The Forbidden Trilogy

by Kimberly Kinrade

  Simmons stepped back, her face crestfallen. "Okay, sure. I'll see you later then."

  He waved dismissively. "Bye."

  ***

  Next Lucy landed in one of Simmons's memories. She didn't know how Sam kept all the thoughts and past deeds of everyone straight in her mind; Lucy was already reeling from the information overload.

  Once again she was in their foyer. Simmons returned home from a night out, dressed for a date, but Steele wasn't there. Beleth sat on the couch in the living room watching a movie and cuddling with a sleeping boy. Simmons paused to watch them, a shy smile on her face.

  Beleth noticed her and got up, taking the Seeker into another room to put him to bed. When he came back, Simmons hadn't moved. The soft glow of the television flickered in the background as they stared at each other.

  Beleth stepped toward the door. "I should go."

  Simmons nodded. "Thanks for watching him."

  "I thought you'd be out later."

  Lucy could tell they were both stalling, and held her breath, waiting to see what would happen next.

  "He didn't show up. Had to work again." She dropped her purse on the hallway table.

  Beleth sighed. "I'm sorry. You look lovely."

  He walked toward the door, but Simmons grabbed his hand and stopped him. They held each other's eyes for a long moment, then moved in for a forbidden kiss.

  ***

  Simmons came to the house, looking for Steele, carrying several bags with her. "Honey, I'm home!" She smiled, eager to see her husband.

  Steele walked down the stairs holding a baby.

  Simmons dropped her bags. "No. How could you?"

  His face remained cold, impassive as he reached the bottom of the stairs to stand in front of her. "Now, don't be rude. Say hi to Sam."

  "I'm not saying anything to that thing," she practically hissed.

  The bundle in his arms wiggled and a small cry escaped. "But she's our daughter. Don't you love her? Don't you love me?"

  "Of course, I love you, but you've taken things too far."

  "Really." Steele dropped the mock lightheartedness. "I've taken them too far? You're the one who's been away for over a year on a secret assignment with IPI. That's an interesting amount of time, don't you think. Enough time to give birth to a child and then recover before coming home."

  He rocked the baby in his hands, cooing at her.

  Simmons tensed and backed away. "How?"

  "I read Beleth's memories," said Steele. "It was obvious something was going on. Now I know. So, where's the baby?"

  "I won't tell you."

  Steele roared and raised a fist at his wife. "Where is he?"

  She shrank back, whimpering, but her voice stayed strong. "You'll never find him. Read my memories if you want. It won't help you. He's gone."

  "Oh, I will find him. That I swear to you."

  ***

  At his lab once again, Steele looked over reports on the breeding program. Some babies showed amplified powers, but others showed a decrease.

  Lucy's thoughts melded with his.

  He needed a new approach, and needed to expedite the process—perhaps more growth hormones. If the babies grew faster, he'd get a lot more done, and would be able to experiment more with transferring powers between paranormals.

  Simmons walked in. "Steele?"

  Steele's jaw stiffened, but he didn't look up. "We have nothing left to discuss." He slammed a folder down. "I thought I made that clear."

  She crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not here for you."

  Steele turned to find her and Beleth standing in the doorway.

  Simmons took a step in. "The program is being shut down."

  He stood. "What? You're not serious."

  "I'm sorry, Steele." Beleth walked in, but left the door open behind him. "IPI no longer considers this laboratory a worthwhile investment."

  Other agents rushed in and began collecting documents, files and computers from the lab.

  Steele looked around frantically, grabbing his own papers even as the agents took them from his hands. "How can you agree with this?" He threw his hands up and gestured to the lab. "We started this together, the three of us."

  "And we're ending it." Simmons kept her voice calm, but Lucy could hear the strain behind it. "Paranormals were only meant to be enhanced agents. We've accomplished that. There's no need to keep experimenting."

  Steele started laughing, a bit like a mad man. "You selfish bitch. You can't stand being normal, can you? Can you?" he yelled the last part, pacing the room in a rage.

