"I better get going." Ruth gives me a quick hug.
I wait until she's gone before I say, "I'm leaving soon, but I'll be back."
He whirls around, holding a small white tube. "What could you possibly have to do at this late hour?"
I bite the inside of my cheek, wondering how much I should tell him. His blue eyes don't seem so bright, probably because they are surrounded by dark circles. Ever since Max was taken, he's barely slept.
"Nowhere important," I lie. "I'm going with Tank to do a fly-by on one of the Institute buildings, take pictures and stuff. Normally I wouldn't go, but I've been feeling cooped up."
My father nods as if he understands. "Don't be gone too long." He walks back to me and begins to dab the cream on the bridge of my nose and under my eyes. "You will look and feel much better within twenty-four hours."
"Thanks. So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow." I turn to leave, but he stops me.
"Oh, I almost forgot. Come look at this." He walks over to a long island full of burners, cylinders, beakers, microscopes, and many other instruments he always keeps nearby. He stops and peers down into a bubbling red liquid.
"What is it?"
He straightens and smiles. "I think I did it."
My eyebrows lift. "A cure for the Kiss?"
"I think so. It wasn't too difficult once I had a chance to look through all the data we recovered when we took over Enfield. But the real answer came when I had a chance to examine the Kiss strain the Originals had been affected with."
"I can't believe it," I whisper.
"I still have to test it, but I think this is really it."
I throw my arms around him, laughing and thinking of Colt. Maybe we really could have a life together, if I could just get him back. "This is the best news I've heard in a long time!"
He squeezes me back, managing a chuckle of his own. "Go and have fun with Tank and the others. You deserve to get out of here for a while, but be careful. "
I swallow a guilty lump in my throat and nod. "See you soon."
"I'll be right here waiting," he says and turns back to his work.
Before I exit, I glance back one last time. It's a familiar sight, my dad in a white lab coat hunched over his workspace. I used to hate the time he spent in the lab, thinking he used the time as an escape from the real world, but now I realize he truly wants to help people. He sacrificed everything, including his own family, for the greater good. I'm not sure I would make the same decision, but seeing how many lives he has already saved, I wouldn't want him to change a thing.
"I wasn't sure you were going to make it," Anthony says, as I rush up the ramp into an already-running hovercraft.
"Sorry. I wanted to say goodbye to my dad."
"Does he know what we're doing?" He presses a button, and the ramp begins to lift.
"Um, well, not really."
When the door closes all the way, Anthony speaks into his earpiece. "Sage is on board. Let's go."
I place my foot on the ladder leading up to the main deck, but he stops me. "I hope you haven't thought any more about what Rafe said."
"A little," I admit. "It would be nice not to always be the weak one or the one who needs to be taken care of."
"But you have your own strengths in areas where we are weak. Don't play God, because there's only one, and he doesn't like to be mocked. He likes you just the way you are, and so do I."
"You believe in a God?" I ask, incredulously. People had long ago given up hope of the existence of a higher being. I thought about it sometimes when I was younger, but not anymore.
He smiles kindly. "Just remember my words, especially when you think there is no hope. Now get going. They're waiting for us upstairs."
I stare at him for a second before crawling up the ladder. His words crowd the space in my mind, but there isn't time to ponder on them. I open the metal hatch and climb onto the main deck. There are at least a dozen Primes pressed together, all geared up. Another plane had left before us carrying twice as many.
Jenna is leaning against the wall and picking at her nails. She actually looks her age from this distance, but the second she opens her mouth, she will appear much older, unfortunately. I wish we lived in a world where she could just be a normal teenager. I cross the room to her, reminding myself to keep my breathing even, despite the congested space.
"Looking good," she says to me.
"Yeah, well." I touch my nose, not knowing what else to say. "I didn't know you were coming."
"They said they needed my scream just in case things got dicey. Speaking of which, make sure you grab some ear buds. I'd hate to put the whammy on you."
