The MORE Trilogy

by T. M. Franklin

“But how?” Caleb asked.

  “We all have gifts beyond what’s normal for Race,” she replied. “We knew he was a powerful sensor, but what if he has powers beyond that?”

  “Like what?” Tiernan asked. “Some kind of shield?”

  “Or an ability to throw off your internal GPS,” she said. “Kind of the opposite of tracking someone. If Borré did get to Evan before we did, it’s very possible that all this is part of his grand plan.”

  Tiernan cursed lowly. “So how do we fight it?”

  Ava closed her eyes and breathed in and out a few times. “You probably can’t,” she said. “But I know Evan’s power. I think I can get past it.” She turned to Caleb. “We’ll have to go on foot. Tiernan, where are you?”

  “A little north of you, near as I can tell,” he replied.

  “Is Sophie with you?”

  “Yeah, she’s right here.”

  “Good,” Ava took off at a slow jog, and Caleb followed close behind her, holding the phone up so they both could talk.

  “Sophie’s the most familiar with my gift,” Ava said. “Tell her to try to zone in on it, and you guys follow her—even if it goes against your instincts. Hopefully, she’ll lead you right to us. Once we meet up, we can figure out what to do next.”

  “Got it.” Tiernan hung up, and Caleb pocketed his phone.

  Even though everything in him told him they should be going left when Ava turned right, he stuck to her heels. “I think we need to get to the house where we’ve stashed your parents and Lucy.”

  Ava’s step faltered. “Why there?”

  “It’s where we set up the secondary surveillance.”

  She stopped abruptly. “Secondary?”

  Caleb grinned. “You don’t think we left everything to chance knowing Borré was going to attack the central building, do you? Especially since there is most likely a mole on the Council?” He ran past Ava, feeling pretty self-satisfied, until she grabbed his arm and pulled him in the opposite direction. “Thanks,” he said.

  “Don’t mention it.”

  Sure enough, Tiernan and the others joined them at the next corner, Sophie in the lead, and they reached the house about five minutes later.

  It was cloaked, giving the illusion of a closed restaurant, but once they penetrated the cloak, it revealed a simple one-story house. Caleb and Tiernan led the way into the building, the rest of the Protectors setting up a discreet perimeter outside, melting into the shadows and behind the corners of buildings.

  The lights came on as they walked in, and after a moment, Lucy emerged from one of the bedrooms, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

  “What’s going on? Is everything okay?” she asked.

  “No, not really,” Ava said, lowering her voice. “Let’s try not to wake my parents.”

  They followed Caleb down a set of stairs to a small basement that had been converted into a makeshift control room. Three computer screens were set up along one wall—old school, no projections—and Caleb turned them on with the flip of a switch, and a series of video feeds flickered on after a moment.

  “Best we could with such short notice,” he said distractedly.

  “Who knows about this?” Ava asked.

  “Only Madeleine. And us, of course. She wasn’t sure who she could trust.” He adjusted the focus. “We’ve accessed the security cameras inside the central building.”

  “Are they all still working? The ones outside were down. Nobody could see what was happening on the perimeter.”

  “What was happening?” Lucy threw up her hands in exasperation. “Is anyone going to tell me what’s going on?”

  “The Rogues are attacking the city,” Ava replied, watching as Caleb cycled through the video feed. “We stopped a group of them near the edge of the city, but we think Borré and the Twelve are making their move against the Council.”

  Lucy wrapped her arms around her waist. “How are you going to stop them?”

  “That’s what we’re trying to figure out.”

  Tiernan let out a low curse. “They got the Council.”

  Caleb clenched his jaw as he looked at the image of a familiar room. He saw his mother standing near the door. He couldn’t see everything because of the angle of the camera, but he could make out Naomi and Rafe sitting on a small sofa to Madeleine’s right.

  “Where is that?” Ava asked.

  “Half-Breed holding facility,” he replied. “Looks like we’re a little late.”

