Expansion (The Accidental Heroes Chronicles Book 2)

by S. E. Cyborski

  “So we can’t use Gnotret to track the three that left,” Katrina sighed, shaking her head. “That would have been a great help. I think we could have used them.”

  “Perhaps and perhaps not,” the rat disagreed, finishing its cleaning and staring up at them with liquid black eyes. “This Sandra Johnson is forging her own path, forging it strongly enough that Gnotret feels it would be pointless to try and turn her aside. It asks if the worries your late compatriot had and that you two still entertain are settled. It means no harm to you or to this world.”

  “I believe they are settled,” Lucian replied cautiously after exchanging a quick, searching look with Katrina. “Will we be allowed to continue experiments with Gnotret or will we be required to stop?”

  “Gnotret wishes for you to continue,” the rat said decisively, nodding its head in emphasis. “It will choose what hosts to bond with and the abilities they develop will be based on the host. After that, what happens to the host is up to the host and to you. As long as Gnotret survives, it doesn’t particularly care.”

  “Thank you,” Lucian said politely to the rat, operating under the same belief as Katrina. He nodded regally at it, which the rat returned, before he and Katrina left the room. They walked in silence after making sure the door closed and locked, waiting to speak until they were safely in the elevator and out of the rat’s hearing.

  “That has to be the strangest thing I have ever done,” Katrina murmured, staring at the numbers as the elevator rose. “Talked to a rat and had it talk back.”

  “One of the strangest, yes,” Lucian agreed absently, running the conversation through his mind again. He wasn’t able to rely on body language to augment the rat’s words but there seemed to be an integrity, an honesty, lacing each word. He was inclined to trust what the rat said at face value, trust that Gnotret would not be a hindrance to any of their plans as long as it survived. A slow grin tugged at the corners of his mouth until Lucian felt like his face was splitting. This was perfect. “But you know what this means, right? It means we can do whatever we want without worrying that our benefactor is going to develop a conscience.”

  “That is very good,” Katrina purred, smiling as she thought of the money that would come rolling in if they could actually create super soldiers. So far, while there were interesting talents that would be quite useful in the people who’d already developed them, none of them appeared to have the mentality they could use. “It would appear that it wasn’t a mistake to rid ourselves of Aaron after all. He was developing a conscience, I think, and a fear of the unknown that we’re wading through. He had no vision and serves us better dead.”

  “I quite agree,” Lucian nodded, stepping out of the elevator when it dinged and the doors opened. He ushered Katrina down the hallway, opening the door for her when they reached the meeting room. And, not quite so coincidentally, keeping an eye on her while he did so. “And we have some plans to make, don’t you think?”

  “Yes, yes we do,” Katrina laughed, a dark, ugly sound that echoed around the meeting room before the door closed. One employee, heading to the washroom from her office, shuddered at the sound.

  Chapter 12

  “That’s it, just one more stack,” Amy muttered as she hauled another armful of jewelry to the pile growing in the center of the room. They were in the back room of a jeweler’s, working quickly in the dark. Sandra had decided against continuing to rob the casinos and hotels. After all, casinos were big business in Las Vegas. Someone was bound to start agitating for the culprit to be caught and whip the police into a frenzy. Much safer to switch to a jeweler’s. They’d all changed their clothes after another successful show, grays and navy blues blending into the shadows.

  “And that’s got it,” Michael said, dropping a large sack on the top of the pile. It clinked musically, hundreds of thousands of dollars in diamonds trapped within the folds. He was still riding the high of the show, nearly bouncing as he walked back and forth in the little room. Michael had added something new to his routine, acting out a little play with his little origami creations. The finale had been Amy destroying the villain in a burst of fire and bright colors.

  Amy smiled and held the door open for Michael who was carefully altering the gravity around the pile and maneuvering it out the back way. Sandra was still speaking with the poor clerk, a young kid who worked for the owner on the weekends. He’d been closing up the place when they’d come in, Sandra immediately working on the kid to bend him to her will. A few minutes later, security tape firmly in hand and the kid panting and drooling slightly from the rush of lust Sandra had pumped into him, Sandra, Amy, and Michael deposited their stolen goods in the trunk of their rented car.