  She stepped back from him. "Calm down."

  He knocked a pencil holder across the room. "I don't think I will."

  The other agents noticed the argument and a few came to stand beside Simmons. She nodded her head. "Restrain him."

  They grabbed Steele and dragged him away. He didn't stop yelling even as they pulled him through the door. "You can't stop progress, Simmons. You can adapt or die."

  ***

  Steele gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white as he sped down the highway in the darkness.

  The Seeker sat in the back, holding his favorite toy and crying. "Why are we leaving?"

  "It's your mother's fault, Son. She loves someone else more than us, but we'll get her back. I promise you that."

  The boy's sobs followed Lucy into the next memory.

  ***

  Simmons arrived in an old, dark warehouse, clutching a note.

  Meet me at the warehouse at midnight,

  Steele

  The lights turned on, revealing Steele standing in the center of the empty room, holding a handgun. Beleth slumped in a chair beside him, drugged.

  An empty chair sat next to Beleth.

  Steele gestured to it. "Thank you for coming. Please, have a seat."

  Simmons didn't move. "What have you done to him?"

  He pointed his gun at her. "I said have a seat."

  She walked to the chair. "What have you done with the rest of the infants?"

  "Relocated them to somewhere IPI won't find them."

  She stopped walking to look at him. "It's not too late. You can still turn yourself in. I'll make sure IPI doesn't press charges."

  The madness in his eyes—the sheer psychotic glare--flashed as he once again indicated that she should sit. "Don't worry about them. Tonight is about you. Tonight, you get to decide whose side you're on."

  "Did Beleth decide?" She lowered herself to the chair and looked at Beleth, who seemed to be regaining consciousness.

  "I'll admit: I nudged him in my direction. Mind alteration has its uses, after all, but it's never as pleasing as truly earning someone's loyalty. Do I have your loyalty, my dear?"

  She hesitated, considering her options, then straightened her shoulders decisively. "I'm tired of you sick freaks."

  "So be it." He looked at Beleth, who now sat straighter and more alert in his chair. "Choke her until she's unconscious."

  Beleth moved quickly, placing his hands around her neck.

  She squirmed, struggling, then pulled something from her pocket—a small detonator. She pushed the button and the side of the warehouse exploded, sending wood and metal and fire at the three of them.

  A giant piece of metal hit Beleth, forcing him to release Simmons. She rolled away, and ran for the door.

  Shards of wood hit Steele, sending him to his knees in pain

  As Simmons ran away, the roof started collapsing, and a giant beam fell down.

  Steele hopped around it, avoiding the impact, but it fell on Beleth. He tried to push it off, but in his drugged state he couldn't dislodge it alone.

  Steele had disappeared in the flames of the explosion.

  Beleth extended his hand toward Simmons, who had already reached the door. "Please. Please help me."

  She paused and looked at him, her face hardened. "It's over. No more paranormals will be created. As for the ones left... you can burn in hell for all I care." She
walked out the door and let the flames consume him.

  Chapter 121 - Lucy

  Lucy woke up, startled. She'd expected to land in the middle of another shocking memory, but instead found herself back at the IPI base in Hawaii, sleeping in a cot. Pain throbbed through her body, not the mind-numbing piercing pain of being shot—she was quite through with being shot at!—but the post-healing ache, which made her wish she could sleep until it was over. Still, given that she'd nearly died from multiple gunshot wounds, she was grateful to be doing as well as she was.

  Luke walked into the room carrying some water and smiled when he saw her eyes open. "You're awake." He came to sit by her, grabbing her hand in his. "I'm so sorry, Luce."

  "It's not your fault. Simmons did this." That bitch.

  Simmons had been Steele's wife. Lucy could hardly believe all those memories; they painted such a dysfunctional picture—Steele trying to get Simmons powers, Simmons resenting that she couldn't get any, until both of them were driven to obsession.

  In those flashes of the past, there must be something she could use, but first she had to talk to the bitch who'd done all this to her. "Where is she?"