  He changed cameras again until they were looking at Bureau surveillance headquarters. Sure enough, Borré stood near the center of the room looking over Evan’s shoulder at one of the screens. To his left—

  “Andreas Petrov,” Tiernan spat. “There’s your mole.”

  “You were right, Ava,” Caleb said, staring at the screen as the pieces fell into place. “When Evan turned up here, I should have figured it out. It was Andreas and Borré who took him in the first place. He was with the Rogues the whole time, right under our noses.”

  Ava crossed the room and laid her hands on his shoulders, squeezing softly. “So what do we do now?”

  He leaned back in his chair, her warmth along his back soothing him a little. “First thing is to get Evan out of the equation, and then shut down those cameras so we have half a fighting chance.”

  Tiernan’s eyes narrowed on the screen as he thought. “What about Adam?”

  “Who’s Adam?” Sophie asked.

  “Guardian dampener,” he replied. She opened her mouth to ask more, but he said, “He can block Race gifts.”

  “Is he even here?” Ava asked.

  “He came in with the first wave of refugees,” Caleb replied. “They were put in temporary housing a few blocks from here until something more permanent could be arranged. My mother wouldn’t allow them to fight with us.”

  “I’d think we could use all the help we could get.”

  “I was working on it,” Caleb replied. “But until the Half-Breeds among them were identified, she wouldn’t hear of it.”

  “Speaking of the Guardians, where is Gideon?” Ava asked. “Has anyone heard from him?”

  They all exchanged clueless looks until Caleb pulled out his phone and dialed.

  “Caleb?” His father whispered. “I heard there was fighting on the perimeter. Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine. We’re all fine. Where are you? Are you okay?”

  “We’re in the central building, hiding in some service tunnels.” Caleb heard another low voice on the other end of the phone. “We’re safe for now, trying to figure out our next move. Borré’s got the surveillance room sealed up tight with his soldiers on patrol.”

  “Evan’s one of them,” Caleb said. “We need to neutralize him. We were thinking Adam might be able to help.”

  “Adam’s with me,” Gideon replied, grunting slightly. “Tyra, too. But we have to get closer for Adam to be able to do anything.”

  “We need a distraction,” Caleb said slowly, his gaze drifting to Ava. “Lucky for us, I happen to know someone who’s great at distractions.” He swiveled on his chair, his mind racing. “Stay where you are for a few minutes, and let us figure this out on our end. I’ll be in touch.”

  “Got it.”

  Caleb hung up and turned to the group. “I’m open to suggestions,” he said.

  Ava moved to stand by Sophie, catching her eye then Isaiah’s before turning back to Caleb. “It makes sense that we’re the distraction. If we can draw Evan’s attention enough, maybe Adam can get close to him.”

  “Borré will send his goons after you,” Tiernan said.

  Ava shrugged and reached out for Sophie’s hand. “We can handle them.”

  “Well, you won’t handle them alone,” Caleb said. “I’m coming with you.”

  “Me, too.” Tiernan started for the door.

  “Wait a second,” Lucy said quietly. “You’re talking about, what, three people on the inside? Against Borré and his super kids?”

  “It’s all we
’ve got,” Caleb replied.

  “Not really,” she said. “The rest of the Council is in there, too, right?”

  “Yeah, but they’re locked up. Not really of much use to us.” Tiernan headed for the stairs again.

  “But . . .” Lucy tugged on her lip, deep in thought. “This guy—Evan—you said he zeroes in on Race imprints, right?”

  “Which means we can’t get anywhere near that building until he’s out of the picture,” Tiernan said, growling with irritation.

  “So what if you send someone in who doesn’t have a Race imprint?” Lucy waved her hands with a dramatic flourish.

  “Oh, no way,” Ava said. “There’s no way we’re sending you in there alone.”

  “She won’t be alone,” a voice said from the top of the stairs, his footsteps echoing on the wood as he descended.

  “Dad?” Ava hurried toward him, trying to usher him back upstairs. “Sorry, we didn’t mean to wake you.” She glanced up the stairs and her face fell. “Mom? You guys should go back to bed. We’ll be out of your hair in a minute.”

