by Brey Willows
Tis ran to the side entrance, flung open the emergency door, and leapt into the sky. Kera, baby, talk to me. I’m coming for you.
* * *
Kera ate slowly, watching the people in lab coats move carefully through the lab. The door to her room had opened just as Tis had let her know she wasn’t as important as her job, and she was glad for the interruption. At least she hadn’t been able to say anything she’d regret later. We discussed the fact that our jobs come first. For both of us. She never lied to me. That fact didn’t stop the needle of pain in her soul, and she wished she could change things between them, somehow. Not that I’ll have the chance. I won’t make it out of this alive, not again.
Her guard had escorted her to the basement lab, but hadn’t said a word, no matter how she’d tried to provoke him. Sasha had met her in the lab and explained that they wanted her to start getting used to the operation and the people she’d be working with. What better time than over dinner? She bent the plastic knife in her hand. Clearly, they didn’t trust her not to do anything stupid. Good call. She motioned Sasha over. “What am I supposed to be creating? Once I’ve healed from the injuries your boss gave me.”
“He has the records you left behind. He was careful they were preserved. You’ll continue working on the project you failed to complete previously.”
She looked so impassive, so like a crazy big mannequin, Kera wanted to see her crack. “Have you ever been told you look like a really big Barbie doll? I mean, if Barbie came in Amazon flavor.”
Sasha studied her for a moment before leaning close to her ear. “I don’t believe killing the children will work on you. I believe only your own pain will drown out those pretentious morals of yours.” She stroked Kera’s hand with her own. “If I were in charge, I would take a little piece of you every day and place it in a glass box where you could see your body parts mounting, until you finally did as you were asked. But I’m not in charge, and I’ve been told I’m to see to your particular needs.”
She stepped back and smiled sweetly, and Kera shivered at her cold, soulless eyes. “Then I guess I’m glad a woman isn’t in charge, for once. And I have to say, you’ve taken a serious hit in the fuckability department. I wouldn’t be able to get off for worrying you’d go all nutty on me in the act.”
Sasha shrugged and turned away. “You’re not as funny as you think. And if you anger Degrovesnik further, he may let me have my way after all.” She motioned at the guard. “Put her in with the children for the night. Let her get to know their sweet little faces, the ones she’ll be responsible for feeding to the animals.”
The guard pulled Kera to her feet, and she winced at the pain in her ribs. Not one of the lab workers looked up as she was marched past them, and she wondered where they’d been taken from. Quiet, frozen fear emanated from all of them. A door in the glass wall slid open, and the guard roughly shoved her inside. Two of the older kids put themselves in front of several of the younger ones and eyed her warily.
She put her back to the wall and slid to the floor, already exhausted. Somehow, she knew Tis wouldn’t be able to hear her from the basement, so she didn’t try. Not to mention she’s busy. Kera looked at the cluster of kids nearest her. “So, what are you in for?”
“Probably not the same thing you are,” a tall boy answered.
Kera grinned. “No, probably not. What’s your name?”
“Greg. I’m the oldest.”
“Well, Greg, I’m going to say you aren’t the oldest anymore.”
He pointed and proceeded to tell her every child’s name and age. She’d remember them all, whether she took their names to the grave or if she managed to get the hell out of this place.
“Any chance of breaking out, Greg?”
He shook his head. “There’s always two guards when they bring our meals, and one always has a gun. They never open the door except to give us food.”
“What about bathroom breaks? Any chance of a child-stampede then?”
He pointed at the back of the room. “There’s a bathroom back there, off to the side. Everything is bolted down. I checked.”
Kera nodded, exhaustion stealing over her. “Well, that’s all rosy news. I think I’ll take a little nap and dream about more pleasant things, like famine and plague.” She opened her eyes again when she felt a nudge at her shoulder.
“Take this. Looks like you need it more than I do right now.”