  His eyes looked tired, dark, his body sunken in a bit. "Locked up in the same pen she kept us in."

  "I need to see her." Lucy tried to sit up, and fell back in bed from the pain of her muscles stretching.

  "You need to rest. You almost died." Luke massaged her hand, concern in his eyes.

  "We all almost died, but I'll be fine." She stood up despite the pain.

  Luke helped her stand and made her drink some water first. Once she finished he looked her over and nodded. "Okay, but before you go, there's something you should see."

  "What?"

  "Follow me." Luke led her into the next room in the tent, where several agents sat around a television set.

  On the screen a big—no, giant—man stood surrounded by rock and shrubs, as if in a crater. His muscles bulged as if they had a mind of their own and his skin glinted red.

  It took Lucy a moment to recognize him. "Holy crap, that's Steele?"

  He spoke to the camera. "By nightfall, the military forces on this island will be annihilated, and its authority will belong to you, my people. Those of you brave enough to rise up, come to Diamond Head."

  A sound, like a missile, shook the camera. He looked to the sky, then back at the camera. "Oh, and do not attempt to stop me. Anyone who tries will fail. Here's a demonstration."

  He backed away and the camera tilted up, showing the sky. When a missile came at him, everyone in the room held their breath, anticipating the moment Steele would finally be destroyed. But the missile stopped right in front of him, then spun around and flew back into the sky and straight at the jet that had launched it. The jet exploded live on camera, and crashed into the water below.

  Lucy's heart thumped as she thought about the life lost in that crash. The whole world had just watched an American soldier die.

  Steele walked back into view. "As I said, you can't stop me. Just in case you missed it, let me show you one more example of my indestructible power." He turned and lifted his hands. A jet hovered into view, as if Steele was levitating it. It neared the ground, shaking, then it ripped in two and both pieces flew off screen.

  Lucy stumbled into a chair, sick to her stomach as Steele turned back to the camera, his face close-up once again. "If you send a bigger bomb, like a nuclear missile, I will redirect it at a major city. It's time to stand up, people. Human beings have evolved and your government has kept it a secret. I think you deserve the truth. I think you deserve a chance against your oppressors. You know what I offer. Come to Diamond Head."

  The camera swiveled away from him as he spoke. "I have things to do. In the meantime, enjoy watching these corrupt politicians and greedy business men squirm."

  On the screen, a group of businessmen, all dressed in expensive, tailored suits, were chained to pillars of stone, their mouths sealed shut with duct tape. Below them a fire burned, casting flames over their bare feet. They flinched and tried to pull away, but couldn't.

  Lucy dropped her head and stared at the floor. Are we already too late? Is it over? Have we really lost to that psychopath? "What happened to the children?"

  Hunter walked in from around a corner, having caught the last of the show. He also looked pale and hollow, like he had after the sphere drained him when she was attacked by the lizard. He sucked down half a bottle of water before he spoke. "They're being transported out of the facility. Likely, they'll be sold into slavery."

  She stood. "We have to stop them."

  He came and wrapped his arms around her. "IPI's on it, but the transports are protected by paranormals, and not regular ones either. They seem enhanced, like Steele, and more beast than man."

  Her mind flashed back to Russia, their assignment that led to the discovery of an encrypted disk. She'd thought Steele planned on releasing some kind of virus into the world—biological warfare. She'd never been able to crack the code, and neither had IPI, but it all clicked together as she replayed recent events in her mind. Not a virus, but a drug to mutate genetics, to bring about enhanced powers. If she'd been able to break into the disk, they could have stopped this before it started.

  She leaned into Hunter. His arms felt good around her sore body and she hugged him back, happy he was alive, so grateful that he had saved her, and more determined than ever to finish this mission.

  Luke pointed to the television. "He showed them on the video."

  She looked into Hunter's green eyes and wished they could be anywhere else, talking about anything else, but they had a job to do, friends to save. "What about Sam and Ana?"

  "He hasn't gotten to them yet." He rubbed her back. "It seems to be his grand finale."