  They were done for the night, so drove to a deserted parking lot well off the Strip and pulled everything out of the rental. Michael had rented it under a different name from a shady dealer. The man hadn’t looked too closely at the information Michael had given him and had given the distinct impression that this wasn’t the first time the dealer had done something similar. The car their agent had secured for them was parked deep in the shadows and the stolen jewelry went under the mat in the trunk that lifted up. Normally, the spare tire was kept there but had been removed just for this purpose. Abandoning the rental was the easiest option as there was no way it could be traced back to them. The dealer hadn’t even had cameras set up in his office.

  “That was amazing,” Sandra murmured as Michael got behind the wheel and turned the car on. Sandra sank back into her seat, stretching lazily as far as the car would allow her to. The movement inevitably drew Michael’s eye and Amy snorted. He was getting far too predictable with that. “The thefts just make the high from our successful shows that much better. I can’t believe how much money we just stole.”

  “Just think,” Amy remarked from the backseat where she was stretched out. “One more show and we start traveling. Imagine if we went overseas. Do you know how much we could steal and get away with?”

  “Don’t you think we’ve gotten enough by now?” Michael asked dispiritedly, the high fading now that they were safe and he was doing the math. “We’ve got nearly five million in everything we’ve stolen. Isn’t that beach calling you? We could be swimming in the sun and lounging in a seaside cabin with our every wish catered to.”

  “I want more,” Sandra replied, a growl underlining her words. “I want everything, I want the whole world! And I can get it. With my ability, I can get whatever I want.”

  Michael let the argument drop, knowing by now that when Sandra got that tone in her voice that nothing he said would get to her. Amy had dropped off into a light doze, head lolling on her shoulder. Sandra was ignoring him, staring out her window as the lights of the Strip came into sight. They highlighted her face and Michael had to fight back a shudder at the sight. There was an inhuman longing there turning Sandra’s face into an unrecognizable mask. For the first time since Sandra had started manipulating him, Michael wondered if he’d made a mistake in following her.

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  The second week of the trial passed without any other surprises popping up. We all kept an eye on Elyse, Rose, and Brandy though none of the three showed any signs of developing any abilities. Nor did they seem to want to. I couldn’t blame them, not in the slightest, but if I were in their place I would want to know. Elyse even started avoiding Darryl sometimes, reminding me sharply of Amy. Darryl took to moving silently into whatever room he wanted to be in and sitting there just as silently. Elyse would flash him worried looks but would often leave him be. Darryl would practice his abilities in his room, sometimes asking me for advice as I had a similar ability.

  Though it was difficult trying to explain what I did because I concentrated on whatever form I wanted to change into and the little details followed. Darryl tended to concentrate on each tiny part rather than the whole picture. He became more proficient with practice, changing a checker counter into a die or a watch face or even a pen and ba
ck again. There was a limit to what he could do: whatever the object changed into had to be of a similar mass to the object it was changing from.

  Eric put on a mask of calm and happiness, joking with Wendy or Tabitha and putting up with the blood draws and other tests good-naturedly. But, even so, there was fear deep in his eyes. Fear of himself and what he could do. I’d tried to draw him out a few times over the week, get Eric to talk about his abilities. Yet, each time, he put me off with a laugh and a shrug. I could understand his fear but he needed to get past it to master his new strength. He was an accident waiting to happen but wouldn’t listen to any argument Billy, Dr. Carnesby, or I put forth. Most of Eric’s free time was spent in his room and Jane told me he’d spoken with her quite often. One addition to her programming that Dr. Carnesby had allowed her to make was a sort of counseling and sympathy program. It allowed the AI to listen to other’s problems and offer sound advice. I could only hope that Jane was getting through to him.

