”
“If that’s what she wants. You have to answer for what you've done. Now, me,” Seth shrugged. “Could be by a bullet, could be fire, could be me beating you until your blood seeps out. It even could be jail. I know which one I'd prefer. But this isn’t my show.”
Peter looked up from his scope then and lounged against the stone wall surrounding the roof. His green eyes flashed, and for a moment, Seth was struck by how much Cassie resembled him. “Do you really think you could catch me?”
In that instant, Peter vanished from sight. Gripping his gun tight, Seth frantically swept the roof. Shit. Where did he go? If Peter could pull a trick like that, killing him was going to be all the harder.
“Should have nailed your ass when I had the shot,” he grumbled. The timer in his pocket gave him the four minute warning. He needed to find Cassie and get out.
As he turned and headed for the exit, a soft “tsk, tsk” came from behind him and the barrel of a pistol shoved his back. “Where are you off to? I thought we were just starting to have fun?” Burning pain sliced through his leg. When he glanced down, the silver handle of a blade sat lodged in his upper thigh.
Every curse Seth had learned from the moment he was old enough to talk, ran through his brain. “Do it, Shit-head. What are you waiting for?”
The air shifted around Seth and he caught a whiff of citrus. No! “Cassie. Get out.” Less than four minutes before those charges went off and he didn't want her trapped. Even if he never made it out, he wanted to make sure she did.
Peter pressed the gun deeper into Seth's back. “Showtime, Asshole,” he muttered, just loud enough for Seth.
Cassie stepped over the threshold onto the roof and froze, her eyes boring on her brother.
“Cassie, get out of here.”
She didn't look at Seth. Why wouldn't she look at him? Even though it cost him precious energy, he pushed a thought to her. Cassie, the charges go off in less than three minutes. You have to get out of here.
She stepped forward. “I'm here, Peter. You wanted me and here I am. Let Seth go.”
Peter's chuckle edged on hysterical as he dragged Seth back several feet. “You know, little sister, I've been trying to figure out why you're so keen on this loser. You’re better than this. I made you a goddess, but you're content to throw your lot in with mere mortals.”
Cassie stepped forward a second time and Peter “tsked.” “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. You wouldn't want me getting trigger happy now, would you?” Only then did she look at Seth. The anguish in her eyes was plain. She was here to sacrifice herself for him.
“No, Cassie. Go back. Do not do this. You have to get the others out.”
“Peter, let him go. You’re right. He's a mere mortal and not worthy of a fight. You have me. I'm the one you want.”
Her brother cocked his head. “If only that was the truth. I can smell it on him.” He shook his head. “I really should have known. It explains so much. What did you do? Steal some of the serum from the labs when you ran?”
Cassis’s face remained impassive, no lines marring the smooth texture. “I wouldn't do to anyone what you did to me.”
“But yet, look at him. He's clearly gone through the change. I don’t know what his abilities are yet, but what a wonderful lab rat he'll make once I'm done with you.”
Before Seth could blink, pressure barraged his brain he let the wall down. One word eased into his thoughts. Roll. In the next instant, he was airborne, flying up and over Cassie's head and landing near the door. He tried to follow her instructions, but the knife wound in his leg caused pain to slice through his body.
In muted horror, Seth watched as Cassie faced off with her brother.
She slowly circled, triumph in her eyes where there should have been fear. Power emanated from her core, swirling around them. But she was weak. Seth had sensed more powerful waves from her back at the cabin.
Some invisible force held Peter rooted to the roof. His body shook and he gritted his teeth as his gun twitched at his side.
“Shit. What the fuck are you doing to me?” Peter bellowed.
Cassie continued to circle him not saying anything, scrutinizing him like he was an insect in under a microscope.
Peter's body glimmered in and out like a light flickering. He was trying to break the hold. Whatever was happening, Seth had a feeling Cassie was responsible for it.
When she finally spoke, her voice was calm. “Interesting how the one power you wanted me to develop didn't come into play until you wish I didn’t have it.” A haunting smile played on her lips. “Seth was the one who helped me with the telekinesis.” She stood still and met her brother’s gaze. “What’s the matter Peter? You don’t like being trapped? Too unpleasant?” With a spin, she landed a kick in his solar
plexus. Pain flashed in his eyes and his body went shock still. A whimpering groan filtered through Peter’s lips. Cassie left him where he stood and hurried toward Seth.
“Are you okay?” Her voice was a whispered breath over his skin, soothing him.
He nodded. “Your brother dearest likes to play with knives.” He frowned. “How are you holding him in place?”
She glanced over her shoulder at Peter. “I don’t know. I came up and saw you with the knife in your leg and the gun at your back and the power came from somewhere deep within. All of a sudden, it doesn’t cost me anything to use the telekinesis. I don’t even have to concentrate.”
Seth stared at Peter, unblinking. “I suppose that’s going to come in handy.” His watch beeped again. “We have to get out of here. Where are the others?”
“Down at the van with Jansen. He discovered a tunnel out of here.” She eyed the door. “We’ll never make it out of this maze before those charges go off.”
Seth struggled to stand and his leg begged for relief. “Have to try.”
A small smile lit her bee-stung lips and his stomach rolled. “How do you feel about flying?” she asked.
She helped him up to the edge of the roof and shouted. “Coming down!”
From the excitement in her eyes, Seth knew he wasn't going to like what happened next. When she stepped into him and wrapped her arms around his waist, his gut clenched. “Cassie.”
When she jumped, he tried to keep her rooted, but instead, he tumbled with her into a free fall. But this one was light. Controlled. He didn’t sink like a stone, but rather like someone who sat on a deflating balloon. “What the—”
Cassie laughed and pointed at the tall blond boy, the one who looked about sixteen. “That’s Jeremy. Annabelle’s son. He's got an amazing set of gifts.”
The moment their feet hit the ground, Cassie shouted to the group standing near their van. “Everyone get back to the van.” They sprinted away from the building when the first blast rocketed them airborne.