"Me too." I'd experienced Jenna's mind-bending scream once before, and know I never want to hear it again. Last time, the intensity and pitch of her scream had broken both my eardrums and left me a bubbling mess on the ground.
"I don't mind coming, though," she says. "That place was getting stuffy."
"Enfield isn't that bad," I offer.
She rolls her eyes. "Are you kidding? There's nothing to do. I miss shopping and eating out at nice places. I swear, when this is all over, I'm moving to the city. You should come with me. We could be roomies."
"You'd want that?"
She looks me up and down. "You'll do."
"I always wanted a little sister," I say and smile.
I expect her to fling me a sarcastic response, but surprisingly, she doesn't say anything.
It takes a couple of hours to arrive on the ground ten miles outside of Cylotech. Tank lands the plane in a small clearing that barely fits us. The other hovercraft had to land almost a mile away because the forest was so dense. I'm one of the last people to exit.
The forest smothers the small clearing, and somehow, the inside of it bleeds a darker black than the sky. It makes me shiver, despite the warm air, and I rub the rising hairs on my arms.
Tank slaps me on the back, grinning in the light of his headlamp. "We're going to get Colt back tonight. I can feel it."
"I hope so," I say, but I definitely don't share his same enthusiasm. Rafe's words give me pause from being too confident. I turn on my own headlamp.
Anthony steps out from the group of soldiers and says, "We're going to meet up with the others at mile three. Move fast. When we get close, we'll instruct you to turn on your earpiece. Make sure you have both in or you're likely to break one of your eardrums should Jenna have to scream. You all know what the plan is when we get there. Stick to it and stay near your partner, got it?" He walks over to me and nods to his left. "Jenna's on the other side unloading a bike. You two will ride it."
I breathe a sigh of relief. "Thank you."
I run fairly fast for an Original, but I could never keep up with Primes. I hate when they have to wait for me. It's never a good feeling.
Anthony touches me briefly on the arm. "You stay close to me and Tank. Do you understand?"
I give him a reassuring nod and walk around the side of the plane to where Jenna is straddling a bike. The bike's headlight nearly blinds me.
"You better hang on tight," she says, "because if you fall off, I'm not coming back for you."
"How about you let me drive? I am older."
She huffs. "I've been riding one of these things since I was in diapers. Now get on."
"You better not kill me," I say and slide in behind her. She revs the bike’s engine and takes off; I wrap my arms around her tightly. It wobbles with both of us on it, but after a few seconds, she gains control and races into the forest. The bike is much quieter than I expected.
Jenna follows the light spread out before us, mindful of every direction she turns. The terrain is rough, but she doesn't seem to be bothered by it. In no time at all, she catches up to the others. At certain points, she's able to pass most of them, but when the ground becomes more difficult to navigate by bike, we fall behind. Eventually, she finds more even ground and gets caught up again. Despite there being dozens of us, you can barely hear them sprinting through
the forest like a pack of wolves hunting their prey.
When we draw close to Cylotech, Jenna hides the bike. Anthony instructs everyone to put in our earpieces and turn them on. I squish the soft buds into my ear. Anthony's voice sounds.
"Squad one, advance. Squad two, circle behind. This is a rescue mission. Only kill when necessary. Stay together and stay alive."
Everyone turns their headlamps mostly off, but a few in front dim them to a dull glow. It's so dark that I barely see them disappear into the forest.
Jenna tugs me along behind Tank and Anthony. Thankfully, they aren't sprinting anymore, only jogging, which is a fast run for me. My heart was already racing before, but now it feels like it's going to beat out of my chest. I'm nervous for the fight, worried that someone might get hurt, but I'm also scared that if we do find Colt he won't be in good condition.
"Won't they know we're coming?" I whisper to her.
"We've stunned their security feed, but they'll notice something's wrong soon. "
I manage to keep pace the rest of the way. The deeper we go into the woods, the colder I become, even though I'm covered in perspiration.