She accepted his balled up sweatshirt and used it as a pillow. When a little girl crawled over and snuggled against her, she put her arm around the child. “Thanks, Greg. I’ll make it up to you sometime.”
He nodded and sat beside her. Several of the children came to sit beside him. What kind of world is it where a kid has to parent other kids in the madhouse of a psycho?
She fell asleep with a child against her and far too many more around her. Degrovesnik had played his hand, and she was going to have to fold.
* * *
Tis flew in loose circles somewhere over the Midwest. She’d followed Kera’s trail as long as she could feel any hint of it, but it was gone and Kera wasn’t answering her anymore. Her phone rang, and she ignored the disappointment of it not being Kera. “Hey, Aulis. How is everything going?”
“Aside from the world burning to the ground, great, thanks. I was calling to make sure you weren’t in any of those flaming temples.”
Tis watched a herd of deer bounce through the trees below her, unaware they were being stalked by a massive cat of some kind. “I’m in the air at the moment. Kera’s been kidnapped, and I’m trying to find her. Meg and Alec are handling things at the office.”
There was a moment of silence before Aulis began to laugh. “Well, that was a succinct plot rundown. Trust you to put the end of the world into such simple terminology. How can I help?”
In her desperation to find Kera, it hadn’t occurred to her to use anyone else’s help. “Maybe…Aulis, if someone has broken an oath of any kind, do they end up on your list?”
“It depends on the level of oath broken. If it’s a little thing, a white lie, then we take note so we can keep an eye on them for bigger stuff later. If it’s a medium thing, we pay a visit but don’t leave lasting punishment. If it’s a big thing, well, then we pop brains and fry cells.”
“I’ve got a last name and a little bit of information. If I give you that, can you check your database for me? I’m trying to find a bad guy, and bad guys break their promises all the time, right?”
“That’s been my experience, yes. Give me what you’ve got.”
Tis told her what little information she had, and Aulis hung up after saying she’d get back to her right away. Tis saw a massive lake and headed to it. Since she couldn’t go any farther, she might as well rest her wings. She landed beside an enormous oak and climbed into its sturdy branches. She curled up against the trunk and thought about Kera. She didn’t know where their paths would end, but she wasn’t going to give up on her, not until it was definite there was no way forward. With the temples falling, believers and non-believers both turning against the gods, and her own heart mixed up in it all, Tis wondered if her kind could have a breaking point. She called Alec, who said Selene had told the gods exactly what Tis had told her to, and they’d done as instructed.
“In fact, I think they were just glad someone was there to tell them what step to take next. I bet plenty were ready to let the temples burn and then move on to retribution.” Alec chuckled. “Anyway, any luck with Kera?”
“I don’t think it needs to get to retribution stage. And no, I can’t get a read on her. Aulis is doing some checking for me, and I’ll keep calling. Hopefully, she’ll answer. Any luck on old astronomy labs?”
Alec’s tone was gentle when she said, “She’ll answer, honey. And then you can bring her back here while we go fix the world. And no luck so far, but we’ll keep searching.”
Alone in a massive tree, Tis thought about that phrase. Fix the world. That’s what Kera had been trying to d
o with all her charity projects. That’s what Tis was trying to do now. If we’re both trying to do it, why can’t we do it together?
She closed her eyes and listened to a pair of owls calling to one another. She needed to figure out so many answers to questions she couldn’t even phrase yet. The only thing she knew for certain was that she had to get Kera back, no matter what.
Chapter Twenty-seven
Kera watched the kids eat breakfast, some kind of horrible instant oatmeal with pieces of dried fruit on top. They were also given individual cartons of orange juice. Keeping them healthy until he kills them. Until I kill them. Goddamn him to whatever hell he believes in. Unless she could figure a way out, she’d have no choice but to do what he wanted her to. Although, if she could get hold of Tis and get enough of her time to get out…then she could go to the authorities and get the kids released. But that idea meant getting back to her room long enough for Tis to zone in on her, or whatever it was she did. She thought about calling out to the loa, but Petra said they weren’t big fans of hers after she’d insulted everything about them, which meant they probably wouldn’t come for her even if they heard her. Although Tis had said Papa Ghede had tried to zone in on her, too, which was both comforting and weirdly discombobulating. And if she was going to talk telepathically to anyone in her final days on the planet, it was damn sure going to be Tis.