  “Don’t try to push us out of this,” her mother said, straightening her hair as she got to the bottom of the stairs. “You’re our daughter, and there’s no way we’re letting you face this crazy man alone. Even if he is related to you.”

  “It actually explains a lot,” muttered Tiernan.

  Ava smacked him.

  Her dad took her by the shoulders. “We won’t do anything dangerous, but it sounds to me like you need every advantage you can get in there. Madeleine and the others need to be released, and from what I just heard, we’re the only ones who can do it.”

  “It might work,” Caleb said quietly. “There are some old access tunnels on the north side of the building. They were used to bring supplies down when they were building but haven’t been used in years. They’re sealed off, but we should be able to get you in.”

  Ava was shaking her head before she even spoke. “No way.”

  “Those tunnels wouldn’t be linked to Bureau surveillance either,” Tiernan said. “Not with the recent upgrades.”

  “We’ll need a map,” Ava’s father said, pushing his way past his daughter to Caleb’s side. “I need to know exactly where we’re going, and how to get them out.”

  “But—” Ava said.

  “Nearest we can tell, they’re in the room at the far end of the Half-Breed holding facility.” Caleb grabbed a piece of paper to draw a rough sketch. “There are occupants in three of the other holding cells.”

  “We should get them out, too,” Sarah said. When Caleb turned to her in surprise, she shrugged. “You said we need as much help as we can get.”

  “This is a really bad idea,” Ava grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.

  “I don’t know if Half-Breeds would be that big on helping the Council,” Caleb said. “They haven’t exactly been treated well.”

  Joe patted him on the shoulder. “Leave that to Sarah,” he said. “She can be very convincing.”

  “So how do we open the doors?” Lucy asked, crowding between Ava’s parents. “Explosives might draw too much attention.”

  “You think?” Ava’s voice neared shriek level as she turned on Caleb and Tiernan. “Are you insane? We’re going up against some of the most powerful people in the world, and you want to send my mom and dad into the middle of it? This is dangerous. This is crazy. It’s—”

  “It’s our best chance,” her dad said quietly. He stepped around his wife to face Ava and gripped her upper arms. “We’re only going to get one shot at this, and it makes sense. We need a coordinated attack to create the element of surprise. You and your—” He gestured toward the others. “You all create a diversion. Keep them busy while we sneak in and set the Council and the Half-Breeds loose. With any luck, they won’t even know we were there. Meanwhile, Gideon gets this dampener close enough to get Evan out of the picture so the other Protectors can actually get inside the building.”

  Ava slumped. “Then what?”

  “Then—” He frowned. “Then you take them out. Do the whole—” He waved a hand around her head. “You know, superhero thing and save the world.”

  Ava’s lips quirked, and Caleb knew she was trying not to smile. “Not a very well-thought-out plan, Dad.”

  Her father grinned. “Sometimes, you’ve got to play it by ear.” His smile fell as Ava threw herself at him and buried her face in his chest. “Hey now,” he said. “It’ll be okay. We may be human, but we’re not totally useless, you know?”

  “I know.”

  He pushed her back gently and tipped her chin up to meet his gaze. “You made the choice to fight, Ava. Even though it could cost you everything, you decided it was worth it. Don’t we have that same right?”

  Caleb watched as Ava looked from her father, to her mother, to Lucy—and finally to her siblings and Tiernan before her gaze rested on him.

  “Okay,” she said. “But somebody better get my dad a really big gun.”

  “Follow me. How many times do I have to tell you?” Ava grabbed Tiernan as he tried—again—to go in the wrong direction.

  Tiernan scowled. “This guy Evan is really getting on my nerves.”

  “Yeah, well, get in line,” Ava muttered. She checked over her shoulder to make sure everyone else was following.

  They’d left the rest of the Protectors waiting on the west side of the city, ready for the signal once Evan had been neutralized. Sophie, Isaiah, Caleb, Tiernan, and Ava were nearing the central building from the opposite direction, hopefully drawing Evan’s attention enough that the others wouldn’t be noticed.