We stop at the border of Cylotech. I crouch by a bush. Jenna is next to me pressed against a tree. Not far away, are the dark silhouettes of Tank and Anthony. They are standing so still, they look like they are part of the forest, warriors risen from the earth itself.
For the most part, Cylotech is quiet, not at all how it appeared on the satellite images. The government vehicles are still parked out front, bathed in a couple of floodlights but, as I count them, I notice two are missing, a large armored van and a smaller Jeep. There are also only a couple of guards standing near the door, where they used to be many. One of them appears asleep, as he leans against the building, while the other one is messing around on his wristpad.
"How's the south end look?" Anthony's voice echoes into my earpiece.
Someone on the other side of the building replies, "All clear. What next?"
Anthony doesn't respond. He continues to stare at the building. I search the outside with him. All the windows are dark as if the place has closed down for the night. It all seems so normal, and not at all like they just received a high profile prisoner. Maybe that's the message they're trying to convey.
"Squad two, hold your position." He takes a breath. "Tank, take out the guards."
"Gladly," Tank mumbles under his breath. He sprints to the nearest armored vehicle, keeping to the shadows. Bit by bit, he snakes his way to the front. He is so quiet in his attack that he manages to knock out the guard who is distracted by his wristpad without the other guard even opening his eyes.
Once both guards are on the ground, Tank presses his ear to the door. A second later, he motions with his hand to come forward.
"Emery, Cesil," Anthony says, "you're up."
Two figures emerge from the forest to my left. They split up and inspect the inside of each of the vehicles, tossing out any weapons they find into a pile, which aren't many. I don't know if this is good or bad. I can't tell from Anthony's stony expression one way or another.
When they are finished, they gather the few weapons and carry them back where they came.
"Squad two," Anthony says through my earpiece. "How's it look back there?"
"It's a ghost town," a voice answers.
Anthony looks up at Tank whose ear is back to the door. "What do you think, Tank?"
"There are voices inside, but not many," he answers.
"Where did everyone go?" Anthony asks, his brow furrowed.
I press the earpiece, giving me a chance to speak. "Two vehicles are missing. An armored van and a Jeep. Maybe a group left."
Anthony scans the area. "It's possible."
"This might be a lot easier than we thought," Tank says and grabs the knob to the front door. "I say we just bust down the door and storm the place."
"Hold, Tank," Anthony says quickly. "We stick to the plan. I want as few casualties as possible for both sides." He pauses. "Squad two, we're going in. Do not advance unless I say so."
I follow Jenna and Anthony out of the safety of the forest, my insides quivering. The thought of Colt being in danger was enough to get me to face the Institute again, but now that I'm actually here, I'm not sure I can get my body to respond. My legs are barely holding me up, and I'm starting to hyperventilate. Last time I faced them, I was captured and tortured.
I stumble to a stop next to a vehicle and slide to my knees. The others move on, unaware of my crippling fear.
"Door's open," Anthony says. "We go in two at a time. Those in the rear, come protect the front."
"What are you doing?"
I look up. Jenna is staring down at me, hands on hips.
"You're my partner," she says. "That means two of us need to go through that door, so let's go." Before I can argue, she's grabbing and lifting me by the shoulders.
I glance at the door just as Tank and Anthony disappear into the darkness.
She pushes me forward. "Hurry up!"
I stumble forward, my head swimming. Pull yourself together! This is for Colt, remember? Think of him and nothing else. After a few deep breaths, I slip inside the building, making sure my focus is ironclad.
The entryway is dark, but at the end of a long hallway, a thin strip of light escapes beneath a closed door. Just beyond it, there's a humming sound like an air conditioner in the middle of summer. But it's not hot at all outside, so what could it be?
Four soldiers come in behind me and Jenna, and at Anthony's request, they slide by us to join him at the front. Anthony gives quiet orders into his earpiece. I creep next to them to get a better look at what they are doing. Anthony's turned the light on his wristpad to a small glow. They use it to help guide a thin, wireless camera beneath the door. Anthony stares at the image above his wristpad reflecting the camera's view on the other side.