Greg sat down next to her. “You should eat. You don’t always know when they’re going to bring food.”
She looked at the porridge. “Pretty sure I wouldn’t keep it down, buddy. I’ve eaten a lot worse in countries where that would have been a luxury, but right now, it’s not very appealing.”
He shrugged and swallowed a big spoonful. “My foster mom always said we should be grateful for whatever we got.” He eyed a piece of dried fruit. “Even if it came with a punch or two.”
Little pissed Kera off more than child abuse. Her parents had loved her so much, she couldn’t imagine coming from a home where parents were sons of bitches. The vision of Tis in her full power mode came to mind. Yeah, okay, that makes sense. She’s got the right of it there. “Where are you from?” she asked, trying to banish Tis from her mind for the moment.
“Georgia. Oklahoma. Kentucky. Florida was the last one. A Southern kid, I guess.”
“Any idea where we are now?” Kera felt a flicker of hope.
“Not really. It took a long time to get here, though. Like, three or four days, I think. A bunch of us were packed into a big rig, so it was hard to tell time. There were always guards in there with us, though, and when they got out I could tell it was different times of day.”
“Smart kid. Did you see anything else on the way in? Any landmarks or weird buildings?”
He thought about it. “A lot of trees, mostly. But I did get a quick look at water. I mean, it looked like the ocean, but it didn’t feel like it. Does that sound stupid?”
Kera shook her head. There were only a few bodies of water in the States that looked like the ocean. “The Great Lakes. We’re somewhere in the far North.” She punched his shoulder lightly. “Nice work.”
“Thanks, for all the good it does us. Knowing where we are doesn’t get us out of here.” He set his bowl aside and looked at her seriously. “You’re something to do with why we’re here, aren’t you?”
“What makes you say that?” Kera could tell plenty of other kids were listening, and she didn’t want to frighten any of them.
“It’s not like they throw any other adults in here with us. We’re not stupid. What do they want from you?”
Fuck. This is why I don’t have kids. So many questions. Her mother had once told her that if a kid was old enough to ask a question, they deserved a real answer. The problem was, Greg wasn’t the only one waiting for an answer. “They want me to create something, a disease that could hurt a lot of people, all over the world.”
He stared at her, and she could practically see the thoughts whirling around in his head. He looked away from her at the other children and gave a sharp nod. “I get it.”
He didn’t ask anything else, and she knew he was protecting the other children from the knowledge he now had, but probably didn’t want. “I’m going to do everything I can to get us all out of this. I promise.”
“Promises don’t mean a whole lot to this group. Good luck.” He got up and went to sit with a group of the youngest children, one of whom climbed into his lap.
The door slid open, and the guard motioned to her. “Let’s go.”
She looked back at Greg as she left, but his back was rigid and he didn’t turn around. Kera sighed and stretched her aching muscles as she walked back through the lab. A brief glint caught her attention, so fast she almost missed it.
“Shit!” She stumbled and fell to the floor, knocking various empty glass beakers and cylinders to the floor. They shattered, and she cut her hands on them as she braced against her fall. One of the lab techs was instantly beside her, and Kera knew she saw her slip the silver scalpel up her sleeve. They made eye contact, and she saw the fear in the girl’s eyes, though her expression remained impassive.
“Let me help you up.” She helped Kera to her feet and led her over to a sink, where she carefully washed the glass fragments from Kera’s hands and bandaged the cuts. The guard stayed too close for them to speak.
“Thanks. I owe you.”