  Ava felt them before she spotted them—

  Three—no, four of the Twelve.

  She couldn’t tell exactly who, not yet at least. She didn’t know the others’ gifts well enough to differentiate exactly what they’d be coming up against. Ava could, however, recognize who wasn’t there.

  No Emma.

  That made sense. Borré would want to have her close by.

  Sophie took Isaiah and broke off, moving to the left so they could attack from the other side.

  Ava stopped at the corner of a building and pressed her back against the cool stone, taking a moment to center herself as Caleb and Tiernan assumed the same position beside her. Tension radiated between them, zinging along an invisible cord from one to the other and back again.

  “Ready?” she asked.

  Caleb nodded.

  Tiernan glowered, and she took that as a yes.

  She spotted Sophie a block away and jerked her chin up in a silent signal. Her sister raised a hand in acknowledgement, and Ava turned to peer around the corner, spotting her siblings moving toward them at a slow—almost mocking—pace.

  “Come out, come out, wherever you are!” one called out.

  “Whatever you do, don’t hit that one,” Tiernan said.

  So that’s Max. The other is Jae, the shifter, and—

  A fireball hit the building above Ava’s head, and they jumped back.

  Ah, yes. Christopher.

  “That’s weird,” Ava murmured.

  “That’s an understatement,” Caleb said, eyeing the burning tree branch overhead.

  “No, I mean I felt four,” Ava said. “I only see three.”

  “Make that two—no one,” Tiernan said, peeking around the building. “Now they’re all gone.”

  “But how?” Ava ducked around to see for herself. “Shifting?”

  “Maybe, or—”

  Max appeared in front of Tiernan, smirking as he reached out to take him by the throat.

  Christopher appeared next, his hand raised with a ball of fire in his palm.

  “Watch out!” Caleb shouted.

  A chunk of ice knocked Christopher to his knees, the melting water sizzling against his skin as he disappeared.

  Max released Tiernan suddenly and vanished as well.

  “Jae—the blond—is a shifter, but those two aren’t shifting,” Ava said finally. “It’s go
t to be the one with the super Veil.”

  Caleb’s eyes widened. “A super Veil?”

  “Yeah. What was his name?” Ava thought for a moment. “Lucien. Emma told me he could cover more than one person.” Ava replied. “But if it’s a Veil, I should be able to see through it.”

  If I can figure out where to look.

  She closed her eyes and reached out with her gift.

  One to the right. One straight ahead. Two right there.

  She opened her eyes and looked in the direction she had sensed them, narrowing her eyes to focus . . . deeper to see through the shimmering Veil. “Hello there,” she murmured right before she reached out to pluck them up off the ground, smiling at the resulting shout as she threw them down the street and they both blinked into view.

  “Nice,” Tiernan said, cracking his neck as he caught his breath.

  “We need to stop the shifter,” Ava said, watching as Jae vanished then appeared next to Christopher.

  Max stood and dusted off his jeans, a satisfied smile on his face.

  “Uh-oh,” Caleb said.

  “I told you not to hit him.” Tiernan braced himself against the wall.

  “What do you—”

  An invisible force blasted them, throwing Ava into the middle of the street.

  She rolled to a stop, only to find Caleb lying next to her.

  “Kinetic absorption,” Caleb said. “Whatever power is thrown at him, he can throw right back.”

  Ava got to her feet and ducked another fireball. “Perfect.”

  They ran in a crouch to the other side of the street and under the protective shield of a covered patio.

  Sophie and Isaiah joined them a moment later.

  “So this is going well,” Sophie said.

  Ava let out a shaky laugh and grabbed Isaiah’s arm. “You need to take out Max—the big one,” she said. “Caleb, will he be able to turn that around?”

  “I don’t think so. It’s only physical power, not mental.”

  “Okay, good.” Ava nodded, turning back to her brother. “So you take out Max. Make him run away, freeze in terror, whatever you can.”

  “Be careful,” Caleb warned. “He might try to feed on your gift. You might want to make him scared to do that, too.”

  Isaiah nodded, his eyes wide.