  So they still had time. "Has Drake seen this?"

  He kissed her on the nose and released her so she could sit back down. "He's already gone. He and the rest left on a helicopter a few hours ago. Steele made his location pretty clear."

  Yes. Diamond Head. A large 500,000-year-old volcano crater sat on Oahu, just outside of Honolulu, surrounded by buildings. All those people were in danger. Why that spot? For dramatics? She needed to be there. "Why didn't you two go?"

  Agent Mark walked over to them. "They were almost as passed-out as you were." He patted Lucy on the shoulder.

  Of course, Luke and Hunter were the first to touch the sphere. They must have given up most of their life for her. That would have cost them, big time.

  She touched Mark's hand. "Thank you, by the way." She looked around to all the agents in the room. "Thanks to all of you. You saved my life, and my brother's."

  Mark looked down for a moment, then made eye contact. "We should have stopped the crazy bitch sooner."

  "You did what you felt was right. I know how hard it is to accept the fact that someone you trusted isn't who you thought. Trust me." She thought about her memories as she formulated a plan. "Did Drake take the sphere?"

  Luke shook his head. "No. Too dangerous. The thing almost killed me, even if it did save you."

  Knowing that the sphere was nearby comforted her, though she didn't know why. She didn't feel the same draw to it that she used to, but it could still be useful. She'd been able to harness its power for quite awhile without harming herself.

  In the meantime, she knew something of more immediate use. "I think I know a way of stopping Steele, but first I have to talk to Simmons."

  ***

  The pen stank of mud and piss. Simmons sat in a corner on the floor, looking quite the mess. Her hair hung in strings around her face and her clothes were covered in gunk. Lucy thought she'd feel happy or vindicated seeing Simmons in this condition, but she just felt sorry for the stupid bitch. It shocked her, though, to go from the memories of a young, hopeful Simmons to this angry, jaded monster that she'd become.

  Lucy walked up the to pen. "Steele wants you back."

  Simmons smacked. "So you finally figured it out, huh
?"

  She nodded.

  Simmons hung her head. "You're wrong though. He'd love to see me dead."

  "Sam read his mind and sent me his thoughts. He wants you back. Have you seen the TV?"

  Simmons snarled, but the expression only touched her lips. "That bitch told you about my past?"

  "She just showed me the truth. I understand now. Steele wronged you." Kinda.

  A feint smile. "He did, didn't he?"

  "Yes. So have you seen the TV?"

  Simmons shrugged. "Someone told me about it."

  A fly buzzed around Lucy's face and she brushed it away. It landed on Simmons, who didn't flinch. Damnit, Lucy couldn't afford for Simmons to shut down right now. "That demonstration he's doing out there, broadcasting it to the entire world... it's for you."

  "No, it's for him. Everything he's ever done has been for himself." Still no emotion, no response. The fly sat there nibbling its feet, or whatever flies did.

  Ugh. She needed to sympathize. Lucy lowered herself onto the balls of her feet, refusing to sit on the dirt. "I saw how he mistreated you, how he hurt you."

  She had to bite her tongue to keep from bringing up all the monumental mistakes Simmons had made. That wouldn't help her cause, right now. She breathed and remembered her lessons in the valley, to stay calm and focus on the task without letting her emotions make her rash or stupid.

  What would Simmons want more than anything? Not to be with Steele again, clearly, but.... "Would you like to hurt him back?"

  For the first time, Simmons looked up. "It's too late now." But a glimmer of hope sparked in her eyes.

  Lucy used it. "No, it's not. You can defeat him."

  Simmons laughed—a cold, hard gesture that didn't reach her eyes. "He's more powerful than ever. How could I do anything to him? I'm powerless."

  Lucy wanted to smack her for being so stupid and selfish, for thinking that people only held value if they held power. Instead, she dangled a promise in front of her. "You give him what he wants. And then you give him this." Lucy held a syringe out, the one she got from the armory, filled with the drug that took away para-powers.