The girl tilted her head slightly and went back to work without another word. Kera pretended to limp forward. Buying time meant she needed to look like she couldn’t work yet. “After you, big guy.” She followed him down a long hall she didn’t recognize to a beautiful, candlelit room. On the dining table was fresh fruit and bagels, and her stomach grumbled at the smell of bacon. The guard whispered in Sasha’s ear before he left and closed the door behind him.
“I’m sorry to hear of your mishap. It’s not surprising you aren’t steady on your feet yet.” She came over and lifted one of Kera’s hands to inspect the various bandages. “And we can’t have you working with open wounds, can we?”
She turned away, and Kera was again struck by the woman’s icy demeanor. “Nope, can’t have that. Can I have a bagel?” She moved slowly and carefully, desperately trying to keep the scalpel from showing up against her sleeve.
“That’s why you’re here. Help yourself.”
Kera sat in an overstuffed chair and nearly groaned with relief. “You know, you should put a few of these in with the kids. I think they’d love them.”
“There’s no point in allowing those little gutter rats to have what they can’t keep.”
Kera wondered if she could throw the scalpel hard enough to do any serious damage but thought better of it. She’d have one chance, and she had to time it just right. “Are you his girlfriend? Confidant? Psycho escort service?”
Sasha smiled. “I’m his business partner. I had the money, and he had the dream. Together we’re making it a reality.”
“So what’s your gripe? Bad childhood? Someone take your toy or piss in your cereal?”
She was silent for so long Kera didn’t think she was going to answer.
Finally, she said softly, “It was a bomb. American made, American dropped. They said they were going after insurgents. But the bomb they dropped hit a hospital and a school. Everyone died. Including my grandmother and my youngest sister.” She finally looked at Kera, her eyes like flint. “The entire village lost someone that day. I’m tired of watching people in countries die because of extremists on both sides of the missiles. It’s time to put an end to it. We’ll cure the world of its preoccupation with other cultures and give people something to think about other than tearing apart other countries for oil or weapons.”
Kera knew there was no one more dangerous than someone who felt they had nothing to live for. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
Sasha stood and wiped her palms on her jeans. “Yes, well, you’re going to make up for what your country did. Enjoy your meal.”
She closed the door behind
her, and Kera was left with her thoughts.
Chapter Twenty-eight
Tis stirred as the buzz of her phone woke her. She opened her eyes to find two tawny owls on the branch next to her, also dozing.
“Hey.”
“You didn’t give me much to go on. That name you gave me is pretty common in Russia, and it comes up a lot.” Aulis paused. “There’s one that seems odd, though. He’s a bad guy, but he doesn’t seem to have actually broken any oaths. But because he’s been in the outer nowhere of Russia, he hasn’t been on any of our serious watch lists.”
“Godforsaken places.” Tis stretched and her owl companions fluttered slightly before settling back down.
“Right. He seems to have killed some people, but there weren’t any oaths involved, so not one of our cases, and since there aren’t any specific gods assigned to that region, there wasn’t anyone around to serve any justice.”
“Any current address?”
“Siberia is the last one I could find. I’m sorry, honey. Still no word?”
Tis watched as the sky turned from a bruised nightshade to a candy pink. If only life worked that way too. “Nothing yet. I know I’m close, but I don’t know how close.”
“Let me know if I can do anything else. I’m helping at some of the temples, but I’ll come if you need me.”
The thought of having such an amazing friend, one who would drop everything even when the world was going to pieces, gave Tis a modicum of comfort. “Thanks, Aulis. I’ll let you know how it all turns out.”
She hung up and headed back into the sky. She flew in lazy circles, scanning the earth below, hoping to see something, anything, that would lead her to Kera.
“Hey. You there?” Kera’s mental tone was cautious.
Tis’s pulse raced. “I’m here. Keep talking. Are you safe?” She flew north, feeling Kera’s energy signature like a neon sign.