  Rose and Brandy spent as much time as they could together, only separating when they went to sleep. One night, about halfway through the second week, I caught a glimpse of Rose’s face as they went into their own rooms. There was so much worry and concern there, especially as Brandy disappeared into her room. Rose looked over and saw me, shrugging with a small frown on her face. I nodded at her and went into my own room. Right now, privacy was probably the best thing I could give her.

  During the day, and when Wendy and Tabitha weren’t around, they would both make tentative efforts at figuring out their own abilities. Brandy liked comic books so they were methodically checking off different abilities she’d read about. So far, neither had discovered what they could do. But, I knew it was only a matter of time. The right stimulus, the right combination of circumstances, and their abilities would appear. Now if we could just make sure it wasn’t in front of Wendy or Tabitha.

  Against all reason, those two were still in the dark. As we headed into the final days of week two, Wendy was still her cheerful self. She’d talked with everyone by now about their majors, trying to figure out what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. Photography still seemed to be winning though Wendy spent quite a lot of time with Tabitha talking about her literature classes. I was fairly certain they would remain friends after the trial ended. With Tabitha as shy as she seemed, that could only be a good thing. Neither had stopped pestering Billy and me for answers, though, but we’d gotten pretty good at avoiding giving them any sort of answer about what was going on. I’d gotten quite good at turning any question away and starting a different conversation. After the first few times, Wendy would just roll her eyes and walk away while Tabitha just shrugged.

  Another bright spot, at least for Billy, was that he and Nick actually started dating towards the end of that second week. Now, it was kind of difficult for them, seeing as we were in one building with not a whole lot of places to go, but they managed. I’d find them in the kitchen sharing dessert and talking or they’d watch a movie after the rest of us had gone to bed. They were almost always in each other’s company and they didn’t always have to speak, thanks to Billy’s ability. It was when I saw the serious expressions on their faces that I knew they were discussing the trial and Gnotret. By this point, Billy had probably told Nick everything we knew except about Sandra, Michael, and Amy. But I got a surprise when Nick knocked on my open door on the first day of the third week.

  “Hey, George, got a minute?” Nick asked, standing slightly awkwardly in the doorway. I was reclining on my bed, playing a game with Jane that consisted of naming colors going through the alphabet. We were currently on K and I was having a hard time coming up with a color.

  “Jane, can we pick up the game later?” I asked, looking up at the ceiling.

  “Of course,” Jane replied, a hint of a smile in her voice. “I’m sure you could use more time, George, to figure out a color starting with K.”

  “Yeah, meanwhile you’ve already got one for L,” I laughed, gesturing for Nick to come in. He did and shut the door behind him. A thread of worry shot through me; we usually only spoke behind closed doors if we were trying to keep secrets from the others. What was wrong now? “What’s up, Nick?”

  “I wanted to talk to you about Billy,” Nick said, perching on the edge of the chair across from the bed. He bit at his bottom lip while gripping his knees as if holding himself in place.

  “Did something happen to Billy?” I asked, sitting up worriedly. There had been no out-of-the-ordinary sounds and I could still faintly hear the sounds of a video game from the lounge. All in all, everything seemed normal. Had someone gone crazy?

  “No, nothing’s happened,” Nick replied hastily, shaking his head. I let out a relieved breath, happy that everything was still okay. I’d hate to lose another friend. “But, you know he and I have, well attempted at least, started dating.”

  “Yes, I do,” I nodded, smiling. “Billy looks happier than he has since our trial. Where are you going with this, Nick?”

  “I noticed how close you and Billy were,” Nick began determinedly, an air of forcing the words out even if it killed him in his voice. “I just want to make sure I’m not stepping into anything between you guys. I’m sure Billy would have mentioned something but he might not have.”

  “Oh no, no,” I laughed, shaking my head and settling back against my headboard. “Billy and I are friends, nothing more. I have a girlfriend... had... have... well, it’s complicated. You’re not getting between us. I’m honestly happy for you guys. How’s it going so far? It can’t be easy when we’re all basically living in each other’s back pockets.”