"There are four that I can see," he whispers. "They look like regular Primes. Two are sitting at desks watching our fake security feed, and the other two are working at a counter. I can't see anyone else."
He exhales a long, thoughtful breath. "Hours ago, this place was crawling with people. Something's wrong."
"Or incredibly right," Tank offers, his voice barely a whisper. "It's about time we caught a break, but we better hurry. Those government guys could come back any second."
If they even left. The thought appears in my mind so quickly that it startles me. Maybe Rafe was right. This all feels too easy. Maybe that humming sound isn't an air conditioner at all. Maybe it's meant to mask the sounds from inside.
"Open the door," Anthony says.
I reach out to stop him, but before I can, the door flies open wide. Tank and the others rush in. I stumble after them, still trying to stop Anthony.
"Everyone stay calm," Anthony says to the unsuspecting four people. "We don't want to hurt you."
Tank steps forward and points a taser at the nearest man. He is a regular Prime with golden eyes and wearing a lab jacket. He's sitting up straight, but his expression is not panicked the way it should be with a gun pointed at his face. The rest of our guys pour into the room, their guns drawn, but not raised.
I look at the other two employees to see if they appear worried. One woman keeps glancing over her shoulder at a closed door behind her, but the other girl appears calm.
"Anthony?" I ask, but my voice is too quiet. I can't keep my eyes off the woman who is looking at the door every few seconds.
Anthony walks to the nearest man. "All we want to know is where you've taken the prisoner. We know one was brought in several hours ago."
The man stares him directly in the eyes but says nothing.
"Can I jog his memory?" Tank asks.
Anthony lifts his hand as if to silence him. "Please, we don't want any trouble."
While Anthony continues to talk, Jenna slips by me and moves further into the room. She goes to each door and cautiously peeks inside. Despite my nerves, I walk near the b
ack wall to the opposite side of the room where the nervous-looking woman sits. I follow her line of site to the unmarked door. It takes me just a split second to remember that it leads to the basement. If Colt were here, he would be down there.
No one but the woman is watching me. Her eyes grow wide and her face pales as I draw close to the door. I lean toward it, hoping to hear something on the other side, but there is nothing. Maybe if I were a Prime—
The door flies open, knocking me to the ground. I scramble away from all the men and women who come spilling into the room. One of them steps next to me pointing a gun at my chest.
"Drop your weapons," my captor shouts, "or the Original dies."
5
The temperature in the room seems to drop, and a cold, almost painful, chill slides up my spine.
"Now just hold on a minute," Anthony says, still trying to talk our way out of the inevitable violence.
"Do it now!" the man in front of me yells. There are at least eight others fanning out across the room.
I slowly glance up at the Prime shouting commands. He's looking toward Anthony, while still pointing the weapon at me. He's not very tall but built like a tree trunk, and his eyes are silver, matching the color of the barrel of the gun inches from my chest. He is a rare Lithe, a strong Prime with razor-sharp teeth, but who also doesn't have any obvious weaknesses for me to exploit.
My eyes shift to Anthony. I hope he has a plan, but his gaze is darting around the room like he doesn't. Even Tank looks a little unsure and begins to drop the taser, all because of me. Because they are afraid of me dying. If I were different, they wouldn't be so worried.
"Everyone lower your weapons," Anthony says, his voice calm. "Jenna, you know what to do."
Jenna is pressed against the wall halfway between Anthony and me. When I see her mouth begin to open, I close my eyes tight as if that will somehow shut off my ears too. Her scream is loud and piercing and still hurts even though I have ear buds firmly pressed inside. When I open my eyes, I expect to see the others dropping to the floor, but only the three scientists fall to the ground in excruciating pain. The guards must also be wearing ear protection—which means they knew we were coming.
Saving Eden (Original Series book 3) Page 3