  “It’s going okay,” Nick laughed, relaxing. He sat back in the chair and took a deep breath, probably the first one he’d taken since coming in. “We spend a lot of time talking in my head. Easier that way when anyone can walk by and listen in on what we’re saying. Even then, it’s mostly me talking and him listening. He’s rather shy most of the time, isn’t he?”

  “Yeah and I don’t think becoming a telepath has changed that at all,” I replied thoughtfully. “When I first met Billy, he had his nose buried in a book about 19th century surgical methods. Even after we all got to know each other a bit in our trial, Billy tended to keep himself to himself. We hit it off as friends and stayed that way after the trial was over.”

  “Good to know it’s not just me,” Nick laughed, a touch self-consciously. “He’s told me almost nothing about himself beyond his music and book tastes, favorite color, things like that. Guess Billy just needs a little time, right? But what about you, George? You said your relationship was complicated. Care to share a little?”

  “She.... well, I guess Amy went a little crazy,” I said slowly, picking through my words carefully. I crossed my arms over my chest, staring off into the corner of the room. “We had a friend and that friend started manipulating Amy. Things kind of blew up and Amy left.”

  “That sucks, man,” Nick said sympathetically. “Hope you get things worked out.”

  “Thanks,” I said, nodding thankfully. Before I could continue, Billy’s voice sounded in my head.

  George, I need you to come to Rose’s room. She’s found out her ability, Billy said.

  I sent back an acknowledgement and stood up. Nick stood as well, confusion on his face. I guess Billy didn’t think that he was here with me or he would have explained to Nick. I’d noticed a curious hole in Billy’s ability to find people he knew: unless he was looking for them, he didn’t tend to notice if they were in the same place as someone else he was talking to telepathically.

  “Rose’s ability has appeared,” I explained shortly walking towards my door. Nick nodded and followed me down the hallway and into Rose’s room. Billy, Dr. Carnesby, and Brandy were gathered around Rose, Brandy holding tightly to Rose’s hand. Everything was normal except for Rose herself. Rose was sitting in a chair and her entire body was crystal. At least, she looked like crystal. I had no idea exactly what she was made of right now. Even her hair
was crystal, thousands of clear strands that tinkled lightly as she moved her head.

  “Rose, you’re beautiful,” Brandy said quietly, reassuring her girlfriend. “It’s okay. You don’t have to be afraid.”

  Rose shook her head as Nick closed the door behind him, little tears marring the clearness of her cheeks as they dropped down. Holding up her other hand, Rose stared at it dispiritedly as more tears tracked down her face.

  “I’ve completed an analysis of Rose’s crystalline structure,” Jane’s voice said suddenly, sounding businesslike and cold. I wondered why when she could put such warmth into her voice until Rose looked up and calmed a little bit. “Her entire body has turned to diamond. All other functions appear to be fine and I detect no change to her biorhythms. This ability is not harming her in any way.”

  “How do I turn it off?” Rose asked, voice cracking with fear. “I don’t want to look like this all the time, like some kind of freak. How do I go back to normal?”

  “Just calm down and take a deep breath,” Dr. Carnesby advised her, grabbing Billy’s shoulder and pulling him back a little bit. We all gave Rose a little space and watched while she closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Slowly, the diamond structure melted away and her skin, clothes, and hair went back to normal. Brandy leaned forward when the transformation was finished and pressed a kiss to Rose’s forehead.

  “You’re back, Rose, open your eyes,” Brandy whispered. Rose opened her eyes and studied her hand again, a tremulous smile tugging at her lips.

  “That was terrifying,” Rose said, struggling to keep her voice nonchalant even though it shook a little bit. She took another deep breath and looked up at us. “But it’s not all. I only turned to diamond after I moved really, really fast. Like instantaneous fast. I was in the bathroom thinking about sitting down because I’d twisted my ankle. While I was thinking about it, suddenly I was in the chair and I had turned to diamond. So I think I got two abilities from this damn drug; super speed and turning into diamond.”